Brother's Betrayal

Chapter Ten {Changed}

I jolted up as a slamming echoed through the building. My eyesight was was blurry as I dragged a hand across my eyes, turning to stare at the closed front door. Frowning, I wondered where the slamming had come from.

I spun around and I was shocked at two things before me: May now had not only our blankets but a third one wrapped cosily around her and there was a short man standing at the opposite end of the sofa. Freezing, I raised my leg that May had sprawled out across and shook it, shaking her. She grumbled some incoherent words before tugging a blanket over her head. Her gentle snores rang out afterwards.

"I'm Tony."

"Oh," I breathed out. Obviously, it was Tony. Who else would it have been? Blankly, I stared at him. Just as May had described him, he was short with a stocky build and also bald, which I had forgotten.

He smiled. It wasn't a charming smile (unfortunately for him, not even close) but it was a comforting smile, one you would expect from a friend. "And you are? Sorry, Karen didn't tell me your alias."

My what, alias? As what he had said registered, I felt May shuffle around beneath the blankets. "Alice Lock. Sh, I'm tired." The last sentence trailed off and soon enough she was asleep again.

Satisfied, I glanced back up to Tony. What was it, Burrows? Tony Burrows. "Yeah, Alice Lock. That's me."

He crossed his thick arms over his chest, watching me. I felt disturbed by his blatant staring and I again brought my hand up to scratch at my face, hoping to disrupt his line of sight although it wasn't an uncomfortable staring, not too much anyway, however it was the morning and I had just woken up;  dribble on the side of my face would not have been a brilliant first impression on my other housemate, just like me being a depressed drunk wouldn't have been a great one either.

I heard a groan. "Damn it."

Startled, I blinked and dropped my hand. "What? What is it?" In my surprise, I had jolted upwards, shifting May again. She moaned loudly.

"You're engaged."

I was too stunned to speak. Glancing between him and the lump that was May, I thought over why Tony had spotted it within the first minute of our meeting whereas May actually hadn't yet unless she had heard him.

She did. In a hoarse voice, she croaked out, "How did you know?"

I witnessed Tony's face contort in one of disbelief. He didn't motion to me but I was sure that he would have done had May actually been looking. "From the ring on her finger, May. That's a hell of a ring, though, congrats."

Spontaneously, the blankets went flying as May emerged. Her curled hair flew around her as she pinned her gaze on me, diving forwards. She latched onto my left hand. Leaning in, she stared at the thin, silver band decorated simply with one red jewel. May's thumb brushed over it.

"This is amazing. It's so beautiful," she gushed. Then, she dropped my hand. "You have to get rid of it."

"Yep, today." Tony chimed in. He was perched at the end of the sofa, behind May and nodding in agreement with her.

"What-?" I gawked at them both. I couldn't just get rid of my ring! Staring down at it, I hardened my resolve. No, I wouldn't get rid of it. Even as the memories of my conversation with May the night before began to emerge, her explaining the warped connection between us which made us love each other, I realised that I still couldn't dispose of it.

"It could be a tracking device for starters."

May gasped. She turned and slapped Tony's knee. "Don't you think she's checked for that option?" Rolling her eyes, she turned back to me. "You did check, right?"