I frowned and shook my head again as Dad leaned in even closer. We knew very little about the higher ups in the Redline Angels, we had only ever come across their soldiers. They had put in a great effort to stay away, and work behind the scenes while their men did their dirty work.
“He was the leader’s brother.”
My jaw hardened, and Dad looked very impressed with himself as he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.
“If you thought this war was coming to an end,” he shook his head slowly, “you’re in for hell now. I hope she was worth it.”
19
Chapter 19
Valerie
Once again, I found myself hanging around the airport for far too long.
I didn’t want to go home, I didn’t want to go to Pete’s. I didn’t know where I belonged, or where I wanted to be. Instead, I decided to go to the hospital.
Tilly was sitting behind the counter, and smiled as she noticed me walking into the ward.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” she asked, looking at the roster on the calendar behind her, “aren’t you supposed to be on holiday for a few more days?”
I shrugged, going behind the counter and plopping down on the spare chair, putting my head in my hands.
“I’m guessing it didn’t go well?” she asked.
I turned my head to look at her, and felt the tears running down my cheeks before I even realised that I was crying.
“Oh no, Ree,” she threw an arm over my shoulder and pulled me close.
I wiped my tears away with both hands, and then pulled my hair up into a bun to get it out of my face.
“What happened? Was it that bad?”
“No,” I choked out.
“No?” she frowned, “then why are you upset?”
I shook my head.
I didn’t know how to explain it. Not to someone like Tilly.
Not even to myself.
“I’m more confused than ever,” I sighed.
“Oh,” her eyebrows shot up, “so you saw the mysterious ex?”
I nodded.
“I thought you said that he wasn’t a good guy? That it could never work?”
I nodded again.
“That’s probably still true,” I said.
She frowned and pursed her lips at me, and I could feel her eyes scanning my face, trying to read me. Tilly was always trying to fix people, trying to fix me. This wasn’t something that could be fixed, or put back together logically like a puzzle. It was something within me that was deeply broken. Something about the relationship that Ren and I had that would maybe never leave me. Perhaps everyone felt like this about their first loves, but I knew deep inside that we were different.
“So why the confusion?”