‘Hello…’
‘Taurus, where are you? We were almost arrested, but they let us off. The police got some of Nick’s men. We pretended that we were tourists.’
At least Cancer wasn’t in any danger.
‘Where are you?’ I asked her, going to the window to make sure my stalkers were still stationed across the road. They were.
‘Matt’s taking me home. Where are you?’
It suddenly hit me how impossible her situation was. ‘Cancer, he’s married,’ I said into the phone.
Why had I even got involved with her problems? I had enough of my own. It wasn’t like we had ever been close either. I wasn’t close with any of my siblings, let alone one of the most sensitive ones. I always hurt her feelings without meaning to.
‘I know. Don’t worry, we needed to clear the air. We’ve spoken, and he’s going back to his wife. I can’t be in love with someone that’s taken.’
She sounded so convincing. I breathed a sigh. At least I didn’t need to worry about the others finding out about our little escapade.
‘Did you know that most men nearing forty go through a midlife crisis? That’s probably why Matt fancies you,’ I said to reassure her.
‘He’s thirty one, not forty!’ Cancer said.
‘Nah, he’s got to be forty. He’s like a dirty old man, isn’t he? Although, I quite like an older woman.’ I turned back to the room.
Kerry stood with her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows. Chuckling, I cringed when abuse was hurled at me down the phone and in the room.
‘Okay, okay…just shut up,’ I said, quietening the women.
They must have been premenstrual.
‘Just get home as quickly as you can,’ Cancer said before hanging up the phone.
I wanted to get home. I needed to see Sophie to release some tension. I wasn’t sure how I would escape. I was trapped in a flat with guards outside, ready to shoot me on sight.
Chapter Ten
‘How much longer will they stand out there?’ Kerry asked from the window.
‘Don’t lift the net curtain, they might see you.’
She looked at me pointedly. ‘Do you think I’m that stupid?’
It was nearing midnight. I had run out of weed. Booze hadn’t magically appeared and I really wanted a hit of coke.
‘We can’t stay here all night.’ Kerry paced the room, yet again.
I thought Nick’s men would have given up, but they were persistent buggers. We had been in the flat for seven hours. Luckily there were tins of soup, so I wasn’t hungry for food. The hunger for a beer on the other hand was stronger than it had ever been in my life.
‘I think we may have to stay here all night,’ I replied, reaching out to stop her from moving past me again.
Her nervousness got on my nerves. She sighed and glanced towards the bedroom door. ‘Fine, if we’re staying here, I’m—’
She stopped talking when I vaulted from the sofa and made a run towards the room she was eyeing up. She caught on and chased me, pulling on my shirt. I was too quick for her as I yanked open the door and threw myself on the bed. It was pushed against a wall. I had to stop myself from colliding with the brick. Kerry stumbled behind me, falling onto my back.
‘No! You got me into this mess, the least you can do is let me have the bed!’
I grunted into the pillow. There was no way I was going to move. The soft duvet cuddled me. I wasn’t giving it up for anyone.
She wiggled as she slid off me and onto the bed, leaning against the wall. She braced her hands against my side. I frowned, wondering what she was doing. Thrusting as hard as she could, she yelped when I didn’t budge. Her head hit against the wall when the force of her push made her spring back.
‘Ha! You’ll never budge me.’ I laughed. I couldn’t help it.
She rubbed the back of her head as I snuggled further into the pillow, tucking my arm under it.
‘You need to get off,’ she moaned.
‘Stop whinging, there’s plenty of room for both of us.’
She had brought her feet up and tried to kick me off. The room was tiny. There wasn’t even enough room on the floor for me to lie on. I wasn’t going to get scrunched up on the small sofa either.
‘Sophie wouldn’t like that,’ Kerry said, groaning as she had to admit defeat.
I hadn’t arranged to see Sophie, so I got away with the usual texts we shared at night. She had signed off an hour ago, happy and completely unaware that I was stuck in a flat with another woman.
‘Why not? Are you going to jump on me when I’m asleep and defenceless?’
Her clenched fists thumped against the bed. I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped me. My leg started to twitch. The longer I stayed still, the harder it was to relax. I hadn’t smoked enough to calm my brain.
‘Do you really think you’re that irresistible?’
I unburied my head to look at her. Moving onto my side, I propped myself up on my elbow. Her back was against the wall. She had her knees pulled up and her feet rested on the bed right next to me. Her hair was messed up from her efforts of trying to budge me. She was older. Her eyes were not quite as bright as Sophie’s.
‘How old are you?’ I asked.
Her head fell back against the wall. ‘Twenty eight, why?’
‘I remember you playing with Cancer when we were younger, but I didn’t realise you were so old.’
She punched my hip. The force of it rocked me back slightly.
‘I didn’t realise you were so horrible.’
Her plump lips puckered in distaste. They would look good with red lipstick on. I shook my head to clear the thought. Kerry was annoying and uptight. She was nothing like Sophie, who was fun and playful.
‘Why do you do so many drugs?’
She glanced at my leg as it bounced up and down. I couldn’t stop it moving, even when I tried.
‘I think a lot.’
I was about to bury my head again, to avoid further questioning, when she laughed.
‘What’s funny about that?’ I asked.
She shook her head. ‘I’m sorry. I just didn’t imagine you to be the thinking type.’
What did she mean? Did she assume I wasn’t intelligent because I smoked weed? Her assumption made me sit up.
‘Why not?’
She tried to stretch her legs out but mine were in the way. I debated whether to let her put her legs over mine. The thought quickly left when she answered my question.
‘Because you used to be a fitness buff…but you dropped out…’
When her sentence trailed off, a red glow crept up her neck and over her cheeks.
‘You sound like Aries,’ I muttered, lifting my legs and gesturing for her to put hers flat.
Smiling at me, she glanced away when I raised my eyebrows.
‘Sorry, I just heard how that sounded.’
She was wrong.
‘Don’t apologise, if that’s how you see me, it’s fine. I’ve always believed that we should be free to be who we want. The system we live in, doesn’t allow that. I refuse to play the game and others don’t like it.’
She bit her lip and watched me from lowered eyelids. ‘So what do you believe the system should be like?’
‘Free. We should be able to be who we are. If I want to smoke, so be it. It’s my body, it’s my life.’
She absently scratched her leg through her jeans. ‘But what about crime?’
Now we were getting onto a subject I knew something about. ‘There wouldn’t be anywhere near as much crime. Crime is invented by the government to show us that they’re in control.’
It had been a long time since someone questioned the way I looked at things. People were not interested in how life really was. They wanted to live in their ignorant world, with the rich people ruling and the poor people suffering.
‘So, you don’t think we should just get on with working our guts out for other people?’
The grin that came to my lips
matched her own. Was she in the same boat as me?
‘I think we should have the choice to do what we want without others telling us we can’t.’
She looked away from me. Her shoulders tensed. Was I making her feel uncomfortable?
‘I once believed that there could be a better world, but I don’t think I do anymore.’
Her sigh made my leg jump even more. It was better that she realised the world wasn’t a perfect place sooner, rather than later.
‘The big bang happened,’ I said. ‘We evolved from apes. We’ll evolve again. It’s just how it is.’
She shook her head against the wall. ‘Don’t you think there might be something more?’
The chuckle that left my lips made her roll her eyes. She was never going to win.
‘No way. Science has proven that the world was created with the big bang. Humans would live much happier lives if they just accepted that everything is their fault. They believe in an outer god, or being, so they don’t have to take responsibility for what they do. They can plead ignorance and ask for forgiveness.’ I tutted as I shook my head.
Sitting on her knees, Kerry planted her hands on the bed. ‘What about aliens?’
‘Don’t you think they would’ve conquered us by now?’
She pushed against the bed, making it bounce. ‘No, they’re probably too intelligent to bother with us.’
‘Yeah, alright, if you say so. If they were there, they would’ve taken over by now. You know I’m right.’
I chewed on the edge of my fingernail. Her eyes sparked when they looked at me. She wouldn’t admit defeat yet, but it wouldn’t take too long.
‘What about miracles?’
‘No such thing. Everything is luck.’
She snorted as she ran her fingers through her hair. My gaze followed the movement.
‘I don’t believe that. Why do positive people tend to have better lives?’
‘Who says they do?’ I replied.
The bouncing of the bed intensified when my leg went into overdrive.
Kerry leant forward and put her hand on my thigh. I smiled when she couldn’t force it to stop.
‘Why did you get into fitness?’
I shook my head quickly. The change in topic threw me off guard.
‘It was the only thing I was good at. Don’t change the subject, you need to admit I’m right.’
She let go of me when I stilled my leg. I waited as she looked into my eyes. My usually fuzzy brain was clear for a change.
‘Right about what, exactly?’ Her sing song voice made me grit my teeth.
‘Everything…’
‘You seem like an intelligent person—’
‘I am.’
Her growl of frustration brought a smile to my face. I loved winding people up, especially pretty, uptight women. Not that I had often wound women up. Since quitting my course two years ago, I had kept to myself most of the time.
‘Why did you give it up?’
If I believed in psychics, she could have been one. Every thought I had was counteracted with a question related to what had gone through my mind. I was having a good time debating with her.
‘I knew that if I carried on, I would probably fail at that too.’
I surprised myself with the honest answer. I had never told anyone why I had dropped out. Yes, I had taken drugs and enjoyed it so much that I wanted to continue, but it wasn’t the real reason I stopped.
‘Are the drugs just a cover up?’
I growled. How did she do that?
‘What are you, a therapist?’ I asked. I actually had no idea what she did.
‘No, I’m a hairdresser.’
I choked on my reply. The last place I would have put Kerry was in a salon.
‘What’s so funny about that?’ she said, smacking my leg.
‘Nothing, I’m just surprised that’s all. Aren’t hairdressers usually…?’
Her eyebrows rose. I was treading on dangerous ground. I shut my mouth before she attacked me. I could imagine her trying to scratch my eyes out.
‘Just don’t,’ she muttered.
Rubbing her eyes with her small hands didn’t help her to disguise that she was tired.
‘Will you lay down?’ I asked, moving over on the bed so she had enough room.
She shrunk back. Before she could clamber off the bed, I leant forward and took her arm.
‘What is it? I know you don’t know me, but I promise I’m not a monster.’
She glanced at my scabby knuckles. I released her when she tried to smile at me. Something had changed. The easy debate had shifted into an uncomfortable stalemate.
‘I’m sorry, I’ll go sleep on—’
‘No! It’s okay. It’s just…I’m not used to sleeping in the same bed with a young man I don’t know very well.’
My muscles relaxed as she laid down next to me. She was on her side, pushing herself as far into the wall as possible. I suddenly felt uncomfortable, knowing that she didn’t want to be near me.
‘I can go in the other room,’ I said, going to move again.
She tried to wrap her hand around my bicep. I paused, smiling when she struggled to get a grip on the muscle.
‘It’s fine,’ she said, pulling back.
‘I’m not that much younger than you,’ I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest.
Her eyes drifted shut. My own eyes followed. It was well into the middle of the night. When I didn’t have drugs to help me to sleep in the past, I stayed up all night. The sound of her breath in the room made me feel tired.
‘Night, Taurus,’ she whispered as I let myself drift off after our pleasant conversation.
Chapter Eleven
‘Don’t tell Aries!’
Cancer swore down the phone.
‘They’ve replaced the men this morning. I’m sure they’ll give up soon. If you tell Aries, it’s going to cause a lot of grief.’
I paced the living room floor as Kerry made breakfast. My whole body was shaking. I needed something to take the edge off.
‘I need to tell him. I can’t just leave you both there.’
Her whinging voice filtered to me. I bit my tongue to stop myself from snapping.
‘Give it a couple more hours, then call me again.’
Her sigh made me clench my teeth.
‘I don’t think I can wait, it’s not fair on Kerry.’
‘Will you just bloody wait?!’ I shouted.
My temper flipped. I lifted my hand in the air. I was about to throw the phone against the wall. Kerry was frozen in the kitchen doorway. Her wide eyes brought me back down to earth.
‘Okay, I’ll ring back soon,’ Cancer agreed.
‘You have a temper,’ Kerry stated when I hung up the phone and went back to the window.
The men hovered in the street, trying to blend in with the crowd of people that made their way into the underground. Ignoring her statement, I lifted the net curtain.
‘What are you doing?’ She rushed over and snatched my hand away.
Growling, I spun and thumped my fist into the thin wall. If Nick’s men didn’t have guns, I would have gone down and beat them. My main priority was to make sure that Kerry was safe. I should have been rude to her when she had insisted on going to Big Ben. Maybe if I had, she wouldn’t have come.
‘You need to quit the drugs,’ she said, going back to the kitchen.
‘What’s that got to do with anything?’
I cracked my knuckles as I waited for her answer. The shaking of my whole hand made me hold it up. Why hadn’t I been able to move the tree yesterday? I watched the movement of my fingers as I tried to steady them. I had taken drugs for so long, I wasn’t even aware that I got the shakes when I was sober.
‘You’ve got a problem. You’re an addict.’
Her words filtered from the kitchen. I was glad she stayed in the other room. I might not have been able to control my temper if I saw her face.
I had never had a problem making ea
rth and nature do my bidding. My power was the only thing that made me feel like there was something worth living for. When our parents told us about the Dysfunctionals, I had sworn to ignore them for as long as possible.
The first time I had found out about my power, I was in the park. I had been digging a hole, looking for treasure when the earth started to dig itself. I moved handfuls of mud, just by a flick of my hand.
‘I’m sorry to be so harsh. I’ve only been with you for a couple of hours and I can see it.’ Kerry came back into the living room. Her gaze shot to my raised hand. I quickly scrubbed my shaved head and took the plate she offered.
‘My siblings say the same thing.’
The rush of heat that had enveloped my body at her words left me. If everyone was saying it, maybe it was true. My beating heart was faster than normal and my powers had left me.
‘Have you admitted it to yourself, though?’ she said, lowering herself onto the sofa and tucking into her bacon and beans.
Sitting next to her, I joined her in devouring the small breakfast. I hadn’t eaten since lunchtime the day before. Maybe the reaction was due to low blood sugar. When my knife clattered against the plate because I couldn’t hold it steady, I knew I was in denial. I needed to take something, anything, to stop the shaking.
‘I need a beer,’ I mumbled as I chewed my food. ‘Just because it’s so boring being stuck in here.’
‘Thanks!’ she exclaimed, slapping me on the arm. ‘Do you know what? Under all that fog of alcohol and drugs, you’re a good man.’
Rolling my eyes, I put my empty plate on the table. ‘Well, I know that, it’s everyone else that has a problem.’
Her laughter made me smile. It wasn’t a giggle, like Sophie. It was full on open mouthed laughter. She threw her head back with it too. I liked that. It was good to make someone laugh. It made Kerry even more pretty.
‘What about you? Do you have any dark secrets?’
I didn’t mean to lower the tone. Her mouth snapped shut, her head came forward and the light left her eyes as she looked at me.
‘Doesn’t everyone?’ Her whispered words shot straight into my chest.
[Zodiac Twin Flames 01.0 - 03.0] Boxed Set Page 37
