Read Online Decline (Declan Reede: The Untold Story #1) by Michelle Irwin - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Michelle Irwin
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no hint why he was there, or what he was doing in Sydney in general, as he casually flirted with the barista before collecting his drinks. To go.
I kept my head down until he’d walked past me again without giving me a moment’s consideration.
My mouth twisted and my stomach plummeted. With him gone, I would never know whether or not she had actually been there. I felt the loss of that information acutely before I pushed it away. It wasn’t like I cared about her or wanted to see her anyway. Not really. No more than I would have wanted to see anyone from school who had suddenly materialised in my vicinity. I downed the last of my coffee despite my protesting stomach.
Pushing the sighting out of my head, I made a beeline for the newsagents, determined to pick up the latest copy of a few of the various Holden magazines so that I’d at least have something to read on the plane. I hadn’t even entered the newsagency when I saw part of the reason for the trip staring out at me from the stands at the front of the store. Multiple copies of the latest Gossip Weekly lined the wall. I pulled my hat down even further and ducked my head as I pushed past the display.
Please God, don’t let anyone recognise me in front of the Gossip Weekly stand .
I moved straight into the men’s magazines section. The one housing the magazines filled with cars, bikes, girls, or some combination of the three. Once I was there, I breathed a little easier. It would at least be less embarrassing to be recognised away from that wall.
I had three different magazines in my hand, debating the merits of each one, when I heard Josh’s booming voice again.
“God, that Declan Reede thinks he’s all that and a bag of fucking chips, doesn’t he?”
Holy fuck ! Instinctively, I ducked down lower than the top of the shelves. A grunt of pain rushed from my lips as the movement strained my injury. I pressed myself against the magazines to ensure he didn’t see me if he spun around.
Even though my first thoughts were of avoidance, and my second were wondering why he was there, I had enough sense to figure he was commenting on the Gossip Weekly cover. If he’d seen me, I doubted his voice would still hold the jovial edge it had. Just in case though, my gaze darted left and right to ensure he wasn’t beside me. I practically rested against the shelves, trying to ensure I was well and truly out of sight. Why couldn’t he just disappear already and leave me alone to get on the plane in peace?
“Yeah right, babe, you need to face facts.”
It was clear someone had responded to him, but I hadn’t heard what they’d said or even whether it was a male or female. My fists clenched and my teeth ground together. I wanted so badly to look, but stayed crouched on the ground instead. I may not have been a coward, but I wasn’t a fucking idiot either. The dude was at least twice my size, had fists like tenderizing mallets, and I couldn’t be certain whether he was over his vendetta against me or not. Considering the way I’d left Alyssa, I wasn’t willing to put my head on the chopping block on a maybe. The vivid memory of him pounding me into the ground over and over again, and then of the long recovery, was enough to force me to keep low and out of sight.
“That boy is so far up himself he’d need a compass and a flashlight to get out again.”
I thought I heard a female laugh. With my heart smashing against my ribs, I straightened a little to get a look. My hands shook as I reached up to try to move closer to the top of the magazine stand. All I could see was Josh’s back as he paid the cashier for whatever he’d purchased. When he left the store, he walked just behind the person he was with; almost stalking them like a bodyguard would. Because of his position, I didn’t get a clear view of his companion.
I didn’t want to risk following them to find out. My curiosity was not worth the pain, and not just the physical one. If by some unfortunate
I kept my head down until he’d walked past me again without giving me a moment’s consideration.
My mouth twisted and my stomach plummeted. With him gone, I would never know whether or not she had actually been there. I felt the loss of that information acutely before I pushed it away. It wasn’t like I cared about her or wanted to see her anyway. Not really. No more than I would have wanted to see anyone from school who had suddenly materialised in my vicinity. I downed the last of my coffee despite my protesting stomach.
Pushing the sighting out of my head, I made a beeline for the newsagents, determined to pick up the latest copy of a few of the various Holden magazines so that I’d at least have something to read on the plane. I hadn’t even entered the newsagency when I saw part of the reason for the trip staring out at me from the stands at the front of the store. Multiple copies of the latest Gossip Weekly lined the wall. I pulled my hat down even further and ducked my head as I pushed past the display.
Please God, don’t let anyone recognise me in front of the Gossip Weekly stand .
I moved straight into the men’s magazines section. The one housing the magazines filled with cars, bikes, girls, or some combination of the three. Once I was there, I breathed a little easier. It would at least be less embarrassing to be recognised away from that wall.
I had three different magazines in my hand, debating the merits of each one, when I heard Josh’s booming voice again.
“God, that Declan Reede thinks he’s all that and a bag of fucking chips, doesn’t he?”
Holy fuck ! Instinctively, I ducked down lower than the top of the shelves. A grunt of pain rushed from my lips as the movement strained my injury. I pressed myself against the magazines to ensure he didn’t see me if he spun around.
Even though my first thoughts were of avoidance, and my second were wondering why he was there, I had enough sense to figure he was commenting on the Gossip Weekly cover. If he’d seen me, I doubted his voice would still hold the jovial edge it had. Just in case though, my gaze darted left and right to ensure he wasn’t beside me. I practically rested against the shelves, trying to ensure I was well and truly out of sight. Why couldn’t he just disappear already and leave me alone to get on the plane in peace?
“Yeah right, babe, you need to face facts.”
It was clear someone had responded to him, but I hadn’t heard what they’d said or even whether it was a male or female. My fists clenched and my teeth ground together. I wanted so badly to look, but stayed crouched on the ground instead. I may not have been a coward, but I wasn’t a fucking idiot either. The dude was at least twice my size, had fists like tenderizing mallets, and I couldn’t be certain whether he was over his vendetta against me or not. Considering the way I’d left Alyssa, I wasn’t willing to put my head on the chopping block on a maybe. The vivid memory of him pounding me into the ground over and over again, and then of the long recovery, was enough to force me to keep low and out of sight.
“That boy is so far up himself he’d need a compass and a flashlight to get out again.”
I thought I heard a female laugh. With my heart smashing against my ribs, I straightened a little to get a look. My hands shook as I reached up to try to move closer to the top of the magazine stand. All I could see was Josh’s back as he paid the cashier for whatever he’d purchased. When he left the store, he walked just behind the person he was with; almost stalking them like a bodyguard would. Because of his position, I didn’t get a clear view of his companion.
I didn’t want to risk following them to find out. My curiosity was not worth the pain, and not just the physical one. If by some unfortunate
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