Absolution(88)

“It doesn’t matter now – none of it does,” she sniffed.

“Come on, you – “

“Don’t you get it?” she demanded, her voice bordering on hysterical suddenly. “It doesn’t matter anymore!”

“Of course it matters!”

“He’s not coming back!” she yelled, “And even if he did, look at me!”

She knocked the photos out of his hand and grabbed the journal off the table, hurling it across the room.

“I am looking at you!” he roared, desperate to reach her. “I just wish you could see what I see, maybe then you wouldn’t want to throw it all away so damn easily! I know what you’ve been through Ally. Who the hell do you think took all these photos? Who cares if he comes back or not? The point is you’re here and you need to understand that he is not part of the equation anymore! Fight for yourself, not for him! And if you can’t do that, fight for me – for Tom, for Maggie, for Jane, for all of us! You owe us that!”

The anger disappeared and she folded in on herself. She sobbed as though her heart was being torn out of her. And there was nothing he could do about it.

He pulled her close again, holding her tight as she gave in to the heartache, the grief and the anger. He felt it seeping out of her, her strength waning.

“We need you here, with us,” he said simply.





CHAPTER 16




“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

- Confucius




When Jack pulled up outside Ally’s house, Maggie was already heading up the front path. Callum’s car was parked in her driveway and, as he walked up towards the house, he saw the two of them, deep in conversation on her porch. They fell silent as he got closer, and by then, he could hear the music blaring from within.

“You don’t need to be here,” Callum said, holding out his hand. “It’s just the key we need.”

“It’s a package deal,” Jack frowned. “Besides, last night, you told me to fight and that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

Maggie glanced nervously from Callum to Jack.

“Not here, not now,” Callum said. “You need to trust me on this. Go home.”

“Sorry,” Jack shook his head. “Can’t do it. If I’m in, I’m in – I’m not doing this half-assed.”

The muscles in Callum’s jaw twitched but he kept his mouth shut, turning his back on him and thumping on the door. “Ally! Open up or we’re coming in!”

Jack shifted his weight from one foot to another as they waited for a response.

“Have you got the key?” Callum demanded, turning back to him.

Jack dug it out of his pocket and handed it over without a word, watching as Callum unlocked the front door, his heart racing.

“Ally!” Callum called, heading left into the bedroom as Maggie went right, into the living room.

Jack stood in the hallway for a moment, then followed the music down to the studio at the back of the house. He pushed open the door and the music instantly got louder. The room looked like a tornado had been through it. Paint, canvases and supplies littered the floor. He scanned the room, taking only a moment to spot Ally behind the door. She sat with her back to the wall, legs splayed out in front of her. Her eyes were closed and her wheelchair some distance away. She looked paler than usual, and tired. His heart sank.

Shit.

Callum pushed past him, sinking to his knees beside her and giving her a solid shake. Her eyes flew open and he shouted something at her that was lost beneath the music. Ally looked up as Maggie swooped past him, but her gaze locked onto Jack, seeing him for the first time. She didn’t have time to react before Maggie enveloped her in a brief but frantic embrace. Callum yelled at her again, the exact nature of the conversation lost in the din. Ally looked just as confused as he was.

He scanned the room again, locating the source of the music and picking his way carefully over the debris-littered floor to turn it off. The air buzzed around them in the sudden silence.

“– the hell are you playing at?” Callum demanded.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, trying to wriggle feebly out of his grasp. “How’d you get in?”

“Are you okay?” Maggie’s tone was gentler than Callum’s.

Before she could answer, Callum grabbed her hands and forced her fingers apart, searching for something but finding nothing. Ally’s expression morphed from confusion to embarrassment to fury. She snatched her hands back, shoving him backwards in the same movement. “Get the hell off me!”