AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Miranda was beside herself. “What if he’s hurt?” She unfolded arms that she’d folded less than a minute ago. “This man’s a criminal. He might kill Adrian. Though I might just kill him myself,” she said darkly. “What is he thinking?”
He glanced at her. “We’ll find Adrian. There are only so many places that’ll be open today where he could sell the car. But surely Adrian doesn’t think that’ll make this blackmail problem go away? He’ll have to keep paying this crook money forever.”
“That’s what I told him.” She looked utterly miserable, curled up in the passenger seat. “But he still didn’t want me to tell you. He hero-worships you, you know. I should have taken matters out of his hands and told you earlier—but I didn’t want him to end up like Mum, evading responsibility for his actions, getting someone else to do the dirty work. I’d already had to find the money for the panel beater the first time. So I told him I wouldn’t give him any more money, thinking that would mean he’d have to tell you. But all he did was keep putting it off—and beg me not to tell you. I never thought of him trying to sell Mum’s car.”
If he could get his hands on her brother right now all hero worship would end. Didn’t Adrian realize what he was doing to his sister?
He could understand why she hadn’t dobbed Adrian in—she had a fierce loyalty to her family and she was right about it being Adrian’s job to ’fess up. None of this could have been easy on her. He said, “We’ll find him. He’ll be okay.”
Whether Adrian would still be fine after Callum had gotten through tearing a strip off his hide was quite another matter.
“You must be regretting giving Adrian that job.” It was four hours later and Miranda knew Callum must be gnashing his teeth, but he showed no sign of it as they pulled up at their third car fair, facing the now-familiar sight of hundreds of cars being examined by backpackers and students all looking for a bargain. And the equally familiar trawl up and down the lines in the slanting drizzle, searching for Flo’s Kia.
Except this time they found it in the second row.
When Adrian saw them approaching, his shoulders sagged. “I suppose I’ve wrecked my chances of ever landing that scholarship now?” he said to Callum as the three of them huddled under the shade cloth.
“You should have come and told me—young men often do silly things.”
Adrian flushed under the older man’s scrutiny.
“Do you realize how much worry you’ve caused your sister?” Callum put his hands on his hips and stared Adrian down. “She’s got enough on her plate without having to run after you all the time.”
Her brother looked sheepish. “I didn’t think.”
“No, I don’t suppose you did. Nor did you think when you rushed off with your mother’s car. You’re going to be going off to university or to work and you’re going to leave your mother—and sister—without a car?”
Adrian lowered his gaze and stared at the floor, thoroughly chastened.
After a pause he looked up and met Miranda’s sympathetic eyes. “I’m sorry, sis. I shouldn’t have done it.” Turning to Callum, he asked, “What will you do about—”
“About the reparation for the car you crashed?”
Adrian swallowed, and his eyes flickered nervously from side to side. “Uh, yes.”
Callum inspected Adrian, then said, “I have a social welfare project I’m putting together—I’d like you to be involved.”
Adrian looked astonished. “Me?”
“Yes.” Callum started to smile. “I rather suspect that you’re going to have a busy year. I know that the scholarships committee is going to want to meet you. You’re going to have to work hard to impress them. I can’t get you in on my recommendation alone.”
Adrian appeared about to fall down with relief. “Oh, no, I understand that. I’ll do my best.”
“Good.”
That one word told Miranda of the high expectations Callum had of her brother. Her brother would be in good hands—the best.
