Home Before Night by J.P. Pomare

Author:J.P. Pomare [Pomare, J.P.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Published: 2023-04-25T16:00:00+00:00

PART TWO

FOURTEEN

‘WHAT IF THERE’S more than one of them?’ I say into the speaker phone as Marko answers the phone.

‘More than one?’

‘Just because it seems like Samuel is with a man, it doesn’t mean the man is alone.’

‘It doesn’t really change anything,’ Marko says. ‘He knows we’re coming. If it’s him or twenty others, it doesn’t matter. Samuel is there, he wants us to come, and he wants the money. We need to end this.’

‘How could we be so stupid? This was always going to happen. We rode our luck all this time. We got complacent.’

‘It’s not the time to apportion blame,’ he says with a hint of annoyance. ‘We have a deal.’

‘You drove the car,’ I say. ‘You drove us home. You could have stopped.’

‘I know I did. I know. I’ve regretted it every day since. But you didn’t give me much choice.’

I exhale. He’s right. But I don’t say this. Another thought occurs to me. ‘What if we can’t stop it from coming out? Maybe there’s a way you can still live your life.’

I want Marko to know that my life, my responsibilities, aren’t the same as his. Maybe if it all goes pear-shaped, I could take the fall alone. I need to be there for Samuel, but if push comes to shove, if both of us are facing going down, then maybe it could be just me.

‘What are you saying?’ he asks. ‘We were both there. I drove the car, right? I took us home. We’ve both lied and covered it up all this time.’

‘Well, we’ll just have to cut this guy a deal. Hopefully the money is enough. Maybe I’ll leave it locked in the boot until we have Samuel.’

‘Let’s meet at the top of the road before we go in, okay?’

‘Sure,’ I say. The wet road hums beneath the tyres.

‘I’ll see you there. Top of the road.’

I hang up the phone and dig my fingertips into the hard leather of the steering wheel.

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