Page 45 of Judging Duke

“What are you doing here?” Duke asked.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“Pretty sure it’s not the reason you think,” he snapped back.

“Since when can you read my mind?” I’m glad he couldn’t. He might see things he hadn’t bargained for.

“Why would I want to?” Duke tilted his head, questioning.

“Worried what you might find?” Probably images of him and our last encounter and how I’d made a complete fool of myself.

My bravado faded a little at the thought.

“I think I know what would be in there,” he said cockily.

“I guarantee you have no idea what goes on in my head.”

“Other than your deep, unresolved anger at me? Probably not a lot.”

I was going to knock that fucking smile from his face.

“You think you know me, but you don’t. You think I’m this sexed-up porn star with nothing on my mind but my next fuck. You couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Why was I even trying to explain myself to him? He wasn’t worth my time.

He stepped back as if I’d burnt him.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to…”

“What? Insult my intelligence? You wouldn’t be the first.”

“You always were the clever one.”

“Well, you and Robbie didn’t have two brain cells to rub together when you were kids. Someone had to teach you right from wrong.”

He bit his lip, his hands deep in his pockets.

“How is he?” He refused to look at me. I guess guilt made you do that.

I was about to tell him it was none of his business, but something had changed in him. Gone was the usual cockiness, and instead of flipping him off, I indicated a free table.

A couple of drinks appeared out of nowhere, the Asian bartender winking as he left. Where the hell had he come from?

He sat across the table from me, and I could feel the warmth of his skin as his knee brushed against mine.

“He’s having a bad time. The last doctor we spoke to had high hopes of getting him to walk, but the damage was more severe than he thought. Times like this, he sinks into depression. It’s difficult to deal with, but he has Carlos and my parents.”

“Who’s Carlos?”

“His physio. More like a companion really. They’re good friends, and he tells Robbie like it is. He was always mouthy.”

“Yeah, I remember that. I lost count of the amount of times it got us into trouble.”

“Hey, you did your fair share. You weren’t exactly shy and retiring. Always late getting out of school because one or other of you was in detention.”

Duke chuckled before lifting his glass to his lips and grimacing.

“Tastes like shit, am I right?”

---