Short chapter, but getting there - it's been a bit of a hectic week I'm afraid.
Thank you so much to all of you that have read my story and a special shout out to those that have favourited and commented - this makes me very happy :)
Paul felt like an absolute idiot.
How did he miss it?
He was usually so good at picking up on all his brother's feelings, but he'd completely missed the mark this time...
As he raced behind David and Marko back to the hotel, Dwayne bringing up the rear, the first faint shards of dawn streaking across the sky, Paul cringed at the memory of how he'd been practically drooling over her at the Video Max...
David must be super pissed.
Paul's skin felt like it was crawling.
Ditching the bikes, all four of them stalked quickly into the opening of the cave, each thankful to be back in the safety of their dark home, Marko and Dwayne flopping down heavily on the old sofa with tired eyes. Paul leant against the wall, half hidden in shadow and watched David sink into his wheelchair and lazily light a cigarette, inhaling deeply.
Paul tapped his toe against the sandy carpet nervously, running his hands through his wild hair and chewed his fingernails.
David blew a long stream of smoke up toward the ceiling.
"Spit it out Pauly" he said quietly.
Paul shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged, trying to shake off some of his nervous energy.
"Look bro, I didn't know you had her were..." Paul stared awkwardly.
"It's ok Paul..." David interrupted, taking another drag and looking over at Paul with a small half smile "...it was a long time ago; didn't think she'd ever come back truth be told"
Paul quickly glanced over at Marko and Dwayne, checking to make sure his older brothers were asleep before he stepped forward and sat cross legged at David's feet, looking up at him with awe. David was Paul's hero, right from the very beginning, literally saving his life after finding him in a dirty alley, bloodied and beaten to within an inch of his life after hitting on someone he definitely shouldn't've been hitting on, story of his life...She'd been worth it though.
"So what happened"? Paul pressed, his expression unusually soft making him look very much the teenager that he was. David sometimes forgot Paul had been turned so young, him having been with them for just over a year, but with his wacky sense of humour and endearing charm, he'd quickly earned the love and respect of his brothers and it wasn't long before they couldn't remember what life was like without him.
David looked down at Paul with tired eyes and smiled sadly for a brief moment before shrugging coolly, a nonchalant smile playing on his lips.
"Nothin' time won't heal, though it appears it's gonna take a little longer than I'd planned" he said with a short, sharp laugh which reverberated throughout the cave.
Paul nodded and understood he wouldn't get any more out of him, David always played his true feelings close to his chest but that didn't mean Paul didn't understand that she was important to him, and if she was important to David, well, she was important to him too, and instead of the white hot fire that almost overpowered him when he thought of her before, a wave of familial affection and the undeniable need to protect her washed over him.
She always was trouble.
He knew it then and he knew it now, Beth Campbell was trouble for him and his boys and Max clucked his tongue as he stepped away from the telescope that was trained on the end of the pier.
Max had watched with anger swelling in his chest as he'd spied on them. Watched with fire in his eyes as David had kissed her, at the way her eyes ignited with defiance as he rounded on her.
She wouldn't stay away now, no matter what David had told her before he'd sped away into the coming dawn.
Max slumped into the large armchair, the moon casting long shadows across the floorboards, illuminating the attic in a sickly yellow hue and stroked Thorn's head absentmindedly as his mind raced with urgent planning.
If she stayed in Santa Carla, he'd lose David, that much was certain. And if David goes, Marko will soon follow and then the rest of them.
He'd be all alone.
Again.
He looked down into Thorn's big black eyes, communicating his plan silently to the hound.
It would have to be done carefully...
It would have to be done soon...
