Page 20 of In Hiding

Their eyes met and they laughed as a baby’s gurgle brought them back to the present. Magnus looked over his shoulder and then whooped.

“Where are my manners? Jake, this is my wife, Julie.” He returned to his family. He wrapped one hand around Julie and set his other hand on the boy’s shoulder. “This is our son, Jack and this, this is the newest member of our tribe, Reilly.”

Jake nodded at them. “Nice to meet you.”

Julie smiled. “And you are?”

“Jake Langley. We survived army training together.”

She looked from him to her husband and then back to Jake. “So, you would know Riley, Gabe, Ben and Hollywood?”

Ghosts from his past materialized in the present. She spoke about them as if they all were alive, and if Magnus was here, then perhaps so too were the others. His throat thickened and his heart drummed hard against his chest. “I did.”

“Well then, this is cause for celebration. I’ll leave you boys to catch up. Come on, Jack.” She kissed Magnus. “We’ll be at the pub. Meet us for lunch?”

The love in Magnus’s eyes when he gazed at his wife contradicted with the man Jake remembered. Angry, driven, ready to kill. That had been the Magnus he remembered.

“Of course. You take care of your mum and brother, Jack.”

The boy stood to attention. “I will.” Then he crumbled and gave Magnus a hug. “Love you.”

“Love you more.”

Jake watched them leave, feeling numb all over. It was like he’d stepped into the twilight zone and didn’t know which way was up. The man standing before him had an unrivalled bloodthirst. Trained as a sniper, he was built to kill. Where had he gone? When had Magnus become this docile beast?

“So, they’re all alive?”

Magnus nodded. “As is Damien.”

“McCafferty?”

Nodding, Magnus came closer. “Mate, you look like you’re about to pass out.”

His head felt light. “I need a drink.”

Magnus roared with laughter. “What the hell are you doing in Wills Crossing?”

“Looking to buy a car, actually.”

Magnus looked over Jake’s shoulder out to the bike out on the street. “Now that is a sweet ride. Surely, you’re not giving her up?”

“I’ll have to. Cash is limited.”

“Meh,” Magnus grinned. “We’ll see what we can do. Can you stick around for a chat?”

Jake grimaced. “I can, but first I need to check in with the local cop shop.”

Blond eyebrows shot up on a high forehead. “You been up to no good, Jakey boy?”

If only he knew. Jake threw an uncertain smile at the big man. “A little.”

To his surprise, Magnus only laughed. “Haven’t we all.”

~

The axe felt good in William Andersen’s hands. Not too heavy, not too light, it gave him purpose. The power of it sometimes made him think he was invincible, and watching the dried logs explode into splinters under its blade satisfied something inside him. Firming his grip, he swung the tool high over his head. Keeping his eye on the block of wood, he let gravity move the blade before putting his might behind the action.

Whack.

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