Chapter 24

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FOUR

Anthony’s sneaker hit the concrete path as he ran. He was fitter now than he’d been before. Than he’d been when he got out. His first time out, he’d needed to walk the last half. Now, he could run it all. The sun on his skin and the salt in the air were reminders that while he was free, he was still chained and unable to move forward.

Every time he ran, he made plans and tested out different scenarios to determine which might be the most effective and quickest road to success. The climb back to the top seemed so much further. He’d thought once he was out, the pieces would fall together so much quicker.

Turning down the job with Farring seemed like a step backward. But there were strings and shadows, and a cost that he once would’ve ignored.

So while that wasn’t an option, it had given him a couple of ideas. He had connections. He knew people from before and from inside. Some ran big businesses; some ran small ones. He needed to swallow his pride and start making calls, even though hearing no would sting.

A wave of humiliation swept through him at the idea of asking for help from the people he’d called friends before. He’d been the one people had turned to when they needed something, and now, it was him reaching out and asking for a favor. He was owed some, but he suspected many wouldn’t pay. The ones from before wouldn’t want their name sullied by being associated with him.

Anthony blew out a breath when all he wanted to do was sigh.

All he needed was a job.

And a car. He’d sold the watch and cufflinks yesterday and had the money. God, it felt good to see it in his bank account, even though he’d gotten a fraction of what they were worth. He wouldn’t rush the next step. He needed to research, and he didn’t want the running costs without a paycheck to back them.

All he needed was something small and cheap to run. He heard his brother’s mocking laughter echoing in his ears, drowning out the waves, and gritted his teeth.

Cillian wouldn’t laugh if he bought a cheap car. He’d be happy Anthony was finding his feet. It wasn’t as though Cillian drove anything expensive, or that new. The five-year-old blue hatchback was the epitome of easy to park in the city and cheap to run. It wasn’t the base model either. He’d put thought into, expecting to have it for a while… Had he bought with the money he’d won in the competition?

Anthony had done more digging and found more information on Cillian. It had been a substantial amount of money he’d won. He’d also won more than once since then. Anthony then fell down the rabbit hole of watching some videos of interviews and performances.

He was thankful that Margot had bought him a laptop and phone to look for work and that she wasn’t peering over his shoulder all the time. Anthony had applied for so many jobs and mostly heard nothing back—a few had replied to say he wasn’t being considered. He needed something to change. Losing Cillian would be a knife to the spleen that he didn’t need right now, as Cillian was the one bright spot in his life. Anthony wasn’t sure he’d have refused the Farring job if he hadn’t thought about Cillian’s reaction.

Which said nothing good about the strength of Anthony’s character. Was it wrong that he wanted something to be easy?

Probably.

But Cillian made him feel like he wasn’t used up and still had a chance to be someone new. Cillian was the angel on his shoulder, while Anthony’s need to rub Hayden’s face in his success was the devil whispering in his ear.

His gaze flicked ahead to where the path swept around the corner. Every time he passed the place Liam mentioned in his letter, his steps faltered.

Did he need to pause and stretch?

What was he going to say?

He’d thought about their potential meeting every day since the letter had arrived and still had no idea what to think about it. Whatever Liam wanted, Anthony couldn’t help him. He wouldn’t risk another meeting.

Once, he’d have risked his life for Liam or Rafe. He’d have jumped in without thinking, and they’d have done the same for him. That was true until the last six months before their arrest. Those months had been filled with arguments and accusations. Of Rafe spiraling and using more.

His chest ached. They should’ve noticed that Rafe was in trouble and done something sooner instead of reveling in the money and parties and everything else.

He slowed, not sure if he was out of breath from the run or scared, and hoped no one waited for him, but as he rounded the bend, he saw a man leaning on the railing. Even though he wore a cap and sunglasses, it was Liam from the way he stood.

Fuck.

Anthony was tempted to run past and pretend that he hadn’t noticed, but Liam might call out. He might follow or come to the house, both of which were infinitely worse. Fear knotted his gut. He’d be arrested before he met up with Cillian. Or during lunch…

This was so messed up.

His heart drummed against his ribs as he walked the last couple of meters.

He should be excited to see his best friend, not terrified.

He lifted his shirt and wiped his face, so sweat didn’t drip into his eyes and stared out over the ocean as he stretched his calf. Today was the first day the expanse didn’t make him want to retreat inside. He drew in a deep breath, tasting the sea air on his tongue.

Did that count as another rung climbed?

He was counting it.

Each small win mattered. It was progress, though not as fast as he wanted. He’d meant what he said about catching and overtaking Hayden. Wiping that smug smirk off his brother’s face got him moving when everything else seemed too impossible. However, that hadn’t always been true. It had been the thrill of the challenge and the rush of success. His brother’s frustration had merely been a side effect. A very nice side effect.

From the corner of his eye, Anthony watched Liam take a drink from his takeaway coffee.

He stretched his other calf and kept his voice low. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Public place,” Liam said, as though their meeting didn’t matter.

“You know what I mean.”

Liam kept his gaze on the ocean the same as Anthony, as if they weren’t talking. “I have never been lonelier in my entire fucking life.”

Anthony closed his eyes. He wanted to close the distance and embrace Liam, but he didn’t. “I know.”

“Asshole parole board.”

“I don’t want to go back.” This was a risk Anthony didn’t want to take. When had he become so risk averse? “Which is why this can’t happen.”

Liam grunted as though hit. “Rafe’s mum called mine in tears. He’s gotten another six months added on.”

Anthony swore. Rafe had the longer sentence because of extra drug charges, and the fighting kept adding extra time. “There’s nothing we can do.”

“We should’ve been there to help him.”

Or did Rafe need to pull his head out of his ass and get himself out of trouble? They’d gotten into trouble together, and for a while he’d blamed Rafe for the drugs. But it wasn’t Rafe who’d been the first one to snort at an out-of-control party. That was on him. The guilt that he’d brought this trouble to his friends nibbled on his toes. He hadn’t forced them, and it had been Rafe who’d taken it to extremes. “We tried that. He needs to do it himself.”

“That’s it?” Liam glanced at him and shook his head, breaking the illusion that they didn’t know each other.

“What do you want from me?”

“I don’t know. I was hoping you’d have sorted something out.”

Anthony switched to stretching his quad, knowing they were running out of time. He dodged the question. “Where are you staying?”

“Shitty apartment with three other ex-cons. My parents are coming to see me. Dad is talking about finding me somewhere more suitable. I told them not to bother until I’d found a job. I don’t want to be commuting across the city.”

Liam could’ve gone home and stayed with his parents, but his wife and daughter were in the city. Well, wife in name. She’d only visited a couple of times and sent a few photos.

“I got a volunteer job at an animal shelter. Pays nothing, but it got the case worker off my ass. I guess it’s experience, too.”

“I still think you’ll look pretty in a nurse’s uniform,” Anthony quipped.

“Vet nurses don’t wear skirts.” Liam’s middle finger extended from the cup. “I hate being so broke I have to do the math before I buy a coffee.”

“Yeah.” Chatting with Liam was too risky, or he was too paranoid. “Let’s not do this again.”

Liam sighed, his gaze on the ground.

Anthony wanted to ask about Regan, but if things were going well, Liam would’ve said something. “Congrats on the job, you’re a step ahead of me. I’m still applying.”

Should he tell Liam about Farring? Would Liam take the job? Did he remember Farring? The words didn’t form and then it was too late.

Liam drained the cup and tossed it in the trash as he walked by. Then he was gone, leaving Anthony raw and feeling like the worst friend in the world even though there was nothing he could do.

He stretched his other quad, staring out over the ocean to the horizon. The world looked limitless, but it was a lie. There were restrictions on everything he did. With a sigh, he stepped back from the railing and walked the rest of the way home.

As a man walking ahead of him got into a white sedan with a red paint scrape on the front bumper, Anthony slowed. Maybe it was his anxiety spiking, after seeing Liam, but he knew he’d seen that car several times.

The car itself was nondescript. The damage wasn’t.

Where had he seen it?

Anthony shook his head. He couldn’t remember, so it chalked it up to the guy probably living in the area. Or maybe he was just paranoid because he’d broken a parole condition.