I got the call when they were already on their way back to the Compound.
Felt sick to my fucking stomach that I didn’t act faster, that I didn’t just make her come home the minute they came here.
I had a feeling I should have when she came here the other night — didn’t imagine it going down too well. She’d have put up a fight, that would have made me angry—
Also didn’t fancy her getting big for her boots, thinking I miss her or some shit, which maybe I did but it’s not like she needs to know.
But now this has happened and I don’t really give a shit about any of the rest.
She storms through the door of my office and then bolts straight into my arms. Lets out one big sob into my chest, and I hold her tighter — pull back a little to look down at her.
“Any of this yours?” I nod at the blood my sister’s covered in.
She shakes her head.
“Are you okay?” I put my hand on her face and she glares up at me, smacking it away.
I stare down at her wide-eyed. “Smack my fucking hand away, are you daft?”
“We’re still fighting,” she says loudly.
“So?”
(“Oh, God.” Koa cracks his neck.)
“So—” She smacks my arm. “Don’t try to be nice and comforting to me, you fucking psychopath.”
“Okay.” I give her a dark look and move back behind my desk. “Excuse me for having a moment of concern for the girl I raised.”
Daisy glares at me and moves without realising it over towards Rome, perching on the arm of the chair he’s sitting in. These two, I swear to God.
My dog crawls out from under my desk, walks over to my sister, drops his head in her lap. She pets him mindlessly and I roll my eyes.
I put my elbows on my desk, drop my head into my hands and breathe out.
“Takeaways?” I ask the room.
Romeo shakes his head. “Shit show — complete shit show.”
I look over at him. “What are you talking about?”
“It wasn’t a tight job.” He shakes his head. “It was sloppy.”
“The girl who died—” I start.
“Grace,” Daisy jumps in.
“Grace—” I lock eyes with my sister. “What do we know about her?”
Dais shakes her head. “23, smart, bit annoying. I’m guessing upper-middle class family.”
“Could she have been dirty?” You never know.
Daisy shakes her head like I’m an idiot and I can tell by her face she’s about to launch into something annoying when Tiller bursts into the room.
“Where is she?” he says, spots me first.
She stands at the same time he turns to see her, all covered in blood.
“Oh my God—” He grabs her, looking all over her for the bleed site.
“It’s not mine—” She shakes her head quick.
Puts his hands on her face and kisses her cheek, holds her as tight as I’ve ever seen her be held. And it’s weird watching someone love her so much all of a sudden. This weird thought rattles through my brain that I should have been there to see it. You want to watch someone fall in love with your kid the way they deserve to be loved and I missed it. I’ve dropped back in now that they’re all fully formed and shit — but I guess this is what happens when you turn away from everything you know and everyone you know, you have just one person to invest in and he was hers.
“What happened?” Tiller pulls away from her, looks between us all.
“There was a van waiting for me in the carpark — they shot my friend. They grabbed me—”
Tiller pulls out his phone and Daisy pushes it down. “No police.”
“You just said a girl died—”
I shake my head. “I got some boys making it look like she was jumped in the parking lot—”
“Oh.” Tiller nods at me sarcastically. “That makes me feel so much better—”
Daisy takes his phone from his hands, puts it back in his pocket, shaking her head at him.
“How are you fine?” He gestures to her.
Daisy looks over at Romeo, who stands. Tiller’s eyes flick between them. Thinks for a second. Then steps towards Rome, extending his hand.
A strange peace offering, copper to criminal.
Rome stares Tiller dead in the eye.
“Fanculo,” he mutters under his breath and moves past, but not before he pauses in front of Daisy, kissing her forehead. “Welcome back,” he tells her before he walks out.
“I’m not back—” she calls after him.
I sniff, amused. “Yeah, you are—”
“No—” She glances quickly between me and her boy. “No, I’m not.”
“Yes. You are.” I give her a look like she’s an idiot. Which she is. “You’re not going back there — you’re back in the Compound here on out— I already have people packing up your place — I was wondering where my Matisse went—”
I give her a look and she shifts on her feet, ignoring her copper boyfriend’s wide eyes.
“You don’t even like Impressionism—” I tell her, folding my arms over my chest.
“Well, I like that one.” She shrugs.
“Why?” I give her an annoyed face. “It’s just ‘naked crayon ladies.’” I roll my eyes, quoting her.
“Doesn’t even have faces.” She growls under her breath.
“So why’d you take it then?”
“Because it reminds me of y—” She presses her mouth shut. Breathes through her nose. I feel shit.
“I’m not moving back in.” She shakes her head, glances over at Tiller for back-up, and — here’s a surprise — he’s got this reluctant look on his face.
“I think you should.” He nods.
“What?” She blinks.
Tiller gives her this sort of hopeless shrug, sighs. “Who can protect you like he can?”
No one, is the truth. At least he knows it.
Tiller shakes his head. “Because I can’t — I want to, but I can’t. Whatever I can do, it’s not enough, Dais — you’re protected with him.”
“I like my place.” She shakes her head urgently. The look on her face — it’s weird, really desperate. I know all her faces, she’s losing something here. Like she’s trying to hold on to something and it’s slipping through her fingers. I don’t know what it is, but I can tell she is. There’s some sort of grieving in her eyes.
“Actually,” I make an uncomfortable smile, “on that… It’s already up on Right Move.”
She launches for me immediately. “Fuck you!” She smacks me. “Fuck you!” Hits me again, and again, and then Tiller picks her up, moving her away from me.
Again with the hands on her face. She’s crying now. Shaking her head like mad.
“This isn’t what I want — it’s not what I want—”
“Dais.” Tiller looks for her eye. “It’s going to be okay—”
She looks at him, and it’s strange. Frantic. Like she’s trying to tell him something. “It’s not what I want — I don’t want this—”
Tiller nods, sort of confused. “I know.”
She shakes her head. “We can’t stay here—”
I stare over at her, confused — Don’t know what she’s getting at? I wave my hand at Tiller dismissively. “He can stay here, the boys won’t touch him—”
“We don’t want to stay here!” she yells, more angrily than needed.
I get up close in her face. “Well, do you want to die?”
Tiller tugs her away again, wipes his hands over her face — he’s alright at calming her down, actually. “I’ll stay with you, Dais — it’ll be okay.”
She nods, crying a bit still. “Promise me that you’ll remember—”
Tiller looks confused now too. “Remember what?”
Dais looks up at him, eyes all glassy. “That none of this is what I wanted.”
“Yeah.” He shrugs, not getting it. “Okay.”
I think he thinks she’s just in shock or hysterical or something.
He starts leading her out of my office.
“Take your old room—” I call after her.
Daisy doesn’t turn back but Tiller gives me a nod.
I look over at Koa and give him a look. “What the fuck was that?”
“He doesn’t know it yet, but she does.” He shrugs. “It’s quicksand around here.”
