Chapter 17 #2
“Not very Afghan in that respect,” Joe said. “Just black coffee please.”
“And a sweetener,” Kaden added.
Joe shot him a little smile.
“I’m allowed guests,” Kaden said, anger breaking through. “Larkin had no right to make you leave. What exactly did he say?”
Joe repeated the words faithfully. “But what did he mean that a little bird had told him? How? What bird? A parrot? What other birds speak?”
“An expression you don’t know,” Kaden said. “It’ll be Harris. It has to be. The absolute dickhead.”
“On the way here, I asked forty-three people if I could use their phone.”
Kaden half-laughed, half-groaned. Alistair did the same.
“No one helped you?” Alistair said.
“Most walked faster. I don’t understand. I offered money.”
Alistair set the coffee down. “Sit.”
Joe obeyed.
“We’re not a trusting lot,” Alistair said, gentler now. “But you were unlucky. If the forty-fourth person had been me, I’d have said yes.”
Joe smiled. Then remembered that, to Alistair, this was their first meeting.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your time with Kaden,” Joe said.
“We’d just about finished.” Alistair studied him, assessment flickering behind his eyes. “So what are you the two of you going to do? Where are you going to stay?”
“I’ll find somewhere for us,” Kaden said. “Or sneak you back in.”
Joe shook his head. “Don’t break the rules. I don’t want you to get into trouble.”
“If he wants to throw me out, let him try. It isn’t as if you’ve been staying with me for months. He had no right to make you leave.”
“But he’s the landlord. He can find a reason. I mustn’t get into trouble and I don’t want you to have a problem.”
“Perhaps I have a solution,” Alistair said, stirring his coffee. “Why don’t you both stay here on the top floor while you look for somewhere?”
Kaden inhaled sharply. “That’s incredibly kind, but—”
“Yes, it is kind,” Alistair cut in. “And I benefit. We can make better progress on the book. You can walk Elsie. Cook sometimes. Endure me boring you.” His mouth curved in a wry smile. “What do you say?”
Joe knew what he wanted, and what he wanted Kaden to say but all he did was fix his gaze on Kaden.
“Really?” Kaden asked. “I could talk to my dad. He’d let Joe stay with him.”
“Yes, I’m sure.” Alistair’s voice didn’t waver. “You’re welcome here while you sort something out.”
Kaden held Joe’s gaze longer than necessary, as if weighing something only the two of them could see.
“Okay,” he said finally. “Thank you. We’ll take you up on that.”
The first word landed in Joe’s chest and he felt tension slip away. He hadn’t realised how tightly he’d been holding himself together until that moment. His shoulders loosened. His breathing steadied. He and Kaden could be together. This was what safety felt like.
Alistair nodded. “Good. Then it’s settled. I’ll show you the top floor after we finish our coffee.”
Kaden squeezed Joe’s hand briefly, then let go. “Thank you,” he said to Alistair.
“You can repay me by not burning my kitchen down,” Alistair said dryly. “And by being honest with me.”
The words weren’t sharp, but they landed all the same and Joe’s stomach tightened.
He lowered his eyes, focusing on the dark surface of the coffee.
Honesty was dangerous. Honesty meant edges, consequences.
He’d learned that early on. Honesty should be a good thing but it wasn’t always good for everyone.
“I don’t expect to be told everything,” Alistair went on. “But I do expect the truth where it matters.”
Kaden glanced at Joe, concern flickering across his face.
“We’ll tell you when we can,” Kaden said.
Now Joe was tense again.
Alistair studied them both for a moment, then gave a short nod. “Fair enough. For now.”
They climbed the narrow stairs to the top floor.
The space was large with slanted ceilings, a double bed and a desk in front of the window.
The bathroom had a shower and a bath deep enough to disappear into.
Light spilled in, thin and pale through the window.
The city stretched out ahead, rooftops, chimneys and tall buildings scraping the sky.
Joe liked the word skyscraper. It was clever.
He wondered how long they could stay.
“This is temporary,” Kaden said quietly, as if reading his thoughts.
“I know,” Joe said. And he did.
“Bring all your stuff over,” Alistair told Kaden. “You might as well give notice on your place. No point paying rent when you’re not living there. Any furniture you want to transport?”
“Not much worth keeping,” Kaden said.
“Then bring everything in a cab and I’ll treat us to a takeaway tonight,” Alistair said, sounding almost pleased.
Was he lonely? Joe thought he might be. He understood loneliness.
The cab ride back was cramped with boxes and bags and a chair. Kaden balanced his phone on his knee.
“I’m giving notice to my landlord,” he said, already tapping.
“What about the authorities?” Joe asked. “For me.”
Kaden paused. “Good point.” He held out his hand. “Your card. I’ll need your number.”
Joe passed it over.
“There are a lot of people to tell,” Kaden muttered. “I’ll do the rest tomorrow.”
“Should we offer Alistair money?” Joe put his card back in his pocket.
“I will, though I doubt he’ll take it. We probably won’t stay for long.”
Alistair opened the door as they walked from the cab. “Do you need a hand?”
“We’ve got it, thank you,” Kaden said.
A few trips and they had everything in the house.
“Changed your mind?” Kaden asked as the three of them looked at the bags, boxes, cases and office chair piled up in the hall.
Alistair chuckled. “Go sort yourselves out then come down for coffee.”
They made the bed with Kaden’s sheets. Joe’s clothes and some of Kaden’s went into the wide chest of drawers.
The desk took shape under Kaden’s hands.
The laptop, notebooks and pens were aligned with precision, the chair tucked underneath.
Joe arranged Kaden’s books on a shelf and Kaden placed the megalodon tooth on the windowsill, where the light caught its edge.
This was how home was made. The thought made Joe’s heart stutter. In his other life, he had hardly any things. He liked having things. The thought of what his planet would have done to the Earth made him breathe heavily. The Earth was a much better place than the one Joe had come from.
“Think Elsie would like a walk?” Kaden asked when they were back downstairs.
The word walk hadn’t even finished leaving Kaden’s mouth before Elsie was on her feet, tail sweeping the air, her whole body bright with purpose.
Alistair laughed. “Have your coffee when you come back.”
Outside, the air was cool and smelled faintly of rain. Elsie trotted between them with Kaden holding her lead.
The city unfolded slowly as they walked. The corner shops, narrow streets and the rhythm of their footsteps eased that tight feeling in Joe’s chest. Kaden hadn’t had to give up his home for Joe, but he’d chosen to. Kaden had done everything for him.
Their shoulders brushed.
“You okay?” Kaden asked.
“Yes, thank you.”
Not really, but this was a necessary lie. Joe would be okay eventually. One way or the other.
“Harris,” Joe said carefully.
“What about him?”
“He has the missing two from the lab inside him.”
Kaden stumbled to a halt. “What the hell? Are you sure? How do you know?”
“I could sense them. They were in his hair at first but now they’re inside him. Not like I was with you. They’re still small. I don’t think he knows they’re in him.”
“He was clutching his stomach when he was in the hospital.”
“And when he left your bedsit. Although I’d hit him after he’d hit you.”
“Should we tell him?” They kept walking.
“It would mean telling him everything. You think he’ll believe you?”
Kaden gave a heavy sigh. “No. But… Oh God, much as I hate the guy, I don’t feel I can do nothing. I mean, what if they mate inside him?”
Joe thought about that.
“You’ve gone quiet. Does that mean it’s possible?”
“I don’t know. I’m confident they can’t do what I did. If they were protectors like me, they could have but not as others. But if they travel to Harris’ brain, they might be able to manipulate him.”
“Would they come after you?”
“It’s possible.”
“I’m going to phone him.”
“And say what?”
Kaden stopped walking again and took out his phone. “Nothing that gives you away.”
“You could tell him to eat a large spoonful of Marmite. Or a highly spiced curry.”
Kaden goggled at him. “What?”
“When you gave me Marmite to try, my sensors triggered a warning that it was highly toxic. I spat it out. I think it might kill them.”
“A large spoonful would kill me!”
“Really?”
Kaden half-laughed. “No, but not sure I could convince him to eat Marmite by the spoonful.”
“A hot curry then? That should work too.”
“You still have his number?”
“I blocked it but I can get it back…” He tapped into his phone. “It’s ringing…”
Joe leaned in close to listen.
“What?” Harris snarled.
“You need to know something,” Kaden said.
“Know what?”
Joe heard the edge of pain in Harris’ voice.
“You were clutching your stomach in the hospital.”
“So?”
“It started out as a stomach ache with me too. The doctors that were treating me said I had a rare virus.”
“Have you given me some bloody disease?”
Kaden rolled his eyes. “The doctors thought I might have picked something up at Lixian. They wanted details of everywhere I’d been and what I’d eaten.”
“Oh my God.” Harris groaned. “How bad was the pain?”
“Very bad. Then my throat started to burn.”
“How did they cure it?”
“I know this sounds crazy but it was salt. I was desperate for it and they made me eat sandwiches thickly spread with Marmite. It was that or a hot curry. I wasn’t sure I could eat that.”
“This isn’t a fucking joke. I feel terrible.”
“I’m not joking. I was ill too. I’m doing you a favour but I wonder why I bothered. If you can stomach it, eat a spoonful of Marmite.”
Harris groaned. “I suppose it could be the glutamic acid.”
“Try it. It’s not going to kill you, is it?”
Harris ended the call.