“Peter.”
“He was there that night?”
“He’s the guy I beat up.”
Nick cast Connor a sideways look. “Would you listen if I told you why that’s a terrible idea?”
“I can’t picture it anymore,” Connor said. He kept his phone screen unlocked to see when the message was opened and read. “I could at first. Obviously, I didn’t become a bigot overnight and decide to beat Peter up, but I reasoned that if I came across him in bed with my boyfriend, maybe I was pissed enough to fight him. But…that’s on Austin, right? He’s the one I was dating. At no point have I been mad at Peter—dude was always an asshole, but it’s not like he’s the one I was dating—so why would I hit him? And be mad enough to hit him? I’d be mad at Austin, and there’s no way I’d punch that shrimp. He’s smaller than Laurence.”
“So what do you think happened?”
“I have no idea. I hadn’t been drinking, and I blacked out. I woke up covered in bruises like I’d been in a fight. I wasarrestedby the two yanks who are now standing guard at my dad’s lab. And the sentencing was a complete joke, given by someone who had received bribes from my dad’sboss.” Maybe if Connor hadn’t been so confused by everything, he’d have realised back then that something was seriously wrong with what was happening.
Nick’s phone rang. Connor picked it up off the dash and saw the caller ID pop up as “Dad.” He answered it and pressed the phone to his ear. “Trevor,” he greeted.
“You couldn’t have come in for two minutes?”
“You’d make a big deal about staying if I did.”
“Where are you now?”
Connor glanced out the window at the nearest sign. “Just getting onto the national road now. Don’t worry; Nick is going to keep an eye on me. We’ll be back by dinner time.”
“Can you put Nick on?”
“He’s driving.”
“Speakerphone.”
Connor hesitated. “I’m just going to see an old classmate.”
“I won’t stop you.”
“Hm.”
“Speaker, Connor.”
Connor sighed. He could just hang up and turn off the phone. But judging from the side eye Nick gave him, that would lead to them pulling over and Nick calling Trevor back, anyway.
“Fine.”
“Nick?”
“I can hear you, Dad,” Nick said, inclining his head toward the phone.
“Pull in at the next shopping centre and pick up an ice pack for Connor’s hand and some painkillers,” Trevor instructed.
“Alright.”
“And take the keys out, so Connor doesn’t take them and drive off on his own. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“Okay.”
Connor cursed under his breath and hung up. “You want answers, too, Nick. I know you do.” He also knew that Nick would follow Trevor’s instructions. And he did. Connor ended up stranded in the car with an ice pack on his knuckles by the time Trevor pulled up next to them in the parking lot. Nick and him exchanged car keys, and Trevor sat in the driver’s seat.
He eyed Connor warily like he might explode at him, and when Connor didn’t, he leaned in.
“Can I see?”
