Page 119 of The Rat

“I knew you were a police officerthe second I saw you. Some young, attractive guy who thought he could conme, seduce me, manipulate me for Hamish and at first I was angry,and I wanted you gone.”

Rory’s side prickled, and his breathcaught in his chest. “You stabbed me.”

“I wanted to scare you, hurt you,make sure youleft, and I didn’t know whether you were suicidal, or just stupid,but you came back. So I thought I’d have fun with you, mess youabout, and mess with Hamish’s head in the process, but the linesstarted to blur. I stopped pretending to like you and did like you.I stopped pretending to want you and did.”

Rory heard pebbles crunching behindhim, someone walking up the beach. Sebastian was looking at themand shot them a sad smile.

“How did you know aboutme?”Rorywhispered.

Sebastian gesturedto the person. “Rorythe Rat, meet Morris the Mole.”

Rory turned, linked eyes withMorris, then leapt off the bench. Sebastian caught him around the middle,pinned his arms to his sides, and hauled him back.

“Sorry, I’m fifteen minutesearly…”

Sebastian snorted.“As long as you’rehere.”

“Let go of me!”

“Wait, okay, hear usout.”

Morris stopped by thebench,andtwisted her face in an uncomfortable frown. “Hi, Rory.”

“Who are you? Are you even apolice officer?” he blurted, struggling with Sebastian.

“Yes, havebeen for twenty years, but Idon’t say no to some extra money.”

Sebastian hushed in his ear.“Calm down, okay. Morris and I are friends, she used to warn mewhen the police were looking into me, gettingtoo close. She told me aboutLester, but I didn’t believe her. I didn’t believe that he’d dothat, but then I saw him in William Hamish’s car.”

Morris raised her eyebrows. “Andafter you killed him, I wanted nothing more to do with you, but youkept writingto me, phoning me, and all you wanted to know was why Lesterbetrayed you. One day I gave in, I did some digging, got close toHamish, got him to open up to me. He was targeting Lester, usinghis power to make his life hell, and giving him only one way out.He thought he’d only put Sebastian away for a few years, but youranger gifted him sixteen.”

Sebastian rested his chin onRory’s head, and murmured, “I can’t take back what I did, but I canpunish the guy that made Lester’slife crumble around him. On my last year Iwrote to Hamish, I said I’d make his life hell, the same way hemade Lester’s. It was supposed to be an empty threat, stir him up,unsettle him.”

Morris nodded. “The letter gothim paranoid, worried, and he asked me to work with him. Hewanted to know whatSebastian was planning. That’s when he decided to send someone intothe prison.” She looked at Rory. “I didn’t know he was blackmailingyou. I thought you were just some cocky police officer who wantedto make a name for himself.”

“Ididn’t want to be in there.” Rorywhispered.

“I know thatnow, and after you stuck it outfor a few weeks, Sebastian and I thought we could use you to get toHamish.”

Sebastian clutched Rory tighter.“I tried to justify it, tell myself the end result wouldbe worth it, I’d getrevenge on Hamish, and you’d leave the prison, go back to being apolice officer, put it behind you, but then I got that call in themiddle of the night from Morris. She told me about your sister, andI didn’t know what to do.”

“You knew?”

“I avoided you, blocked you out,tried to go back to being indifferent, and waited for the governor to getyou, to call you into his office, but he never did.”

Morris stepped closer. “Ithought Hamish would tell you, I really did, but he sat thereand keptsaying how proud your dad would be, and I felt sick. I wanted totell you—”

“But you didn’t, none of you did.I found out when I read that newspaper. It was like someone had cutout my heart, I couldn’t… I still can’t…” he shook his head and wriggledagainst Sebastian’s arms.

“I’m sorry.” Sebastianwhispered.

“Don’t!”

“I didn’t think you’d come backto the prison, I didn’t think I’d see you again. But you did, andtold me how you’ve got no one, you’re on your own, and it’s nottrue. I was going to tell you everything that night, but then you askedfor a kiss, and I couldn’t resist.”

“You—You playedme?”

“No more games. I won’t mess withyour head, or your heart again, and if you never want to see meagain, or hear from me, I’ll understand, I will vanish.”

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