Hearts of Blue
Page 49
“I bloody well knew it!” she exclaimed, marching around the sofa and coming to plonk down beside me. “I want to know everything, you secretive little tramp, and start from the beginning.”
Eleven
For the next three days, I worked. Every once in a while I found myself looking around, trying to spot Trevor, but I never saw him. Perhaps Lee had decided to respect my wishes and not have his brother follow me. Or perhaps he was just good at hiding.
The night Lee visited our flat, I’d given in and told Alexis everything. She’d warned me off from the very start, and I had every intention of heeding her advice, but my heart, or maybe it was my vagina, had other ideas. In the end, she didn’t berate me for my choices. After all, if anyone could understand what I was going through, it was Alexis. She’d had an affair with her boss, which in a way was just as illicit as what had been going on with me and Lee.
When I clocked out of my shift on Saturday evening, I’d almost forgotten about all the nasty business and threats to my safety. I had the entire weekend off, and I planned on making the most of it, starting with going to see Reya perform at a small music venue in Soho. Since I worked such unpredictable hours, I rarely got the chance to see her play, so it was a real treat for me.
I decided to catch the Tube into the city so that I could have a few drinks, and wore a dark blue pencil dress with a long royal blue coat and heels. It wasn’t often that I dressed up in a proper girly fashion, so when I did, I put in the effort. I blow-dried and straightened my hair, so it looked shiny and sleek, and wore a small bit of makeup.
I was just walking out of my building when a head suddenly dropped down from above, giving me the fright of my life. Holding my hand to my heart, I stared up at Trevor, who was hanging by his legs from an overhead bar like a goddamn monkey.
“What the hell?” I said, willing my pulse to slow down.
Trevor swung his body around and dropped to the ground, shooting me a wide, toothy grin.
“Sorry about that, Constable. I forget sometimes that people aren’t used to my ways.”
“Your ways?”
“I like to get around in an unconventional fashion.”
“Uh-huh, and what are you doing here?”
“Watching out for your safety,” he replied. “Though if you ask me, I’m not sure you deserve it, what with how you had a hand in fucking up my little brother’s life.”
Oh, for crying out loud. I was in no mood for this conversation. “Your brother fucked up his own life. I just happened to be the one to catch him doing it.”
“Potato, potaaato.”
“I’m serious, Trevor. I was doing my job.”
Stepping past him, I tugged my coat tighter to defend against the cold and walked in the direction of the tube station. Trevor followed heavy on my heels.
“You know, that sounds a lot like something Hitler would say,” he commented.
I rolled my eyes. “I appreciate a well-placed Hitler card as much as the next person, but in this case, you’re completely off the mark.”
Trevor gestured a Nazi salute and I narrowed my gaze, beginning to think that of all the Cross brothers, this was the eccentric one. He wore a pair of pale ripped jeans, chains hanging from the pockets, steel-toe cap boots, and a baggy grey T-shirt that read “Oh. Okay.” under a red tartan bomber jacket. His build was slightly wiry, and his short dark brown hair was messy.
We walked side by side for a few minutes, begrudgingly on my part, before arriving at the Tube station. I swiped my Oyster card while Trevor proceeded to jump the barriers and continue toward the escalators like he hadn’t a care. I looked around, irritated to find there were no attendants about.
“Hey, you can’t just….” I called before stopping mid-stride, my mouth agape as I watched him jump atop the escalators and effortlessly slide down the middle. Several people watched in surprise the same as me, while one man shouted after him angrily, saying he was going to break his neck. I boarded the moving steps and looked down to see Trevor waiting for me at the end, casually leaning against a wall as he checked his phone. He slid it in his pocket when I finally reached the platform.
“So, where to?” he asked, like everything was perfectly normal.
“You…I…eh….” I mumbled, trying to get my head around what he’d just done. “Are you crazy?”
He held up his thumb and pointer finger. “Just a little bit.”
“You need to go back up now and pay for your fare,” I said, trying to sound stern.
Trevor shook his head. “Nah, don’t fancy it.”
I was about to protest further when he grabbed my arm and propelled me forward just as a train reached the platform. Before I knew it, he’d shoved me on board and was ushering me into a seat. I yanked my arm out of his hold and glared at him.
“You’re going to get us both killed.”
He let out a long sigh, sounding like a bored teenager as he replied, “You need to loosen up.” He paused as he cocked a curious brow. “What is it that Lee sees in you anyway?”
What he said got my back up as I stood, walking away from him and down the centre of the aisle. I went through the doors separating the carriages and entered the next one. It had fewer passengers than the last, and I sat down in an empty seat, folding my arms across my chest. A second later, Trevor plonked down beside me, and I scowled hard.
“It’ll take a lot more than storming off in a huff to get rid of me, Constable,” he teased, a grin on his face.
Eleven
For the next three days, I worked. Every once in a while I found myself looking around, trying to spot Trevor, but I never saw him. Perhaps Lee had decided to respect my wishes and not have his brother follow me. Or perhaps he was just good at hiding.
The night Lee visited our flat, I’d given in and told Alexis everything. She’d warned me off from the very start, and I had every intention of heeding her advice, but my heart, or maybe it was my vagina, had other ideas. In the end, she didn’t berate me for my choices. After all, if anyone could understand what I was going through, it was Alexis. She’d had an affair with her boss, which in a way was just as illicit as what had been going on with me and Lee.
When I clocked out of my shift on Saturday evening, I’d almost forgotten about all the nasty business and threats to my safety. I had the entire weekend off, and I planned on making the most of it, starting with going to see Reya perform at a small music venue in Soho. Since I worked such unpredictable hours, I rarely got the chance to see her play, so it was a real treat for me.
I decided to catch the Tube into the city so that I could have a few drinks, and wore a dark blue pencil dress with a long royal blue coat and heels. It wasn’t often that I dressed up in a proper girly fashion, so when I did, I put in the effort. I blow-dried and straightened my hair, so it looked shiny and sleek, and wore a small bit of makeup.
I was just walking out of my building when a head suddenly dropped down from above, giving me the fright of my life. Holding my hand to my heart, I stared up at Trevor, who was hanging by his legs from an overhead bar like a goddamn monkey.
“What the hell?” I said, willing my pulse to slow down.
Trevor swung his body around and dropped to the ground, shooting me a wide, toothy grin.
“Sorry about that, Constable. I forget sometimes that people aren’t used to my ways.”
“Your ways?”
“I like to get around in an unconventional fashion.”
“Uh-huh, and what are you doing here?”
“Watching out for your safety,” he replied. “Though if you ask me, I’m not sure you deserve it, what with how you had a hand in fucking up my little brother’s life.”
Oh, for crying out loud. I was in no mood for this conversation. “Your brother fucked up his own life. I just happened to be the one to catch him doing it.”
“Potato, potaaato.”
“I’m serious, Trevor. I was doing my job.”
Stepping past him, I tugged my coat tighter to defend against the cold and walked in the direction of the tube station. Trevor followed heavy on my heels.
“You know, that sounds a lot like something Hitler would say,” he commented.
I rolled my eyes. “I appreciate a well-placed Hitler card as much as the next person, but in this case, you’re completely off the mark.”
Trevor gestured a Nazi salute and I narrowed my gaze, beginning to think that of all the Cross brothers, this was the eccentric one. He wore a pair of pale ripped jeans, chains hanging from the pockets, steel-toe cap boots, and a baggy grey T-shirt that read “Oh. Okay.” under a red tartan bomber jacket. His build was slightly wiry, and his short dark brown hair was messy.
We walked side by side for a few minutes, begrudgingly on my part, before arriving at the Tube station. I swiped my Oyster card while Trevor proceeded to jump the barriers and continue toward the escalators like he hadn’t a care. I looked around, irritated to find there were no attendants about.
“Hey, you can’t just….” I called before stopping mid-stride, my mouth agape as I watched him jump atop the escalators and effortlessly slide down the middle. Several people watched in surprise the same as me, while one man shouted after him angrily, saying he was going to break his neck. I boarded the moving steps and looked down to see Trevor waiting for me at the end, casually leaning against a wall as he checked his phone. He slid it in his pocket when I finally reached the platform.
“So, where to?” he asked, like everything was perfectly normal.
“You…I…eh….” I mumbled, trying to get my head around what he’d just done. “Are you crazy?”
He held up his thumb and pointer finger. “Just a little bit.”
“You need to go back up now and pay for your fare,” I said, trying to sound stern.
Trevor shook his head. “Nah, don’t fancy it.”
I was about to protest further when he grabbed my arm and propelled me forward just as a train reached the platform. Before I knew it, he’d shoved me on board and was ushering me into a seat. I yanked my arm out of his hold and glared at him.
“You’re going to get us both killed.”
He let out a long sigh, sounding like a bored teenager as he replied, “You need to loosen up.” He paused as he cocked a curious brow. “What is it that Lee sees in you anyway?”
What he said got my back up as I stood, walking away from him and down the centre of the aisle. I went through the doors separating the carriages and entered the next one. It had fewer passengers than the last, and I sat down in an empty seat, folding my arms across my chest. A second later, Trevor plonked down beside me, and I scowled hard.
“It’ll take a lot more than storming off in a huff to get rid of me, Constable,” he teased, a grin on his face.
