CHAPTER TEN
Shit, shit, shit! Sky stared at her brother, frozen to the spot.
Draco was on his way to the door of the wine bar, face like thunder.
Instinctively, she pulled away from Rory.
Rising to his feet, Rory grabbed Sky’s hand, holding her tight against his side.
Sky looked at him, unsure he should be holding her so tightly right then. Not with Draco watching them. Just when it actually felt like they were seeing each other, Draco had to turn up.
“Come on.” Rory tugged on her hand. Under his breath, he issued instructions. “I’ll deal with them. You head straight to the tube station.”
She shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”
“Go! I’ll catch you up in five.”
It was too late. Draco was inside the wine bar and a moment later he was up against Rory with his hands on Rory’s collar, eyes blazing.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Draco seethed.
Rory pushed the flat of his hands to Draco’s chest, forcing him back against the wall by the entrance to the bar. Draco reacted by belting Rory with a swift fist to the jaw. Rory staggered back, briefly, then dived on Draco, holding onto the lapels of his rather expensive looking jacket while he pinned him to the wall. “What the hell are you doing with Jackson?”
Sky stared at her brother. It didn’t surprise her he was acting this way. It’d happened before, and they were a good physical match for each other. She was shocked though, because her brother was wearing a suit. She’d never seen him dressed up like that, not even on the day their mum had married Rory’s dad. He looked smart.
Draco glanced at the window, as if reminded of the onlooker.
Sky followed his stare. The other guy, this ‘Jackson’ person, was still outside the window, arms folded across his chest, laughing, as if he were watching a TV show. Curiosity got the better of her. “Who’s he?”
Rory shot her a warning glance.
“Stay out of it, Sky,” Draco muttered, between gritted teeth.
“Outside!” It was a barman. He barreled through the crowded wine bar and unceremoniously he pushed Rory and Draco toward the door.
A waiter darted over and held the door open.
The scuffle between Rory and Draco continued. Sky quickly followed them out, giving the onlooking wine bar crowd a flippant wave of the hand as she did so.
“Now isn’t this a touching reunion?” The guy called Jackson clicked his knuckles, one hand then the other, as if he was about to join in the fight.
His presence seemed to level Draco and Rory though.
“That’s a very annoying habit you have there,” Draco said with sarcasm, “and not in the least threatening.”
Jackson nodded his head in her direction. “Who’s the girl?”
“Nobody,” Rory answered quickly.
Sky noticed he exchanged glances with Draco, like a secret pact, and Draco immediately settled down, turning silent. What the hell was going on here?
Jackson laughed sarcastically. “You were getting pretty close to nobody back there.”
Rory rolled his eyes.
Jackson gave an exaggerated sigh. “You know I’d rather you come back to me of your own free will than take the toolkit off you.”
“The kit’s mine. Get one of your goons to build you a new one.”
“Just give me the kit,” Jackson said, “or you’ll regret it.”
Sky hated the guy.
“Threaten me and you’ll regret it.” Rory pulled the USB from his pocket and dangled it in front of Jackson’s face. He closed the USB in his fist and pulled away just as Jackson made a grab for it.
It was then Sky had an idea. “No, wait!”
“What the hell are you doing?” Draco stared at her.
She growled at him as she passed. “Please don’t hurt Rory,” she said to Jackson in a pleading voice. “I’ve got the real kit right here in my pocket. Rory gave it to me for safekeeping.”
Rory stared in disbelief when she pulled a USB on a lanyard out of her pocket and offered it to Jackson.
“Smart girl. Good doing business with you.” Jackson pocketed the USB with a grin and walked away.
Rory shoved his own USB in his pocket and looked at Sky for an explanation. “Why the hell did you do that?”
“I didn’t like him.” She glared after Jackson.
“Didn’t like him?” Draco stared at her.
“You’re a liability,” Rory muttered.
“I didn’t want him to have your kit.”
“I wasn’t going to give it to him,” he growled. “I was going to destroy it in front of him, as you yourself suggested.”
“Yes, well it was a good idea…of mine.” She paused and gave a pleased-with-herself smile. “But once I saw him I didn’t want him to have the slightest chance of getting hold of it. Plus…it was fun giving him a dud.” She chuckled.
Rory pushed his fingers through his hair. “I’m on the back foot again, further away from being done with it.”
Draco stared at her. “What the hell was on that USB anyway?”
“The reading list for the art history element of the course I want to do next term.” She laughed. “Don’t worry, I can download it again.”
“That’s not what I was worried about.” Exasperated, he gestured at her. “You’ve fobbed him off with a phony. How long do you think an art history reading list is going to keep him occupied?”
Annoyed, Sky flipped her hand at him. “It bought some time, didn’t it?”
Draco cursed, loudly. “Jesus, Rory, what the hell have you dragged her into this mess for?”
“I haven’t dragged her into anything,” Rory responded, quickly.
Sky noticed he didn’t look convinced by his own words.
“We just bumped into each other,” she interjected, worried that Draco would pick up the fight where it had been left. “I’d never seen that other guy before tonight.”
“Is that true?” Draco looked at Rory for the answer.
Typical. The guys have a better bond than I do with my own brother.
“Yes.”
Draco put his hands on his hips, eyes narrowed.
“We were having a drink.” Rory put his hands out, gesturing. “Come on Draco, you knew we liked each other, we’re just hanging out is all.”
“It doesn’t seem right.” His frown deepened.
Sky laughed. “You were the one who didn’t want us to act like the Brady Bunch.”
“Doesn’t mean I wanted you to do the complete reverse!” He glanced at his watch. “Fuck it. I’m late.” Frustration marked his expression.
Sky’s hopes lit. If he had something to do, maybe he’d leave.
“Wait,” Rory said, “what the hell were you doing with Jackson anyway?”
Draco’s mouth tightened.
Sky knew that look. He didn’t want to spill.
“He told me he wanted your kit.”
Rory snorted. “And what... you were going to help him get it from me?”
“No. Look, he could make things really difficult for me. I’ve just got myself a new job. I’ve got to stay out of trouble.”
“We were all supposed to be staying out of trouble, for Sean’s sake.”
“I wasn’t going to help him. I was just trying to figure out a way to end it.”
Sky listened avidly, her curiosity deepening all the time. They both wanted to end this feud they had with the Jackson creep.
Again Draco looked at his watch.
“Don’t let us keep you,” she said, sarcastically.
Draco glared at her. “If I didn’t have something really important to take care of right now, I’d be taking you home, wherever the hell that is now you’ve done a runner from Cadogan.”
Sky folded her arms across her chest and shot him an accusing glance. “What do you care, you never even kept in touch with me and Rowan.”
Draco groaned, paced back and forth hands on hips. “Because I was ashamed! That’s why. We messed up, we got caught. Sean is paying the price.”
Shocked to the core, Sky swallowed. It had never occurred to her. “You’re still our brother and we care about you.”
The tension in his posture seemed to lessen. “I’m sorry.”
He strode over and grabbed her to him, hugging her. “It’s good to see you,” he whispered against her ear
Sky hugged him back, pleased.
Draco nodded over to Rory. “Rory, will you take her home, make sure she’s safe?”
“I was taking her home all along.”
Draco’s eyebrows lifted, his mouth tightening again.
“Escorting her home,” Rory gestured with his hands, “making sure she’s safe, for fuck’s sake.”
“Make sure you stick to that.” He looked from one to the other of them, and then shook his head. “I’ll call you.” He directed the comment at Rory. A moment later he vanished into the night.
“Bit late to play the concerned big brother now,” Sky commented as she watched him leave. “I wonder what he’d say if he knew we’d already slept together.”
Rory groaned. He took her elbow and urged her along the street toward the tube station. “I’m taking you home, and tomorrow I’m coming round to fit a new lock to keep you safe.”
“No need. I’ve asked the landlord to upgrade it already.”
Rory gave her a sidelong glance.
He was impressed, she could tell “Besides,” she added, “I have a date tomorrow night.”
He stopped walking altogether.
“With you, Rory.” She laughed at him. “You’re cooking me a proper meal, remember?”“
“Right yes.” Confusion marked his expression. He looked past her down the street. “Come on. I need to get you home, and I need to be sure we’re not followed”
“Only if you tell me who Jackson is and why you both know him.”
“You’re like a dog with a bone.” He tried to urge her to speed up.
She resisted. “Who is he? If you don’t tell me you’ll have to drag me home;”
Rory’s jaw actually dropped.
Sky pressed her lips together to stop from laughing.
“An ex-associate,” he snapped.
“Associate? Hark at you.” She chuckled, but sped her paces to match his. “I’m guessing he’s the one who has wanted your kit all along.”
“Jesus, stay out of it! Not only have I got to sort my past mistakes, I’ve got you to worry about! I wish to god I hadn’t set eyes on you on that tube train.”
She jolted free of his hand.
When he turned back, she shook her head. “You don’t mean that.”
He stared at her silently for the longest time, and she thought he was just going to walk away.
Then he loped back to her, put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “No, I don’t mean it. In just a couple of days you’ve somehow got deep under my skin.”
Her heart fluttered. The crazy world around them stopped spinning, and there was only them, only this moment of honesty amongst the chaos. She stared up at him, longing filling her anew.
He put his fingers to her lips. “But right now I’ve got to make sure you’re safe, okay?”
She nodded, silently, and let him lead the way.