Page 15 of Hold On

“Hey!” Theo took hold of Col’s hand. “What did we say about space and time and not the continuum thing?”

Col turned to Dominic. “Sorry. I just…”

Dominic would have shrugged but his shoulder hurt too much.

“So howdidyou meet that guy?” Theo asked. “Did you get tired of walking and stick your thumb out?”

“So you’re allowed to ask questions and I’m not?” Col frowned at Theo.

“He’d stopped to check his bike,” Dominic said quickly. He didn’t want the pair to fall out. “We’d only exchanged a few words before you two raced up.”

He was concentrating very hard on walking as if each step wasn’t painful.

“We need to make a list of things we have to do,” Col said. “Well, notdo.Buy. We could talk about it over dinner, go out first thing tomorrow.”

“I have an appointment with my Offender Manager tomorrow morning. He’s coming here at ten.”

“What for?” Theo looked furious. “You’ve served your sentence. Can’t they leave you alone?”

“I’m under license for life because my conviction was for murder. I have to abide by the conditions of my release and cooperate with the Through the Gate team who… Well, the name speaks for itself. I think after this home visit, no one will come again unless I move. I’ll have to go and see them instead.”

“It’s not fair. Why can’t they leave you alone?” Col groaned. “Which is what I should have done. Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Dominic said. “I have to behave. I get it. I don’t want to be referred to a mental health unit, so I really have to be careful. But I’ve had my fill of therapy. Taken enough drugs. Talked to enough people who mean well but could never understand. I’m not a threat to anyone, but some won’t see it that way.”

“It’s still not fair,” Col mumbled.

Dominic gestured for them to go up the stairs ahead of him. His hips were killing him now. He clung to the handrail as he walked up. It wasn’t just getting knocked down that was affecting him. He’d not walked so far in a long time. So much for thinking he was fit.

“What are the conditions?” Theo asked when they were in the living area.

Dominic eased himself down onto the couch. “Don’t commit a crime, keep appointments with my Offender Manager, don’t move from this address without agreement. If I want to stay overnight somewhere else, I have to get permission. I can only do work they approve of, not travel outside the country unless they agree, tell them if I change my name and give them any extra contact details like a phone number or email.”

“How often will they check on you?” Col asked.

“I don’t know. The service is stretched so if I don’t look to be an issue, they’ll leave me alone for months probably. I’m lucky. I have a nice place to stay, people to support me…”

“Work, if you want it,” Theo blurted.

Col glared. “Not yet.”

Dominic couldn’t be pissed off that Col was trying to help him, but he needed time to relearn how to breathe.

“They asked me if I wanted to be in contact with you.” Col rolled his eyes as he spoke. “Checking you weren’t using coercion to make me take you in.”

“I killed our parents. They think I tried to kill you. They need to be sure I’m not forcing you to give me a temporary home.”

“You didn’t try to kill me.”

Dominic shrugged. “That’s not what my record says.”

“Oh God.” Col put his head in his hands.

Theo laid his arm across Col’s shoulders.

“Let me get us all a drink,” Theo said. “Beer? Wine? Dominic?”

Each little step was a massive hill. “I’ve never tried beer or wine, but maybe not today. Do you think I could use that lovely tub you showed me earlier? I’ve not had a bath for…”

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