Page 117 of So Wild

“Oh fuck, cuntlord’s gonna be with her.” Tabby buried her face in Sam’s sheets. “Quick! Let’s pretend to be asleep.”

Nicole sighed. “I’m by myself! You don’t have to hide!”

Sam and Tabby looked at each other and grinned.

“We’re in my room,” Sam called. “Come up here!”

Nicole appeared a few seconds later, her eyes red and her black hair loose and ruffled.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said, lying down on the bed and picking up a puppy. “No one say anything.”

Sam hesitated, then decided she should probably ask. “Where’s Aaron?”

Nicole’s mouth puckered. “He’s at the airport flying back to Adelaide.”

“And you are…?”

“Staying. We have more work to do, don’t we? And I have obligations here, don’t I? Fadeout Festival is tomorrow and the books area mess. I’m staying. At least for a little bit. Now, no more talking.”

Sam turned away so no one would see her smile. Aaron had fucked up. He’d pushed too hard trying to guilt Nix back to Adelaide and it had blown up in his face. She felt like maybe Tabby was right and maybe everything would be okay.

As she lay in the bed with her sisters and seven dogs, talking shit about Fadeout and the journalists and which of the firefighters who attended was the hottest, Sam felt a warmth seep inside her soul, liquefying a cold she hadn’t known was there. Maybe Tabby had been right about lightening the fuck up. Maybe she would. She could use the space, the air and the light. She could not fight everything so hard. Drift and see where the tide took her and Scott and Silver Daughters Ink.

“I’m going to take a picture,” Tabby announced, raising her phone into the air. The three of them smiled and the resulting image was so lovely Sam told Tabby to put it on Instagram. The caption she chose was,‘The DaSilva sisters back together and stronger than ever #love #sisters #puppypyramid’

Chapter 21

“We’re pretty drunk,aren’t we, Mr Sanderson?”

Scott raised his head off the bar table. It felt like he was peeling off a sticker. He glared blearily at Toby. “Don’t call me Mr Sanderson.”

“Sorry, sir. I mean…Scott.”

“Better.” Scott returned his head to the table. It felt like it weighed fifty stone. After he’d left his father in the hospital, he’d called Toby and all but dragged him to The Elephant and Wheelbarrow. He’d needed to get out of his head and knew the drums weren’t going to cut it this time. He had to delay the moment when he’d return to his empty apartment and too-full mind and think about what his dad had done to Samantha and Samantha’s family. And him.

He’d expected to sink a few rounds, but Toby evidently had his own reasons for wanting to drink and avoid home because it was now late and they were both drunk. Scott didn’t know what the time was. He’d guess somewhere between midnight and a massive hangover.

“Mr…Scott? Can I ask you something?”

Scott rubbed his eyes. “What’s up?”

“Have you maybe tried calling Samantha?”

God, Samantha…Those beautiful blue eyes and that long black hair. Her soft pale skin and the whimpering gasps she made right before she came on him…

“Mr Sanderson?”

“Can’t call her,” he said thickly. “She doesn’t have a mobile phone and besides, she wants to make sure I’m okay and I’m not. I don’t even know how tobeginbeing okay, so what is there to say?”

“Right…” Toby tapped the rim of his pint. “How’s…how’s your dad?”

“Outraged. Claiming it’s all a big misunderstanding. Threatening to disown me.”

“Geez…”

“It doesn’t matter if he disowns me.” Scott drained the last of his beer. “Even if I was broke, I wouldn’t give a damn. I can’t believe I let this happen.”

Toby winced. “You didn’tletthis happen.”

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