AllFreeNovel
Share Us
35
Ihear talking from behind his closed door when I get to Mr Carmichael’s office. The voices are low, muffled. Pressing my ear against the wood I try to listen but even then I can’t make out what they’re saying. Without even bothering to knock I open the door roughly. It slams against the wall.
Half a second later my heart crashes inside my chest, trying its best to break free from my ribcage.
“Eastern…?”
I have to blink a few times just to make sure I’m not hallucinating. When I’m certain that he’s here, I rush forward ignoring the fact that Mr Carmichael and Mr Burnside are both watching me intently.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I breathe out, as he stands holding his arms open. I run into them without hesitation, holding him against me tightly. His familiar smell of smoke and apples fills my senses as I breathe him in. “Eastern,” I mutter curling my fingers into his top.
“Hey, Alicia,” he murmurs. His voice is hoarse, full of emotion that I can’t even begin to unravel right now.
“It’s Asia, arsehole,” I choke out, swallowing the sob behind a strangled chuckle. Easing back, I look up at his face, at his brown eyes flecked with amber. They’re different, harrowed. I know instantly that shit went down at juvie, but now is neither the time nor the place to find out what.
“It’s so good to see you, Eastern,” I say, and I really, truly mean it even though I don’t understand why he’s here.
“It’s good to see you too.” He steps back then, easing me out of his hold before sitting down. I stare at him, frowning. What’s going on? Only then do I notice another man standing in the corner of the room. He’s looking at me with interest.
“What’s happening here?” I ask Eastern, looking between him and the guy I don’t recognise.
“Sit down, Asia,” the man says.
“Don’t tell me what to do,” I retort automatically, drawing a raised eyebrow from him.
“Please,” Mr Carmichael adds.
“Asia, do as he says,” Eastern insists. The look on his face has my arse plonking on the seat.
“Why is Eastern here? Is he starting Oceanside too?”
“That depends,” Mr Carmichael says, drawing up a chair beside me.
“On what?” I look at him suspiciously.
“On whether you and Eastern agree to some terms,” the unnamed man adds.
Eastern’s face pales. I know him, I know that something fucked-up is about to go down. I narrow my eyes, folding my arms across my chest. “What terms?”
“I’m Chief Inspector Crown,” the man says, introducing himself properly.
“And?”
“And your friend here is in deep shit right now,” he says, pulling no punches.
“Talk about stating the obvious,” I retort sarcastically.
“He’s looking at a long sentence, Asia. A sentence that could mean time in both juvie and adult prison once he hits eighteen. Drug running of Class B drugs is a serious criminal offense,” Chief Inspector Crown continues without batting an eyelid at my sarcasm. “Eastern is looking at fourteen years in prison…” He lets that statement hang in the air for a moment so that we can all digest it. “But his sentence could be lessened to a stay at Oceanside on one condition and one condition only…”
“And what’s that?” I don’t trust this fucker, and I certainly don’t trust the look on Eastern’s face.
“It’s simple. We need intel on the drug supplier, the real kingpin to the outfit Eastern has been drawn into. We want to take him down and obtaining information about the gang Eastern is now a member of is the start of that. So far, he’s refusing to talk.”
Shit.I glance at Eastern but he’s refusing to look at me. “Well, that’s easy…” I begin. Eastern’s head snaps up.
“Don’t, Asia.Don’t,” he warns.
“This is your life, Eastern. You’ve been given a second chance to live it. Don’t do this to your mum, to Braydon, tome,” I beg.
