Page 112 of So Steady

“Sure.” Scott’s dark eyes fell on Gil. “You okay?”

Noah squeezed Gil’s shoulder. “Am I okay?”

Gil nodded and Scott headed outside. When the door clicked shut, Gil looked up at him, genuine tears filling his eyes. “You can’t do this, man. I’ll pay you back. When I get up to Sydney, I’ll send the money to you every week!”

Toby came back before Noah could answer. “What now?” he asked. Despite his earlier protests, Noah got the impression he was enjoying himself.

“Just keep grabbing boxes. Leave any kid shit you find, but everything else is fair game. Get Scott to help you with the TV.”

“What!?”

Noah ignored Gil. “Fill up the van. If we have to do two trips, we do two trips.”

Toby gave him a salute, grabbed another box and left. Once he was gone, Gil shoved his hand. Caught off guard, Noah lost his grip and Gil stood up, squaring his shoulders. Anger buzzed in his eyes.

Easy, Noah thought, ignoring the alarm ringing through his body.Easy.

Gil glanced at the hallway and his body tensed to run. Noah lunged, grabbing for Gil’s upper arm. He gripped and twisted like clockwork, forcing his ex-colleague back onto his knees.

“Sorry,” Gil wailed. “I’m sorry.”

“Shut the fuck up.” He crouched low so he and Gil were almost face to face. Gil’s eyes were wide, his breath had the cheesy smell of chocolate protein powder. Noah felt a dizzy sense of Deja vu. He was twenty-one, high on coke and his old man’s approval, making some slimy, weak fuck pay for what he’d done.

He tightened his grip, making Gil cry out, and then he saw Nicole in his mind, smiling across at him in the car. He loosened his hold, letting Gil slump onto all fours. “Stop fighting it, you’re fucking done.”

“I’ve got kids,” he wailed. “I’ve got kids.”

“Edgar has kids. Three daughters you fucked over because you had to have as much brand shit as possible. Don’t act like you did what you did for your kids. It’s fucking tacky.”

“Noah?” Scott had returned. He was studying the scene with a coolness that increased Noah’s respect for him tenfold. “Is this necessary?”

“’Fraid so,” Noah said. “We should head out pretty soon.”

Scott nodded. “Where’s your motorbike?” he asked Gil.

“What?” Gil struggled against his hold, kicking out. “You can’t take my bike, you prick.”

Noah twisted his arm a little harder, keeping him in place. “If we were pricks, we’d take your car as well as your bike. I’ll get it later, Scott. You see what else is around.”

Sam’s boyfriend nodded and headed back to what Noah assumed was Gil’s bedroom.

“You and Sam don’t have shit on me,” Gil hissed. “I could get you locked up for what you’re doing, you bikie piece of shit.”

“Maybe.” Noah leaned in close. “But if I go away, it won’t be for more than a few months, and what do you think I’ll do when I get out? I’ll give you a hint, it involves the bones in your right arm.”

Gil made a noise like a mouse being stepped on. “You wouldn’t...”

“I will. Even if it lands me back in jail for ten years, I will. And if I do enough damage, you’ll never ink again. Is your Fat Boy worth that? Are all your fancy shoes worth it?”

Gil looked away, but not before Noah saw the panic in his eyes. He was scum, but he was an artist. He’d felt a tattoo pouring out of him like liquid gold. Losing that was a death sentence that’d kill him for the rest of his days.

The acrid smell of Gil’s sweat filled his nose. It made Noah want to gag but he leaned in even closer. “Take the easy choice. Let us get what we came for and move on.”

“I knew you were with The Rangers, man. I Googled you a year ago and I never told anyone.”

Noah laughed. “Don’t appeal to my better nature. If you knew what I was, you should have known not to steal from Sam and try to pin it on me.”

Gil snapped his mouth shut, his eyes darting around as he thought of the next tack to take. Noah realised he was doing what he’d warned Scott and Toby not to do—talking too much, letting Gil think this was a debate and not a shakedown. He stood, rubbing his hands on his jeans to get rid of Gil’s sweat. “I’ve said all I want to say. What’ll it be? You gonna let us get on with it?”

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