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I wipe the tears from my face and stare at the hideous brown carpet. “So, are you going to tell me what happened?” I ask, flicking a random empty Hobnob’s wrapper across the room.
Dax sighs heavily, as if the weight of the world is resting on his massive shoulders. “He doesn’t want me to, but yeah, I will.”
That gets my attention. I lift my head to look at Dax as he explains how his best friend got a four-inch stab wound and about a dozen deep bruises.
“Adam’s brother, Danny…”
“Adam has a brother?” I interrupt.
“Yes, three years older,” Dax huffs as he shoots me an impatient look.
“Sorry, go on,” I mumble, mortified by my outburst. I jam my ragged thumbnail into my mouth and start gnawing on it furiously.
“Right. Anyway, Danny’s a prick and a criminal. He runs drugs around here. In fact, he’s the second in command for one of the biggest dealers in the borough. Been doing it for years.”
My eyes must be popping out of my head because Dax pats my leg and gives me a sad laugh.
“You must know that this isn’t the nicest area in London, Ellie.” Feeling naïve, I purse my lips and nod, pretending that this news doesn’t shock me. “So after the whole… ummmm, confrontation with Murray and Mason, he asked Danny for protection. For you.”
My mouth falls open in shock. “Protection? What does that mean?”
Dax scrunches his brow in confusion and looks at me like I’m stupid. “You think that those two would have left you alone after what happened that day? Haven’t you wondered why they didn’t come after you again? Or bothered you in school? No one ever gets the better of those two, and they’re not likely to forget it. They know they won’t win against me and Adam, but you… they’d take you down in an instant just to hurt us or prove that we didn’t stop him.”
“I don’t understand,” I admit, my voice no louder than a whisper.
“Callum and Ryan used to work for Danny,” Dax continues, “as enforcers, you know, roughing up the guys who don’t pay. Danny cut them loose when they started…” he stops, looking terribly embarrassed to have to explain this to me, a pink blush coloring his neck and cheeks.
“What Dax? What did they do?” I’m horrified to find out more, but for some stupid reason I need to know the rest.
Dax rubs his the back of his neck nervously and looks away as he finishes his story. “They started accepting sexual favors from the girlfriends of guys who owed instead of beating them up. That pissed Danny off good. He doesn’t run a sex for drugs operation, and it made him look weak, like people could bargain their way out of paying by offering up their women.”
I feel my already stuttering heart take a nosedive right into my stomach, and suddenly have the urge to vomit up my dodgy school lunch. “T-that… that doesn’t explain how Adam got stabbed.” I trip over my words, having to swallow down the overwhelming nausea.
“Because in exchange for Danny sending a couple of thugs to threaten Callum and Ryan to leave you alone, Adam had to do some jobs for him.”
“Jobs,” I say incredulously, “as in deliver drugs?”
This is so bad. Very very bad.
“Yes. He was rolled by a rival dealer’s runners during a delivery, attacked and robbed and left for dead. I don’t know how he managed to get to my flat in his condition, but he did. I patched him up the best I could and brought him back here. Danny is furious that they harmed one of his guys and is out for blood on the other side. It’s way bigger than us now.
“Plus, now we’ve got Murray angry not only at Danny for cutting him loose and now threatening him, but he’s pissed at me and Adam and now you. You’re the only one who can’t take care of yourself, El, the weak link. We have to keep you safe.”
My head is spinning with this revelation. Adam was stabbed because of me. To save me. As payment for my safety.
“But why? Why would Adam do that for me? He doesn’t even know me!” I cry, trying to make sense of something that won’t ever make sense to me with my glaringly inexperienced view of the world.
Dax’s dark eyes soften. “I told you he’s been following you home every day since the first day of school. He saw how Callum looked at you that day, he knew what would happen. He knew about Callum’s little ‘deals’ with Danny’s clients. It wasn’t a coincidence that we came upon you being assaulted.”
Dax pauses a moment before continuing, trying to decide just how much to tell me. “He’s made sure you got home safe after that, to keep those bastards away. Callum and him have always had this mutual hate, probably because of Danny even though Adam hates Danny just as much as Callum does. I’m not sure why Adam has been doing all this for you, Ellie. I’ve never seen him act like this. Adam’s a friendly guy, likeable, talented, but not one to become so fixated on a single girl or insert himself in his brother’s dealings. Until now.”
“I-I don’t know what to say.” More tears are streaming down my cheeks, I couldn’t stop them even if I tried so I give up and let them fall. “I had no idea about any of this.”
“I know. It’s not your fault, Ellie. Callum and Ryan made their choices and Adam and I made ours.” He stands up and walks to the front door, not looking back as he finishes speaking. “Let Adam know I’ll be back later with food, and Ellie … welcome to the East End.”
chapter 7
Adam
