Page 100 of The Season
“We need to get Tom back to the flat too,” I say decisively.
If we leave him here, someone is going to find him and call the police. He’ll make a statement—assuming he can talk—and then Seth will get into trouble.
“Matty, you carry Tom.” I nod to the door just beyond the bathroom. “I think that one goes out to the garage. Or the backyard.” Since we can’t exactly haul Tom, bleeding and unconscious, through a crowd of potential witnesses.
My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out to see Liam’s terse response blinking up at me. “Liam and Antoine are at Lily’s car.”
I wince as Matty hauls Tom to his feet, and Tom’s battered face comes into view. It’s… not a pretty sight. But at least Tom is able to stand, and his beady eyes are open now—even if he’s completely out of it, going by the way he’s staring up at Matty with a blank expression on his face.
At my other side, Seth lets out a rumbling growl at the sight of Tom, and I turn to give him a stern look. “You just focus on carrying Lily. Keep an eye on her breathing and her vitals. We don’t know what Tom gave her.”
And now we can’t ask him, because thanks to Seth, Tom’s currently got the mental capacity of a piece of toast.
All the fury bleeds from Seth’s face, and he stares down at Lily with wide-eyed horror, then nods silently, his throat bobbing.
“Okay.” I straighten my shoulders, pull my phone from my pocket, and usher Seth down the hall after Matty and Tom. “I got this.” I spare an annoyed glance at the blood-soaked carpet where Tom was laying, but there isn’t much that can be done about that.
The sound of Tom’s groans filters down the hallway, and I grimace, then lift my phone, quickly scrolling until I find the image of a familiar, suit-clad smirking face that looks annoyingly like my own.
Now to call my asshole lawyer brother, and find out exactly how much trouble we’re going to be in.
Chapter31
Matty
The cold hits the second we step outside, the back door slamming shut behind us, blocking out the drone of voices and thud of bass from the party. A few snowflakes land on my eyelashes, making my nose wrinkle, and I adjust the weight in my arms.
Tom.
I try not to look at him, but the metallic scent of blood still fills my nostrils, clawing at the walls I’ve erected in my mind between then and now, there and here.
“Put him in the boot,” Eddie snaps, giving me a meaningful look, then pointing to the back of Lily’s car. He’s holding his phone to his ear, and I can hear the indistinct cadence of someone speaking on the other end, even though I can’t make out the words.
“Stop being such a drama llama,” Eddie says, his face contorting into a scowl. It takes me a moment to realize he’s not talking to me anymore, but to whoever is on the phone. “It’s a hatchback. He’ll be totally fine—he’s not going to suffocate. No, I told you, he’s definitely not dead. Now are you gonna help, or you just gonna sit there and whinge?” Eddie rolls his eyes.
My brow dips, and I trudge through the freshly fallen snow to Lily’s car. Liam and Antoine are standing close together, huddled beside the car, and their eyes widen when they catch sight of Tom.
“What happened to him?” Liam asks.
I shrug, not really sure how to answer. To be honest, I’ve hardly thought about Tom. All I can think about is Lily.
“No idea,” I say. “But Eddie said to put him in the trunk…”
Liam snorts out a laugh. “Course he did. Fucking animal.” He shakes his head, then darts around to open the back of Lily’s car for me without question.
I settle Tom between Lily’s gym bag and first aid kit, tucking his knees against his chest so that he fits, and frowning at the fresh trickle of blood dripping from Tom’s temple. I open my mouth to ask whether this is really a good idea, but Liam is already slamming the trunk shut.
“Putain de merde, what happened?” Antoine asks.
I turn around, expecting him to be talking about Tom, whose battered face is still visible through the window of the hatchback, but he’s looking toward the house. To where Seth is standing with Lily clutched against his chest, under the shelter of the eaves.
“You guys help Seth get Lily in the car,” Eddie orders, pointing to Liam and Antoine. “And you…” his eyes narrow in on me with all the authority of a drill sergeant. I find my spine stiffening despite myself. “You’re driving, mate.”
I catch the keys Eddie tosses my direction with one hand before I can think what I’m doing, then instantly feel dread twist in my stomach.
I haven’t driven in years. Not since that last time.
Dust-covered road, the rumbling of the truck’s engine. The guys chattering in the back, talking about some TV show they’d been watching back at base. I could feel the heat of the sun on my face as it came through the window, was barely awake really, under the heat and the gentle lulling rise and dip of the truck over gravel.
