Page 43 of Tell No One
Said in the tone ofdon’t think I’m letting you out of my sight.
“Do you think we’re safe here?” Tag asked.
He wasn’t sure he liked the way Delaney thought about that, that he didn’t just snap out the word ‘yes’ and look at him as if he was an idiot for asking.
“For the time being.”
Tag assumed this was like a safe house. A place where Delaney kept his getaway stash, which meant there was probably more than that box but maybe clothes and a sleeping bag too and a tent and non-perishable food and…another gun, maybe. Could be there were other houses.
“What’s going on in your head?”
“How long have you been doing this?” Tag asked.
Delaney pushed to his feet and carried the dishes to the sink. “Doing what?”
“Stuff that looks dicey, illegal, but maybe righting wrongs. Are you Superman or Lex Luthor?”
“The less you know the better.”
“None of my teachers ever said that.” Tag took the empty glasses over to where Delaney was washing up.
“Want another glass of wine?” Delaney asked.
“Okay.” Tag poured them.
“We’ll sit outside in a minute. It’s cooler.”
Tag nodded and picked up one of the plates to dry.
“How did you get on at school?”
Tag could have lied but what was the point. “I went into a Young Offender Institution when I was fourteen. Before that, I… can’t much remember what a normal school was like.” He could. Not good for him.
Delaney had stopped washing up and was looking at him. “You got an education in there though?”
“Everyone had a learning plan.” He huffed. “They made us draw them up ourselves. But…stuff happened. I didn’t take any exams.”
“What sort of stuff?”
Tag shrugged. “I ended up in hospital for a while. Anyway, when I was eighteen, I got put in an adult prison for two years. After I was released, I got a place in a hostel and a job in a warehouse. First thing I did when my probation ended was change my name to Tag Blake. But you know that, right?”
Tag put the plates back in the cupboard.
“No, I didn’t know that.”
Tag frowned. “Well, the guys that came to my room to persuade me to go to the party knew. One used my other name. He threatened me.”
Now Delaney was the one who was frowning. “What did you do to get locked up at fourteen?”
“I don’t want to tell you that part.” Tag could feel Delaney staring at him but Tag kept his gaze fixed on the floor. Let him find out for himself.
“Okay.”
Tag exhaled and picked up the cutlery to dry. “Sorry if I messed everything up today. I don’t want to leave. I want to stay with you. Can I? I won’t be any bother, I promise.” He put the cutlery in the drawer.
Delaney sighed. “I doubt that very much.”
Tag told himself not to say anything else. Maybedosomething instead. And when everything had been put away, and the kitchen looked pristine again, he was about to reach for Delaney’s zip when the wine was pushed into his hand. Tag followed him outside and when Delaney sat down, Tag took the glass from him, set it on the table with his, then dropped onto his lap, straddling him halfway up his thighs.
