Page 128 of Everything That Kills Me
He and Zeph washed up while Thomas took Django outside to pee.
“Is he really okay with me being here?” Zeph whispered.
“Yes. Stop worrying. You look tired. Are you?”
Zeph nodded.
“Go to bed, then. I’ll be up soon.”
Zeph snuck a kiss and left the kitchen.
By the time Thomas came back in with the dog, everything was neat and tidy.
“Zeph?” Thomas asked.
“Bed. He’s beat.”
“Did you drive all the way here?”
“Yes.”
“And he really slept the last thirty miles?”
“He has no idea where we are.”
“He will when you go out tomorrow.”
“Zeph’s no threat.”
Thomas rolled his eyes. “You know that’s not true. A careless word to the wrong person? He doesn’t know what’s at stake.”
“He does. He thinks we’re in witness protection. He won’t say anything.”
“Until he’s made to.”
Jack bristled. “You won’t be staying in this house anyway. Only over Christmas.”
“I feel uneasy.”
“He’s no danger to us.”
“No matter how many times you repeat that, it doesn’t make it true. Of course he presents a danger.”
“I want…” Jack licked his lips. “I want out. I want to live a normal life. I mean it. I’ve decided.”
Thomas’s eyes flared.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while.”
“A normal life is never going to be within your grasp. You know that. You accepted that the moment you agreed to stay with me.”
I was six years old!“I want to try.”
He’d expected Thomas to be angry and dismissive but he wasn’t.
“What could you do?” Thomas asked.
“Teach languages? Ski instructor? Start a business? I have enough money to do what I like.”
