Chapter 29

CHAPTER

TWENTY-NINE

Anthony let himself into the house, and the conversation stopped. He was disappointed Hayden was still there, since that meant they’d been waiting for him to return.

“Is that you Anthony?” Margot called.

Who else was it fucking going to be?

“Yes.” He walked into the kitchen, where they sat at the table with empty coffee cups.

“We were getting worried. Didn’t know if we should start searching King’s Cross.” Hayden’s smile was as cool as a winter morning. He hadn’t even got through the greeting before looking for an opening to stab him and twist the knife.

Anthony poured himself a glass of water, letting the accusation that he’d gone looking for drugs hang for a little longer than was polite. His heart beat loud and heavy as anxiety crawled through his body. He took a sip before speaking. “I went out for lunch. Pretty sure I’m allowed to do that.”

“Lunch? With Cillian?” Margot frowned. Her disapproval out in the open now Hayden had been in her ear and feeding her concerns about Anthony’s ability to reform.

“Yes.” He drained the glass, wondering how best to raise the private investigator issue.

“Don’t you think you should put more effort into finding a job instead of dating?” If Hayden had said the same thing, it would’ve been an outright accusation. From Margot, it was an accusation wrapped in a blanket of concern that did nothing to dull the edges of the blade now that he’d learned the feel of them.

“Actually, I had an interview this morning.” He glanced at Hayden. “A friend of a friend, but I turned it down because it might violate my parole conditions.” He flicked his gaze to Margot. “I’m sure you don’t want me taking those chances.”

“Oh… No, of course not.” She glared at Hayden, who must have spun her some bullshit.

Anthony also looked at his brother. “It was quite odd how he was at the ballet, almost like he was waiting for me.”

Hayden shrugged. “I’m sure he heard you’d been released and figured you’d surface somewhere… like pond scum. How is Liam?”

Anthony pressed his lips together. “Why don’t you tell me since you had me followed?”

His siblings glanced at each other, and not in shock, confirming that Margot had known.

“It was a necessary precaution. We didn’t want you ending up in prison again and ruining the family name,” Hayden said with a smirk. “Clearly you needed it, as you’ve already broken your release conditions.”

Or Hayden had set him up to fail, telling Farring where’d he be, hoping to report him. “My parole officer knows everything .”

He wasn’t going to divulge the details; he wanted to see Hayden sweat. It was gratifying to see the flash of fear in his brother’s eyes.

“I am also looking for another place to stay and for work beyond Sydney. That way, you don’t have to worry about watching over me.”

“You don’t need to leave, Anthony. It’s better you’re here where you have support,” Margot said. She wanted to help, but she always believed the best of Hayden no matter how many times he was a complete shit to everyone else.

“I don’t need his kind of support.”

Hayden threw up his hands. “There you go again, assuming people are out to get you.”

Anthony gave him a grim smile. “I spent ten years making nice with all kinds of dangerous people.”

“Is that a threat?” Hayden snarled.

“I’m just saying I learned to watch my back, and that prison is rough if you don’t have friends.”

Margot put her hand on Hayden’s arm. “I think what he’s saying is that for a long time people were out to hurt him, so it’s going to take a while for that instinct to rub off.”

Anthony held Hayden’s gaze. That wasn’t what he was saying.

“He needs to stay away from that social climber, Cillian Fraser,” Hayden snapped, pulling his arm away.

Was Hayden worried about Cillian slipping free? Or was there something else going on?

“I met him at your party. If you’re that worried, perhaps you need to stay away from him. Or do you want in his pants?”

Hayden’s cheeks flushed. “I do not. He was only there to play?—”

“Which you didn’t pay him for,” Anthony said.

“What?” Margot turned to stare at Hayden. “Did you pay the caterers? Are you having financial issues?”

“I didn’t pay him because of an agreement he had with Bianca. He’s friends with that bitch,” Hayden said through gritted teeth.

“But he’s not your friend, and Bianca wasn’t there. What agreement does he have with you?”

Hayden’s eyes narrowed.

Anthony smiled. “And if he’s a social climber, why are you enabling?—”

“That’s why I don’t pay him. He wants the connections. Always has.” Hayden’s words were clipped and his eyes were cold.

“Hayden. You do realize he’ll be telling his friends you don’t pay. My God. I thought you knew better.” Margot stood and picked up the coffee cups. “You need to either pay him or stop asking.”

“Once the divorce is finalized, I won’t need him.”

Anthony frowned, and so did Margot.

Hayden leaned back in his seat as if realizing he’d said too much. “We aren’t here to talk about Bianca and her gold-digging friends. We’re supposed to be focusing on Anthony and the way he’s running around talking to known criminals. It’s a good thing I had him followed, or we’d have never known what he was getting up to.”

“I don’t report to you, Hayden,” Anthony said. Calm, while Hayden was angry.

“We were worried, that’s all. You only have a small window to rebuild,” Margot said.

Once Anthony might’ve believed there was only one chance, and after that, it was all over. If that were true, though, he’d used all his chances already, and he refused to believe that was true. He could do whatever he wanted, but he needed someone to open the door and let him prove himself.

Cillian had done that. Given him a chance, even though he didn’t have to. And there would be others. He’d run through his list of contacts, emailing or calling a few a day while also applying for jobs.

Hayden smirked.

“And I’m doing as much as I can, as fast as I can. In the meantime, when I go out on a date, you don’t need to have me followed unless you enjoy photos of me sucking dick.”

“Anthony!”

“Didn’t you suck enough dick in jail?” Hayden smirked.

Anthony wanted to punch him in the face. Instead, he laughed. “You have no fucking idea what it was like inside. I was celibate for ten bloody years. I want to have some goddamn fun. So back off and let me sort my shit out in my own time and in my own way.”

Hayden stood. “Or what?”

Anthony’s pulse quickened. As kids, they’d have fought. He’d lost count of the number of bloody noses and bruises Hayden had given him. His father had always said boys played rough. Which was bullshit. “Are you going to dog me for the rest of my life?”

“If that’s what it takes, to make sure you stay honest.”

“And who’s watching you?” Anthony said. He held Hayden’s gaze for a moment then peeled himself off the kitchen counter and walked out of the kitchen, through the house, to his room. It was only then he let his frustration out, kicking his runners, sending them bouncing over the carpet.

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath. Hayden could still push all his buttons. He didn’t know if the PI would be pulled off him, not that it mattered. He wasn’t going to meet up with Liam again or call Farring.

He drew in several breaths that weren’t at all calming.

Did Margot expect him to fail? Hayden would try to ensure that he did. His mother and father wanted nothing to do with him because he was an embarrassment—no surprises there, either.

No, the surprise was that he didn’t want to be a part of such a callous family. They didn’t care about him; they cared about how he reflected on them. Once he’d thought that was normal, but prison had opened his eyes.

It wasn’t only prison he didn’t want to go back to… it was the person he’d been.

He sat on the bed and opened his laptop. He didn’t bother looking for jobs with his degree, he looked for anything: reception, data entry, delivery driver…

Every time he ticked the box that he’d been convicted of a crime, it was another job he wouldn’t get.

Margot knocked on the closed door. He knew it was her because Hayden would have barged in as if he had the right to do whatever he wanted.

He sighed. “Yes.”

She opened the door. “Oh, you’re busy.”

“Applying for jobs. I run, I look for work, and if I’m lucky, I see Cillian. That’s all I do. Every day.”

“We only want what’s best for you. To help you.”

Maybe she believed that’s what they were doing, but he didn’t care anymore. “You might; Hayden doesn’t. He will use anything he finds against me. That’s why he had me followed.”

“You aren’t five anymore. I know you’ve had your differences, but it’s time to move on.”

“Did you tell him that? Did you tell him to stop putting the boot in?”

“Dad wanted you followed. You don’t know what it was like for us during the trial. It was awful. The media dragged everything they could up. They camped outside our houses. Mum barely left the house.”

“She’s managing now,” he said dryly. A six-month cruise, timed for his release. “Do you think it was a delight for me?”

“You committed the crimes, but you dragged all of us into your mess. We don’t want to go through it again.” She sighed. “So we did what we thought best.”

Would she tell Hayden if he told her about the blackmail? Probably. There was no point in doing anything other than extricating himself from his family as quickly as possible.

“Well, it’s no longer needed.”

She made a noise, and Anthony figured that meant he was going to continue being watched. Fine, if that’s what they wanted to spend their money on, he’d make it worth their while.

Anthony nodded. So that’s how it was going to be. “I’m grateful that you took me in. Which I’ve said several times, but it wasn’t done out of concern for my wellbeing. As soon as I can, I’ll find somewhere else to stay, and you won’t hear from me again.”

“Don’t be rash. You don’t even have a job, and I don’t want you hanging around criminals in state housing.”

“Who do you think I’ve been hanging around with for the last ten years? Did you ever stop and consider the man who went in isn’t the same as the one who came out?”

“You can be him again.”

“I don’t want to be him, Margot. Besides, I’m never going to fit back in as if nothing happened.”

Anthony didn’t know who he was anymore. He wasn’t the risk-taking high-flyer who’d never thought it could come crashing down, and he didn’t hunger for status and money the way he once had. He wanted the time and space to figure the next ten years of his life.