The Consequence

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Present Day

   “Just get in the bloody car!” I yelled at him, annoyed at his constant whining. He had been complaining, saying that Tony would find out and that it was better if I just left him but I was having none of it. He was coming with me.

   I shoved him in the back of the car and shut the door, child locks automatically switching on.

      Luke was sat in the front, a bloody lip and a good shiner showing over his left eye. “What happened to you?”

   “While you were chasing Zak, I had to knock out the two guys who were following you. Only, one of them caught me from behind.” He muttered annoyed.

   “You didn’t!” Zak cried, “Tony is going to kill me!”

      I turned around from the front as Luke began to drive and I glared at my younger brother. “Tony will not lay a single finger on you. You do not need to worry about him.” I informed him. “Just calm the fuck down until we get to your house!”

   He slunk back in the car, his arms crossed over his chest like a petulant child. He was meant to be twenty-one years old! “Where is Lexi?”

   He scoffed. “Like I would know.”

      My head whipped around, “What? Does she not live at home?”

      He shook his head, “She hasn’t lived there for nearly a year. She just packed a bag and said she was staying at her boyfriend’s. I get a text once a week if that off of her telling me she is safe.”

   My hands began to shake at his nonchalance. She could be so much danger! How did he even know that it was her? How could he be so fucking stupid! What an absolute dickhead.

   Luke’s eyes darted to where I was sat. “Jamie, just calm down we can sort this out when we get out of the car.” He snapped.

   I let out a deep breath and concentrated on the outside world. Luke was right. I could not start a fight in here, it could cause a crash but the longer my anger bubbled, the more I wanted to put my right fist through his sorry looking face.

   How did family mean so little to him? I could not understand it. We used to be close when we were younger and now he was almost unrecognisable. His brown hair was cut down short, it was only about 2mm and his brown eyes that he inherited from our mother were dark and void of any light that used to fill them.

   His left cheek had a scar running from his eye straight to his jaw line and his clothes were hanging off of him. He did not look healthy at all. I only knew that he was not doing drugs because his eyes were not diluted and he was speaking in a normal manner and he seemed to be in control of his body.

   It was just his life choices that needed a kick up the arse!

      It took another half an hour to get back to my old house. The tension in the car only rose after I spoke my last words to Zak, even when Luke attempted to instil some humour with his album of ‘cheese’ it did not help.

   I was going to originally just speak with Zak, pull him away from Tony, speak with Tony and sort out Lexi but now it feels like I am going to be here longer than I thought and it was daunting. The longer I am here the more chance I won’t escape again.

   When I punched that stupid kid back in Peel Brook it felt so good – but it shouldn’t. It should never feel like I have not been away and my body should not rush with adrenaline at the thought of knocking someone down a peg or two. This bloody city played with my mind. I guess it is true – you can never run from your past no matter how much you try.