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She nods. “We can go and see the lawyers tomorrow. Where will you stay in the meantime?”
“With Dave.” I really hope my mate doesn’t mind having me crash for another week or so until I can find a place to rent.
“If you need anything…”
“Space, Mum. I just need some space.”
Mum looks at me sadly, but relents. “I understand.”
THIRTY-SIX
IVY
MY HEART STARTS to race when I see Ellie’s car outside Wren and Brady’s apartment building. I fly out of my car and I’m shaking so badly I have to type the code in twice. I wait impatiently for the elevator to deposit me onto the third floor and run down to their door. When I burst through, my eyes wash over the room, my face falling when the one person I want to see is missing. Wren, Brady, and Tom are all sitting on the couch. I vaguely register that the latter is sporting a black eye and split lip that he didn’t have yesterday.
“Where is he?” I ask, panting. “Where’s Harley?”
Tom scratches his head, looking pained. “He’s gone.”
“Gone?”
He nods at the armchair. “Have a seat.” When I do as he says, he leans back on the couch and closes his eyes. “When we got home from Byron last night, Harley confronted Dad. It wasn’t good. He’s hurt–and angry.”
“Where is he, Tom?”
He opens his eyes, and it’s like a punch to the gut when I realise they’re the same shade of bright blue as Conrad’s. “Things were said. Harley lost his shit. Dad didn’t stop him. Fuck, I was in shock. I didn’t…” He shakes his head. “I pulled him off the old man, tried to calm him down, but he said if Dad wouldn’t leave then he would. He grabbed the keys for his bike and took off.”
My heart is in my stomach. “He shouldn’t be riding in this state. What if he has an accident?”
I try to call him–straight to voicemail. “You’ve called Harley, you know what to do.”
“Harley, call us,please. Let us know that you’re okay.”
Wren buries her head into Brady’s shoulder as he levels his gaze on Tom. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because I didn’t want something like this to happen.”
“Did your Mum know?” I ask.
“No. I confronted Dad the day I was arrested. Mum and Harley weren’t home. Then the cops came and everything else fell to shit. I didn’t want to break her heart even more.” Tom blows out a deep breath. “And when she was killed, I couldn’t do that to Harley. We’d just lost Mum, and Dad was in prison. I was hoping if I just ignored it, it would never come out.”
“Fuck.” Brady drops his head into his hands. “This is messed up.”
“Yeah.” Tom agrees.
“Did your Dad ever try to talk to Conrad?” I ask.
Tom shrugs. “Not that I know of. Conrad came to the house a couple of times to score, but I never sold when Dad was home.”
“How can he have a son living in the same town and just ignore him like that?”
“Apparently he signed all his rights away before Conrad was even born. Conrad’s mum is like some sort of lawyer or something, and she had these ironclad contracts drawn up. That’s what he told me, anyway.”
“Is he going to try and see him now?”
“I don’t know. Is that what Conrad wants?”
I can only answer with a shrug.
