Duckling by Eve Ainsworth

Author:Eve Ainsworth [Ainsworth, Eve]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Random House UK

Chapter Thirteen

We stood in the cramped hallway. Liam had gestured for us to join him there, after casting a sour look in his mum’s direction. I guessed he didn’t want her involved.

‘Well?’ I demanded finally, impatience spilling over. ‘What do you know?’

Rubi tugged on his arm. ‘You know where my mum is? Where? Just tell me.’ I could see the sparkle of tears in her eyes. She was fighting to hold it together. I felt a wash of pride sweep over me. She was being so brave.

Liam nodded slowly. ‘Yeah, sorry, babe,’ he ruffled Rubi’s hair. ‘I should’ve said sooner but I didn’t think.’ He shrugged. ‘Besides, I figured she’d be back by now, so I didn’t see the point in saying anything.’

‘So where is she, then?’ I snapped.

‘I reckon she’s gone back to him, to Gav.’

‘But your mum seemed to think …’

Liam’s voice dropped, his gaze drifting a moment to the open door to the living room. ‘Mum knows nothing, not now. She barely knows what fucking day it is.’ His face tightened. ‘But what I know is Gav still has a thing for Cassie; he’s mad about her.’

‘So she’s got back together with him?’ I whispered, conscious of Rubi who, as usual, was hanging on our every word.

‘Aren’t you fucking listening?’ he said. I flinched, immediately wishing I could block Rubi’s supersonic ears. ‘Cassie was done with him. Gav can be a bit full on and she wasn’t into that. I know he was upset when they broke up.’

I was confused. ‘So why do you think she’s with him?’

Liam sighed. ‘I spoke to Cassie a few days ago. She was really stressed, you know. Proper wound up. She said she couldn’t find the money to pay the rent this month. She was scared and said that she might get kicked out. She asked me if I knew anyone – a lender, or someone who could help her out.’

‘That makes sense …’ I breathed. ‘I found letters at hers. From a loan shark.’

‘You were snooping?’ His eyes glinted.

‘I had to! I needed to find something, anything that could give me a clue as to where Cassie might be.’ I felt my defences rising like great, solid walls. ‘I’m worried about her, Liam.’

‘Sure, I get that,’ he said. ‘I told her before not to get mixed up with those guys. They’re proper mean and you don’t want to be going to them when you’re really desperate. They can smell it on you. They’d screw her over big time and then want some more on top of that.’ He swaggered on the spot, rubbing at his face. ‘She should’ve known better than to go to them, but you can’t tell her what to do, can you?’

‘So she probably owes them quite a bit?’

‘Probably, and I reckon that’s why she’s gone back to Gav. She needs help, right?’

I nodded numbly. His hard, determined stare was enough to tell me that nothing good came from these people – which was no surprise to me.

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