Page 2 of He's the One

Col woke with his phone buzzing. Who was calling him at two in the morning? “Hello?”

“Col.”

Col bit back his groan. “Dominic.”

“Not forgotten who I am then?”

“How can you even say that? Are you on a public phone?”

“All calls are recorded and might be listened to by prison staff, unless they are to your legal advisor or one of the organisations listed under Rule 39.”

Dominic had reeled that off in a voice Col didn’t recognise. “So—not a public phone?”

“No, dickhead. I’m not on a public phone. I’m still banned. And it’s two in the morning.”

That was his brother’s voice. How the hell had he got hold of a mobile? Again!

“Oh,” Col muttered. “Sorry.”

“I need to get sent back to Marsden,” Dominic whispered.

Col’s heart thumped. “Why? What’s happened?”

“I need your help again. I’m sorry. Play along.”

Col swallowed hard, knowing what was coming.

“Billy! Have you wet your bed, you little shit!” Dominic yelled in their dead father’s voice. “Don’t think you’re going to get nice clean sheets. You can sleep in your mess all night.”

Oh God.

“Forgive me,” Dominic whispered in his own voice.

There was nothing to forgive, but Dominic had no idea how hard this was for him.

“Do you miss me?” Dominic was back to imitating their father.

“I miss you but not him,” Col said as much to himself as to his brother.

“I don’t miss you, you useless piece of shit,” Dominic shouted. “I miss Dominic. My perfect boy. I miss his pale little body, his grunts and squeals. My little piglet.”

Col shivered. He might understand what his brother was doing, but that didn’t mean he could cope with it.

“Am I interrupting something, boy? Too busy to talk to your father? Does your boyfriend have his cock in your arse? How does it feel? Too big? Not big enough? Want to try mine?”

“Please don’t.” Tears sprang into Col’s eyes.

“Don’t,” Dominic mocked. “Don’t, don’t, don’t.Don’tdoesn’t work. Nor doesStop. You know that. You. Know. That.” He screamed the last three words.

Col heard a scuffle and then Dominic yelled, “You can’t take it. It’s mine. I’m talking to my brother. Billy! Billy!”

The call ended and Col dropped the phone, his heart hammering. It was the second time Dominic had managed to get hold of a mobile. Prison staff were not allowed to carry them in order to avoid situations like this. Dominic had either bought a phone from a prisoner, paid heavily to borrow one or stolen it. Inmates caught with one could have up to two years added to their sentence. Dominic had avoided that last time, but to do it again?

Yet if he thought it was worth that risk, when he was so close to getting out, then something must have really scared him. A return to Marsden high security psychiatric hospital was a step backwards. What the hell had happened? He kept reassuring himself that Dominic had been putting on an act, but it had still chilled him.

Col’s phone rang again several minutes later, and even though he’d been expecting the call, he still jumped.

“Yes?”

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