She blows out a defeated breath. “I just want to go home and–”
Adrian cuts her off. “What about your finger prints?”
“As if I am going to get fingerprinted.”
“You might,” I warn her.
“Ben said the case has gone cold. Please remember this was a prostitute who was bribing copious amounts of men. They don’t finger print you for traffic offenses and I’m sure as shit not going to get arrested.”
We all stay silent for a moment.
“I have already asked Victoria, and we are going to take a commercial flight together on Friday.”
I frown. “You’re serious. You’re actually going?”
“What have I just been saying? Do you fucking listen to me at all?”
“Not if we can help it,” Adrian mutters.
I smile, my hand falls to the top of his head and I run it mindlessly through his hair.
“Didge, you can stay with me,” states Adrian.
Bridget eyes the two of us. “I don’t want to impose.”
“You are not an imposition. I would love to have a housemate for a while.”
“Really?” She smiles as she rubs her hand on his foot. “I want to go home, too, if I’m honest, but I want to wait until Tash is feeling better.”
My stomach sinks. I want to tell her that I’m fine, but I’m trying to take Nicholas advice to stop pretending. And besides, the longer I drag out Didge staying with me, the more chance she has to patch things up with Ben.
Joshua comes out the back glass doors. “Murph, the scanner is broken,” he calls.
We all look over to him standing with both hands on his hips. “Yeah, so?” Adrian answers.
Joshua frowns. “So… do you know how to fix it?”
“How would I fucking know how to fix it?” Adrian sighs. “You’re the computer geek.”
Joshua blows out a frustrated breath and I smile to myself. Adrian is clearly not in the mood for taking shit today.
“Ben has one in his office,” Adrian calls.
Joshua turns and goes back inside, returning moments later with the papers he has to scan. “Don’t mind me,” he says sarcastically. “You keep lying there with your head on my wife’s tits.”
“Ok,” replies Adrian.
I give Joshua a cute little wave and a smile, but he shakes his head, unimpressed, and keeps walking.
“What happened with Nicholas the other night?” Abbie suddenly asks.
Adrian shrugs.
Abbie sits up to look him in the eyes. “You blew his mind, didn’t you? Please, tell me you blew that stupid prick’s mind.”
Adrian smiles broadly. “I gave him a night that he won’t forget in a hurry, put it that way.”
I smile and pat him on the forehead. “Good boy,” I whisper. We all fall silent again as we think.
“I think he will come back for you, Adrian,” I offer quietly.
Adrian sits up. “Yeah, well, I’m not going to be here. This was his last chance.”
My stomach drops. Oh no.
“Didge and I are going on a man hunt when we get back. We are sick to fucking death of being fucked over.”
“Amen,” Bridget cries.
“Maybe I should stay then.” Abbie scoffs. “Sounds like the fun might just be about to begin.”
Joshua
I sit in the darkened room as I watch her, the weight sits heavily on my shoulders and my mind refuses to stop. She still has the marks from past bruises on her and I can’t let it go. I need to know how she got them.
Natasha wakes with a start. “Joshua,” she croaks out, realising I’m not in bed with her.
“I’m here, Presh,” I answer softly from my chair in the darkened corner.
Her face falls. “Are you ok?”
I nod sadly.
She watches me for a moment. “Did you take your sleeping tablets?”
“Yes.”
She looks to the clock on the side table. It’s 2:30 a. m. “You only get four hours from them?”
“Yes.”