Page 91 of Drift

Jackson blew the candle out, then he took Drift’s arm again, pulling it down to rest on the table as he tugged over a bowl and a bottle of water. “Because of Wales?” He undid the water cap with his teeth. Cold water dripped onto Drift’s burn, the excess dripping into the bowl. “Because she let you watch what she did there and you, you stupid fuck, you followed and watched anyway?”

The small lick of red skin just below his wrist fired the switch, and the hurt started to eat at him as a tear slipped free. “Yeah. Because of that. I—”

“I don’t care about your whys, Drift. I really fucking don’t. You know better.” Jackson tightened his grip, the cold water keeping a constant stream over it. “So she took it the only way she would when it comes to you too, she came back allTouch you up for it,Drift. Enough you lose your shit with the guards, then skip town without warning mine over why, leaving us open to face your shit?”

“You didn’t get any trouble, right?” He ignored the muggy details over the guard. Ava wasn’tthatbored as to target anyone here. She liked Jackson alive to live out what he’d lost because of her running with them all those years back. Jackson knew her control level as well as he did. “I wasn’t on your patch,” he said just as flatly. “I stayed away to make sure she didn’t come here.”

Jackson reached into the medkit and pulled out some clingfilm. “Damage was already done, dickhead.” He rested a layer of file on top of the burn to Drift’s wrist, then sealed it with surgical tape in a square around it. “If she saw you in Wales, then she saw Leon, no doubt Brighty too.” Jackson flicked him a look. “The only reason she hasn’t come after them is because they weren’t stupid enough to get out of the fucking car and follow her in the first place. Whatthe fuckwas your dick thinking?”

His look lowering against everything hidden behind those words, Drift tugged his arm back and cradled it across his chest, the second tear that slipped free the only recognition that anger, hurt, and enforced… dirt was more than kicking in.

Him and Ava, they’d been kids back then, and everything in Jackson’s look and why he kept a no-touch policy now between his kids always came down to Drift and… Ava. More how Drift sometimes needed the reminder not to… touch Ava.

Jackson looked away and shook his head before tugging something else from the medkit. Paracetamol landed close by, and a fresh bottle of water was pushed over next.

Drift eventually took the first and downed two with the water.

Jackson waited until he’d finished before easing back and folding his arms. “You also picked a fight with Keyne last night.”

Drift felt like he’d downed sour milk, but it wouldn’t ever be for pissing off Keyne. “He was a dick leaving West and Hastings in the fire pit—”

“WhoI dealt with last fucking night.Because this is my fucking crew.”

Drift jolted at the shout and fell quiet.

“Point being,” said Jackson. “My crew, where if you see that bitch on the street and it pisses you off how she still makes you feel despite witnessing all her shit, you shut your eyes, you shut your mouth, and you take time out with a baseball bat in the breakroom. She sends bent guards, rozzers, fuck, even old Mrs Ryans from the paper shop on your ass—you shut your eyes, you shut your fucking mouth, and you take time out with a baseball batinthe fucking breakroom. You don’t, and I’ll say this to you only once again—you don’t ever make fucking decisions that put my crew in bastard danger. You’d have bloody run circles around those security guards. The only reason you’d take a cocktail to a car and hurt a guard is if you got pissed off.”

Yeah, Drift really needed the breakroom now because this was pissing him off in other ways. The room a few doors down came with a baseball bat and broken furniture to… break life’s hurt. No one got in the way of a kid going in there. They usually had a warm drink ready for when they did manage to come out.

Jackson lit the candle again. “And the next time I see West dragged out onto the street again after dark because she’s looking for you, we’re done. And I mean I’m fucking done with both you and West this time.”

“What?” Drift looked at him sharply, away from the flame. “You don’t take this out on—”

“I don’t…whatexactly?” Jackson cupped his ear, waiting.

Drift forced all bite-back away, and after a moment, Jackson nodded. “Better, because your dumbass head keeps threatening comeback foreverygoddamn one here, and West, she was back there with us, with you and you and Ava as well. It got in her head too. So she still follows you into the poison, putting her back at risk as well.”

Drift gave a nod, sharp, fast. He could take most things in life, just not her out there on the street to catch more bruises to her jaw.

Jackson gave a rough sigh and sat back. “Keyne. What is it with you and always needing to find warmth?” He pushed at a coffee mug that looked like it had long since lost its warmth. “Why sleep with him, you asshole? Why fuck things up like that between you and West? And if Ava finds out, he’ll end up in some gutter somewhere…”

The change was so abrupt, more Grant’s Jackson, or an echo of the softer side Jackson had worn for a while back there. Drift shrugged. “It was cold,” he mumbled. “And we didn’t fuck. It didn’t move beyond a circle-jerk the first time; I was too drunk the second time, and—”

“Stop. Enough with the fucking gories. You’re still a fucking eight-year-old to me, temper tantrums and all.” Jackson screwed his face, and from underneath the medkit, he tugged out a pen and pad and shoved them over. “Speaking of which…. Rule one. Write it down.”

The pad skidded off the table, onto his lap, and Drift stared down at it as the pen rolled to a stop.

“Now,” added Jackson.

Drift tossed the pad on the table, then hand shaking slightly, he rubbed at his head.

“Do it.”

He took the pen and flipped the page. It took two attempts to write the number 1, and Drift bit hard at his bottom lip as he struggled with the rest. Ten minutes later, he tossed the pen down.

Jackson didn’t even look at it. “You’ve got limits,” he said flatly. “And I’ll remind you of each and every goddamn one until you learn to stay out of Ava’s way so she doesn’t fucking exploit them all again.”

Exploit. Drift stiffened, every pore of his body on edge and spiking into his skin. Yeah, Ava’s skill at that…. He felt so sick.

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