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Authors: Lee Monroe
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twitch of a smile. ‘That should do it,’ he said dryly. ‘He looks like the kind of psycho who’d be scared off by a girl.’
I whacked him.
‘Steady,’ he said, though he was half laughing now.
‘I have to report back to Polly, I guess,’ I said, sighing. ‘How exactly am I going to tell her that I think her brother is an immature game-player and he’ll date Ashley over my dead body?’ I shook my head. ‘She obviously thinks the sun shines out of his arse.’
Luca’s expression darkened again. ‘I have a feeling she’ll find out who he is,’ he said, glancing in the rearview mirror.
‘Really?’ I stared at his profile. ‘What do you mean?’
Luca drew in such a deep breath it silenced me.
‘Luca?’ I peered at him. ‘What do you know?’
He continued staring ahead for a few seconds before finally turning to meet my eyes. ‘He’s … I …’ He frowned, obviously regretting saying anything.
‘What? He’s what, Luca?’
‘I don’t know. I may be wrong. But I sensed something about him. Something wrong. Bad.’ He closed his eyes. ‘It is probably nothing. But I felt as though I recognized him.’
‘You’ve seen him before? You mean on Nissilum?’
‘Not exactly. No. I mean, I just felt he was bad news.’ Luca spoke quickly, as though anxious to shut down the conversation. ‘That’s all.’
‘Well, yeah. I’d say he’s bad news. The way he acted … But let’s just forget about him for now. I have to face Polly on Monday. Until then I kind of want to pretend Ade doesn’t exist.’
‘If only he didn’t,’ Luca muttered.
By the time we had pulled into my front yard the atmosphere in the car had turned weird. I was tired and I didn’t want to talk about Ade any more. But Luca’s instincts – well, they weren’t usually wrong. He’d been right about Evan – or Raphael as he turned out to be; he’d known he was dangerous. And if he thought Ade was bad in some way, then Ade probably was bad.
‘Let’s reconvene at a later date,’ I said solemnly, taking Luca’s hand and squeezing it. ‘I just want to go to sleep now.’
He responded, snaking his fingers through mine. ‘Of course,’ he said, holding my hand tight. ‘It’s just me and my ridiculous heightened sensitivity. It’s a drag, I know.’
I laughed, not wanting to let go of him. ‘As drags go, it’s not so bad,’ I said. ‘It’s an endearing drag, really.’
‘It’s just – well, I’m not sure you should hang out with his sister, either,’ Luca said, not biting into the lighter atmosphere I was trying to create. ‘They could both be bad news.’
‘Luca,’ I sighed, letting go of him and leaning back in my seat. ‘Ade might be a touch … troubled, but I doubt that he and Polly are dangerous or anything. They’ve got this messed-up stuff going on at home. They hate their adoptive parents. Not exactly the perfect conditions for a secure state of being.’ I looked at him staring intently at the floor between his legs. ‘They’re just … mortals, you know. Fallible human beings.’
‘I know that.’ Luca’s tone was serious and he didn’t look up. ‘And if they really were just fallible human beings then you’d be right. There would be nothing to worry about. But I don’t think—’
‘Jane?’ My mother stood in the back doorway, silhouetted against the light from inside. ‘What are you two doing sitting out here in the dark?’
I glanced at Luca. ‘To be continued,’ I murmured, reaching for the door handle.
Luca put on a not very convincing smile. ‘Let’s just forget it.’
‘Sure.’ I managed a small smile. ‘We’d better get in, or Mum will think we’ve had a row. I’m not sure I can pretend that everything’s OK.’
‘But it is OK,’ Luca said, rubbing at his temple. ‘This is not about us. It’s about that … creep.’
I waved at my mother to signal that everything was fine and we’d be just there, then turned back to Luca.
‘Why are you so
I whacked him.
‘Steady,’ he said, though he was half laughing now.
‘I have to report back to Polly, I guess,’ I said, sighing. ‘How exactly am I going to tell her that I think her brother is an immature game-player and he’ll date Ashley over my dead body?’ I shook my head. ‘She obviously thinks the sun shines out of his arse.’
Luca’s expression darkened again. ‘I have a feeling she’ll find out who he is,’ he said, glancing in the rearview mirror.
‘Really?’ I stared at his profile. ‘What do you mean?’
Luca drew in such a deep breath it silenced me.
‘Luca?’ I peered at him. ‘What do you know?’
He continued staring ahead for a few seconds before finally turning to meet my eyes. ‘He’s … I …’ He frowned, obviously regretting saying anything.
‘What? He’s what, Luca?’
‘I don’t know. I may be wrong. But I sensed something about him. Something wrong. Bad.’ He closed his eyes. ‘It is probably nothing. But I felt as though I recognized him.’
‘You’ve seen him before? You mean on Nissilum?’
‘Not exactly. No. I mean, I just felt he was bad news.’ Luca spoke quickly, as though anxious to shut down the conversation. ‘That’s all.’
‘Well, yeah. I’d say he’s bad news. The way he acted … But let’s just forget about him for now. I have to face Polly on Monday. Until then I kind of want to pretend Ade doesn’t exist.’
‘If only he didn’t,’ Luca muttered.
By the time we had pulled into my front yard the atmosphere in the car had turned weird. I was tired and I didn’t want to talk about Ade any more. But Luca’s instincts – well, they weren’t usually wrong. He’d been right about Evan – or Raphael as he turned out to be; he’d known he was dangerous. And if he thought Ade was bad in some way, then Ade probably was bad.
‘Let’s reconvene at a later date,’ I said solemnly, taking Luca’s hand and squeezing it. ‘I just want to go to sleep now.’
He responded, snaking his fingers through mine. ‘Of course,’ he said, holding my hand tight. ‘It’s just me and my ridiculous heightened sensitivity. It’s a drag, I know.’
I laughed, not wanting to let go of him. ‘As drags go, it’s not so bad,’ I said. ‘It’s an endearing drag, really.’
‘It’s just – well, I’m not sure you should hang out with his sister, either,’ Luca said, not biting into the lighter atmosphere I was trying to create. ‘They could both be bad news.’
‘Luca,’ I sighed, letting go of him and leaning back in my seat. ‘Ade might be a touch … troubled, but I doubt that he and Polly are dangerous or anything. They’ve got this messed-up stuff going on at home. They hate their adoptive parents. Not exactly the perfect conditions for a secure state of being.’ I looked at him staring intently at the floor between his legs. ‘They’re just … mortals, you know. Fallible human beings.’
‘I know that.’ Luca’s tone was serious and he didn’t look up. ‘And if they really were just fallible human beings then you’d be right. There would be nothing to worry about. But I don’t think—’
‘Jane?’ My mother stood in the back doorway, silhouetted against the light from inside. ‘What are you two doing sitting out here in the dark?’
I glanced at Luca. ‘To be continued,’ I murmured, reaching for the door handle.
Luca put on a not very convincing smile. ‘Let’s just forget it.’
‘Sure.’ I managed a small smile. ‘We’d better get in, or Mum will think we’ve had a row. I’m not sure I can pretend that everything’s OK.’
‘But it is OK,’ Luca said, rubbing at his temple. ‘This is not about us. It’s about that … creep.’
I waved at my mother to signal that everything was fine and we’d be just there, then turned back to Luca.
‘Why are you so
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