Jack asks. ‘That would be allowed. She works for the Unit.’
I slide slightly around so I can peek at them out of the corner of my eye.
‘She’s blonde, hot, seriously rich . . . you telling me you’ve never considered it?’ Jack asks with a grin.
‘You’re so shallow,’ Alex says, laughing and taking another swig from his bottle. ‘Does Sara realise this? Maybe I should tell her.’
Jack smirks at him. Alex nods his head at the iPhone in Jack’s hand. ‘What did it say exactly?’ he asks.
‘Here, read it—’ Jack says, handing it to him.
I can’t see what he’s looking at so I scan Alex’s head as he reads. It’s an email.
Surprise! I’m coming to LA. My flight gets in around midday. Lila x
In my head I hear Alicia conferring with Demos outside but I zone them out so I can concentrate on Alex and Jack and what they’re saying about this girl Lila.
‘Something’s up,’ Alex says, handing the phone back to Jack.
‘Not necessarily,’ Jack answers, pocketing it. ‘You think this is the first time Lila’s been impulsive? Seriously, dude, you do remember my sister, right? Short, blonde, impulsive as shock therapy? Stubborn as a mule who won’t take no for an answer?’
Alex raises an eyebrow. Without reading his mind I can tell he’s thinking that that’s like the ear wax laughing at the snot.
Jack sits up straighter on his bar stool. ‘Hey, I’m not short or blond,’ he says. He is standing in such a way that forces me to admire his backside. Jack has what Alicia calls an ego. But, let me tell you, this boy’s ego is writing cheques his body can most definitely cash.
‘It could be about a boy,’ Alex says, shrugging and taking another swig.
‘A what?’ Jack asks.
Alex laughs under his breath. ‘A boy. You know? A Y-chromosome holder? You don’t notice them as much as you do the X-carriers.’
‘What are you talking about?’ Jack asks, frowning in confusion, ‘A boy? She’s just a kid.’
‘She’s seventeen,’ Alex says, ‘She’s not a kid anymore.’
Jack’s face pales, his eyes bulge. I can hear his thought process. It makes the mental leap evolutionarily slowly between the hypothetical boy and what the hypothetical boy might be doing to his sister and then, when he’s figured it out, he jumps off his stool.
‘If any boy ever lays a finger on my sister I’m going to kill him,’ he snarls. Then he pauses to look at Alex. Alex just stares back at him with one eyebrow raised, remembering a whole parade of girls that Jack has laid fingers on, and much more besides, but deciding not to mention that to his face.
Finally, Jack sinks down onto his stool again. ‘You think that might be it?’ he asks, looking as if he just sat on an upright beer bottle.
Alex shrugs. ‘I’m just speculating. When did you last speak to her?’
Jack shakes his head. ‘A couple of weeks ago. She seemed OK.’
‘She seemed a little down to me.’
‘When did you talk to her?’ Jack asks. I hear guilt mixed in with a little bit of irritation in his head. He wishes he was a better brother. He thinks maybe Alex is right but would never in a thousand years admit it.
‘She emailed a couple of days ago,’ Alex says, wary now. He can read Jack. He knows he needs to tread carefully around the topic of Lila.
Jack frowns.
‘Go gently, OK?’ Alex says, ‘She’s been through a lot.’
Jack rolls his eyes. ‘She shouldn’t be coming. She needs to go back to London. I’m sending her straight back.’
‘You can’t, Jack. Let her stay a few days – a week. Find out what’s up. You owe her that. We owe her that.’
He mumbles this last bit and I see a picture in his head of this girl, Lila. She’s only about fourteen but the memory has a foggy feel to it, which makes me think it’s at least a few years old because isn’t she seventeen now? That’s what Alex just said, anyway. This girl Lila’s got skinny legs, and she’s playing basketball in a back yard somewhere.
I slide slightly around so I can peek at them out of the corner of my eye.
‘She’s blonde, hot, seriously rich . . . you telling me you’ve never considered it?’ Jack asks with a grin.
‘You’re so shallow,’ Alex says, laughing and taking another swig from his bottle. ‘Does Sara realise this? Maybe I should tell her.’
Jack smirks at him. Alex nods his head at the iPhone in Jack’s hand. ‘What did it say exactly?’ he asks.
‘Here, read it—’ Jack says, handing it to him.
I can’t see what he’s looking at so I scan Alex’s head as he reads. It’s an email.
Surprise! I’m coming to LA. My flight gets in around midday. Lila x
In my head I hear Alicia conferring with Demos outside but I zone them out so I can concentrate on Alex and Jack and what they’re saying about this girl Lila.
‘Something’s up,’ Alex says, handing the phone back to Jack.
‘Not necessarily,’ Jack answers, pocketing it. ‘You think this is the first time Lila’s been impulsive? Seriously, dude, you do remember my sister, right? Short, blonde, impulsive as shock therapy? Stubborn as a mule who won’t take no for an answer?’
Alex raises an eyebrow. Without reading his mind I can tell he’s thinking that that’s like the ear wax laughing at the snot.
Jack sits up straighter on his bar stool. ‘Hey, I’m not short or blond,’ he says. He is standing in such a way that forces me to admire his backside. Jack has what Alicia calls an ego. But, let me tell you, this boy’s ego is writing cheques his body can most definitely cash.
‘It could be about a boy,’ Alex says, shrugging and taking another swig.
‘A what?’ Jack asks.
Alex laughs under his breath. ‘A boy. You know? A Y-chromosome holder? You don’t notice them as much as you do the X-carriers.’
‘What are you talking about?’ Jack asks, frowning in confusion, ‘A boy? She’s just a kid.’
‘She’s seventeen,’ Alex says, ‘She’s not a kid anymore.’
Jack’s face pales, his eyes bulge. I can hear his thought process. It makes the mental leap evolutionarily slowly between the hypothetical boy and what the hypothetical boy might be doing to his sister and then, when he’s figured it out, he jumps off his stool.
‘If any boy ever lays a finger on my sister I’m going to kill him,’ he snarls. Then he pauses to look at Alex. Alex just stares back at him with one eyebrow raised, remembering a whole parade of girls that Jack has laid fingers on, and much more besides, but deciding not to mention that to his face.
Finally, Jack sinks down onto his stool again. ‘You think that might be it?’ he asks, looking as if he just sat on an upright beer bottle.
Alex shrugs. ‘I’m just speculating. When did you last speak to her?’
Jack shakes his head. ‘A couple of weeks ago. She seemed OK.’
‘She seemed a little down to me.’
‘When did you talk to her?’ Jack asks. I hear guilt mixed in with a little bit of irritation in his head. He wishes he was a better brother. He thinks maybe Alex is right but would never in a thousand years admit it.
‘She emailed a couple of days ago,’ Alex says, wary now. He can read Jack. He knows he needs to tread carefully around the topic of Lila.
Jack frowns.
‘Go gently, OK?’ Alex says, ‘She’s been through a lot.’
Jack rolls his eyes. ‘She shouldn’t be coming. She needs to go back to London. I’m sending her straight back.’
‘You can’t, Jack. Let her stay a few days – a week. Find out what’s up. You owe her that. We owe her that.’
He mumbles this last bit and I see a picture in his head of this girl, Lila. She’s only about fourteen but the memory has a foggy feel to it, which makes me think it’s at least a few years old because isn’t she seventeen now? That’s what Alex just said, anyway. This girl Lila’s got skinny legs, and she’s playing basketball in a back yard somewhere.
Similar Books
