Page 123 of Drift

Light shook his head at him as Drift glanced over his shoulder, then tugged West out. Martin came over a moment later as Light got to his feet and packed away his guitar.

“On fucking up…. Two things with you, Piper.” Martin held up a finger. “One, Simon mentioned to Gray that the music Drift filled the manor with a few days ago took you out of the game. Yet you walked into Jackson’s, which is full of sound waves, without you looking at ways to combat it.”

Light tightened his jaw.

“Two.” Another finger came his way. “You dropped your game back at Jackson’s. One with the guitar and losing your head to bad memories, two with being slow enough to get hit by Drift.”

Simon came and rested in the doorway, not looking happy at all with the closeness.

Light nodded and held Martin’s look. The fact Gray had said nothing over the I-dosing knock-on effect called out how he waited for Light to talk first. And that was Gray’s offer of a fatherlately: making sure Light found his damn voice. “I’ll talk to Gray and Si and deal with the audio issue.” It was a serious flaw, one that could knock him out of the game anywhere, although now he thought back….

Shit. The sound from the guitars back at Jackson’s hadn’t hit him, so had Simon and Gray worked something into the surveillance earpieces to dampen the effect, knowing he was facing music back there? Fuck… Light had gone in without even thinking about it, leaving Si and Gray to make sure he walked sound footing…. “As for the second one…?” Light frowned. “I dealt with it.” He snorted gently. “Well me and a smart-mouthed kid I’d like to hear play again if he’d just ease off fighting the whole world.”

Martin gave a small nod and a friendly pat to his neck. “Don’t care. Don’t fuck up like that again. Bleeding Hearts over there… by which I mean Simon… he’s worse than that goddamn cat of Jack’s when it comes to missing her bedroom toys. Head hurts enough without his whining adding to the mix.”

Light snorted a smile, and Martin turned away, heading past Simon and barely acknowledging him. But Simon seemed to barely notice Martin either as he came over.

Simon went to say something, maybe an apology for talking to Gray about the I-dosing, most likely saying he didn’t give a fuck he’d talked to Gray about it but—

Light pulled him in for a kiss, taking Simon back up against the wall.

Simon eased back for a second, eyes closed, and a hand cupped Light’s neck, pulling him back in so his lips hovered close.

“Now that’s… that’s you learning to be a lover who’s been missed.” His return kiss was so gentle. “That’s you holding on to something….”

“On tosomeone,” Light said so quietly close to his lips. “You.”

Chapter 35

THE PROFILERS

Gray sat on the corner settee in Light’s lounge, his iPad close by as West and Drift came on through. Jan hadn’t liked suggesting it, but Gray understood his ask that he stay on audio with Raif in the Oval. This was family, but it was still a formal interview, one that came with emotional ties Gray needed to moderate as best as possible, so Jan took himself out of the equation to clear the emotional playing field. Gray hadn’t given Martin the same request to stay in the Oval because locking him in there would only piss him off and add to the internal conflict going on between him and Jack. Martin was best where Gray could see and anticipate his reactions, and at the moment, they all centred around Drift.

But in many ways, he wanted… also needed Martin’s sharpness at his side, and just how bloody guilty did that make him feel?

Martin came on through with Light and Simon a few moments later. Martin’s look stayed on Drift and West as they stood awkwardly in the kitchen, but he kept to leaning against the window, as Light and Simon took seats at the dining table.

Jan’s softness over asking them to come here also sank in a little more seeing Light. The last time two friends had been sitting here for an interview, it had been Light and Brin in themanor’s kitchen. Jan’s thoughts had been with Light, for Light, keeping the wrong emotional playing field away from him, and that… yeah… that was Jan also bringing family talk into the summerhouse to wipe away traces of Light being in here with Cath, with killing her. Jan’s head… it worked as fast, maybe a little better than all of them, because it came with his heart behind it all.

“Take a seat.” Gray indicated opposite him on the settee, making sure West and Drift stayed close. It also gave them a clear run to the door. He didn’t want them to feel there was no out option here. “You need a drink before we start?”

West shook her head, and Drift stayed quiet, offering nothing at all.

“Tell me how you two met, West.”

The question jolted Drift, maybe more so because Gray had directed it to West. They were street kids, where personal details weren’t handed out, especially more so with Drift moving from crew to crew. They held on to privacy in order to keep a piece of identity when most had been stripped away by street walking, but West’s look hid a tiredness Drift’s didn’t carry, not over fighting it alone.

“That’s none of your fuh—”

West shot Drift a hard look that shut down hisNone of your fucking businessmouth, and she looked at Gray a moment later.

“Back when I’d just turned nine, I lived in Hounslow, West London,” she said eventually with a haunted smile. “Wellington Avenue.” A cold snort. “My family was one of the lucky ones to have a back garden at the far end of the street.” She looked Drift’s way. “There’s a lot of rooftop access there.”

Ah. Gray cocked a small smile, seeing where this was going.

“He got lost that night.” She held Drift’s look, at the long look and shake of head that came her way. “Although he’d never tell you that.” She found Gray again. “At eight and a half, six months younger than me, he was still a little raw to the streets and learning the rooftop ropes with Ava, and Grant.” She frowned. “Grant had left him alone and told him to find his own way back, but to stay off the street pathways doing it.”

West focused down briefly to her feet. “I’d got locked outside in my pyjamas, my mother not giving a fuck with the snow on the ground.” She snorted. “I just wanted back in despite what came with getting back, well… in. Bare-footed, shivering, crying at how white-hot cold my feet felt, with all those pretty houses lined all in a row on our street, not one person came outside to help.”

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