Page 62 of The Tape Job
“Nothing to worry about, Vic. You can go back to bed now,” Ryan says as he walks past, and I sink back into my bedroom, closing the door behind me.
I’m on edge, listening attentively, expecting Liam to enter any moment. I’m conflicted about whether I want him to come in or not, but there’s a knock on the door.
I breathe a sigh of relief when I let Jen in.
“How was tonight?” she says, sitting down on the end of my bed. “Because that’s the face of someone who didn’t have a good time.”
“Awful. And I’ve been a complete idiot, Jen. That’s all you need to know.” I flop down onto my bed and pull the covers up to my chin.
I want to tell her the full story, but I know she won’t be able to keep it quiet from Ryan even if she wanted to. He’d pry it out of her and then, knowing my luck, Mike Betts would find out and then, the whole city, no—the whole country would know.
“I’m sure it’s not that bad,” she says, perching against my desk. I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or not, but her eyes land on the letters I’ve done a crap job at hiding, and they pull her attention.
“Vic, these letters—”
“I know. I need to open them.”
“What are they?” she asks, and then, to my horror, she stands up and grabs the one from the top. She flips it over and studies the return address. Her eyebrows raise slightly and then she looks over to my bed. “Vic, are you in some kind of trouble?”
“Yes, and no.” I hide my face, completely ashamed that as a grown woman, I’ve failed at being a responsible adult.
“Which one?”
“Okay, yes. But I can fix it.”
“How much do you owe?”
A bucket full of pucks has just dropped into my stomach. “I don’t actually know.”
“Can I open them? Just so we’re aware of what we’re dealing with.”
This coaxes me out of bed. “No, I guess I need to do it.”
She takes a step back, and I feel a fresh wave of tears prickling behind my eyes. The paper rips easy and I slide the letter out, unfolding it before taking another breath.
“How much are we talking?” Jen says after I’ve had a beat to skim over. I cuss under my breath and hand her the letter.
“Well, there’s nothing we can’t handle. I’ll sort it and you can pay me back,” she shrugs.
“Oh my God, I can’t ask you to do that! I can’t owe you three grand!”
“Sure, you can. Besides, you’re not asking, I’m offering. It’s fine. I’ve got savings. I’ve still got my redundancy money.”
I burst into tears and Jen crowds me, giving me the warmest hug I’ve ever had since Lois.
“I got you. It’ll be fine,” she says, rubbing my back, soothing me.
But I can’t bring myself to tell her that there are multiple letters.
Liam
I wait at least thirty minutes after Ryan sees me out, loitering outside in the hallway like a creep, listening out for any movement from inside the apartment. When I’m convinced everyone’s in bed, I slip the key into the lock, holding my breath as the latch clicks.
As soon as I reach the door to Vicky’s room, I wonder if I’m doing the right thing. But Ryan and Johnny’s advice to keep away rings through my brain, and then I remember the look on Vicky’s face earlier, and I know I need to talk to her. Besides, this is like a middle finger to Johnny and Ryan.
I open Vicky’s door just enough for me to squeeze through. The room is in complete darkness. But I can hear the fan she insists on, whirring away in the corner. I can just make out her breathing. I consider for a moment how to play it. I can’t jump onto the bed and startle her because Vicky would scream, and Ryan would run in here. So, I edge around to where she’s laying and start whispering her name, elevating my voice a little and then reaching out to stroke her arm.
“Vic? Vic, it’s me,” I whisper. She stirs, then realises I’m standing over her and starts with a yelp. “Shh! It’s Liam.”
