Page 9 of Thick as Thieves
They all stop laughing and look at each other, then at me, and start to laugh again.
Marcus is steaming at this point. I go to grab him, as he’s definitely going to hit Jude. He misses and pushes into Evie by mistake. She goes down as she’s so slight, and both the boys change in an instant. From jovial banter to Armageddon.
They jump onto Marcus and I, landing punches as they do. Evie recovers and jumps into the melee, trying to pull the brothers off, and get a punch or two in at the same time. She pushes into me from the side, and when I go down, she jumps on top of me, sitting on my stomach and holding my hands at the side of my head. She’s so small and light I could have flicked her off, but instead I stare into those beautiful grey eyes.
“What are you looking at, Xander?” I didn’t know she knew my name, and I can hardly get any words out. “Jude never stole that bike, your idiot friend can’t ride it. Stay there.” Leaving me in a bit of a stupor, she jumps off me and runs into the back of Marcus, effectively pushing him down the same slope she’s thrown the bike.
Marcus rolls down the slope, landing with a thud against his old bike.
“Get me out,” he shouts at us all, trying to get up the bank, but the bank is wet and muddy, so each time he slides back down again.
The Greystones are trying to help him by telling him to move to a different bit of banking, but he doesn’t listen. He’s so stubborn, always knows best.
Evie walks over to me, pulling at my arm. I feel as if hot pokers have touched me. “You tell him, Xander. He might listen to you,” she says, exasperated.
“We’ll all cop it, if he can’t get out,” puts in Jonno. “He’s an idiot.”
Evie shouts down, “You’re useless, Marcus. Move to the left. No your left.” She’s rolling her eyes at him.
Marcus is red with rage, and eventually, after an hour and it’s starting to get dark, a decision is made to call for help.
The Greystones stand snorting with laughter as I call Rowena from the farm closest to our location near the ditch, telling her Marcus has fallen in the ditch after he’s found his bike and went to get it.
She arrives with a tractor—a fucking tractor—a winch, and half the estate staff to get poor Marcus out. Every time Marcus or I look at the Greystones they jeer and laugh. Every time an adult looks at them, they look upset and worried. I’d never seen such tactics played out so blatantly before. We have a lot of catching up to do if we’re going to win this battle.
To his credit, Marcus never rats Evie or any of them out, sticking to the story that he’d found his bike and went to get it with the Greystones trying to help him.
Evie then puts on a performance of a lifetime when Henry Russell—Marcus’s dad—turns up. Over to him she sidles, with her big beautiful eyes, and tells him Marcus had gone to get it for her, as she did not have a bike and he’d wanted her to have it as he’d got a new one.
So Henry, thinking his son is so gracious, gives the bike to the triumphant Evie, who smirks her thanks to Marcus and then goes full throttle with Henry, practically kissing the man
Marcus is fuming. He knows he’s been outsmarted, but he can’t say anything as she’s played it so well, he’ll come out of the whole debacle looking like the good guy. And all he wants to do is shove her into the ditch.
It sets the tone for the next few years. Until Marcus, or Kellen as he’s known to them, can’t contain himself any longer, kisses her in that river at age thirteen and falls in love.
Took him long enough. I was already there when she sat on me. I could smell her scent, rose and rain. Her beautiful grey eyes looking down into my face, not blinking, staring into my soul.
4
Xander
Current Day
Los Angeles
I flyinto LA from Edinburgh and go straight home. Levi and Gabe turn up a few hours later with our manager, Tim. We all grasp arms and pull each other in for hugs and back slaps. Tim shakes hands, he moans we always hit him too hard. I grin as Gabe wallops him on the back as he turns away.
“God it’s weird without Marcus,” Levi says. “Do you think he’ll stay in the UK? ‘Cos I really don’t want to move back again. Too cold, man. Although the place in the summer wasn’t too bad.”
“Devon, Levi, you are English if you remember,” I tell him. He just grins at me.
“Do you think Marcus will want to stop the band? It’ll be tough with kids.'' Gabe’s worry mars his face, underscoring the barely hidden panic in his voice.
“I don’t think he will. We accommodated Becky when Levi was serious, just doing the touring differently. They may come on tour when they’re little, so…” Tim shrugs at him as if it’s no big deal.
Gabe goes on, clearly stressing over it. “Yeah, but Evie has serious work stuff. Kasey Becker says he’s getting her out here to do his house up. Once he gets her here, she’ll be inundated with work. She’s all he talks about.” Gabe’s scowling. I’m not sure who it’s at, Kasey or Evie.
“I think it’s too early to say anything,” Tim puts in. Let Marcus have a few weeks and then we can see. I wouldn’t think Evie’ll want him to stop. I mean, why would she? She’ll be glad to be rid of him in a few weeks,” he laughs.
