Page 7 of All of Me

And for some unknown reason I had to hide a smile. I kept my gaze on the window so I didn’t give him another reason to lose his shit.

“When you were in the army—”

“Technically navy,” Drake corrected, and I rolled my eyes.

“You’re gonna tell me you were some bad-ass Marine, aren’t you?” I’d said it jokingly but when he clammed up and looked uncomfortable I knew I’d hit it on the nose. Then I frowned. “Pink told me you met Diesel while you were working for the UN.”

Drake glanced at me and then back to the road. “The UN doesn’t have their own military force. Member nations send people in as required.”

I blinked. So, secret shit. In my head, I’d imagined Drake doing what he did now, except in uniform. Guarding diplomats, generals maybe, but I had a feeling I was way off base. “Did you ever get hurt?”

He was still for a few moments. “A few times,” he admitted.

“And did the thought of getting hurt ever stop you from doing whatever it was that caused it?”

“It’s not the same,” he ground out, working out what I was doing.

“So we’re not friends, then?” I challenged.

His knuckles blanched white on the steering wheel.

“I don’t need another dad,” I said honestly. “I hate the one I have, but I need all the friends I can get.” I wanted way more from this Navy Marine asshole but if friends was all that was on offer, I would take it for now.

“So long as you don’t do shit like you did yesterday.”

I didn’t bother replying because it was an empty threat, and he knew it.

Pulling up the lane I looked critically at the side of the house I could see, trying to spy damage. “What’s the back like?”

He sighed. “There’s smoke and plaster damage in the room you were using and all down that side. Nothing at the front. I’m going to get someone to look at the structure tomorrow.”

“Not my business,” I said, “but if it is Ryan, do you think if the will is settled he’ll go away? If he knows he has no chance?”

Drake nodded. “I was gonna give my lawyer a call later.” He sighed. “I suppose it depends on if this was just financial or there’s more involved.”

“More what?” I pressed.

“Resentment, I suppose. Quite a few years ago I spoke to a guy I employed to help Ellie out with showering Jim. He said he’d gone round as usual but when he got there Ryan was there. He didn’t know who he was at first until Jim told him, but he was arguing very loudly that his dad should be put in a “facility” for everyone’s good. That his mom could get a nice little apartment in town.

“Luckily, I’d just retired so I helped for around seven months until Jim died of a chest infection that turned nasty overnight. I knew I was going to work for Diesel so I got a crash pad in town and went to the farm when I could.”

Drake shook his head. “It would have killed them both leaving the farm, but maybe that’s what Ryan wanted. Apparently that’s when Ellie made her will and made sure it was tight.”

I bet it was, I thought. Smart lady.

“When Jim died and we went to the funeral, Ryan was all sympathetic and shit until his mom told him she wasn’t moving into any apartment and was staying at the farm, then he turned round and blamed me. Said I was ‘endangering her because I was contributing to her false sense of independence.’” He huffed. “If Ryan had gotten his finger out of his ass I reckon his dad wouldn’t have gotten hurt in the first place.”

I glanced over. “Why?”

“Because it was a two-person job. I was deployed and flu was hitting everyone real hard that winter. Both Jim’s guys were out sick and he called Ryan asking if he could just help for the morning. He couldn’t put it off because storms were forecast. Apparently Ryan told his dad he would be there at eight. At ten thirty, Jim hadn’t been able to get hold of Ryan so he went up alone.”

I reached over and touched Drake’s hand. It was automatic. A sign of solidarity, even, but Drake’s own hand covered mine fora long, amazing moment before he lifted it and I took mine back, trying to keep my breaths even.

“Ellie told me years later that Ryan had told Jim he’d gotten admitted to the ER after he was involved in a car incident the night before, but a neighbor was visiting the city and saw Ryan at a coffee shop that morning. He was fine.”

“That’s fucked up,” I sympathized.

Drake pulled into the driveway and we both sat there a moment, looking ahead, and it seemed neither of us knew what to say as we both stared in surprise.

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