as a result did a lot of damage back in the day. He made enemies. They’re just trying to make a statement right now. They’re not afraid of him anymore. Absence dulls fear.”
She made a sound of disgust. “I’ll be damned if they try and drive him out of town.”
“They’re not trying to drive him out of town,” Jem corrected.
I frowned, realizing the sick truth. “They’re trying to provoke him. They want him lashing out.”
“They want to send my boy back to prison?” When Megan saw the answer in our faces, her lips parted with incredulity. “This isn’t right.”
As she continued raging on about how not right it was, Jem was already dialling numbers and murmuring into the phone with his back to us. I approached the window again, noticing now that there were more cars than ever before on this block and men were out now, circling about and exchanging conversation with one another. The commotion outside had driven the residents indoors. The setting was ominous. The wind howled, the leaves shook off the trees, and the mid-afternoon sun was hidden behind dark clouds, threatening to burst forth with rain any second.
I turned away from the window. “We can’t let him out, no matter what.”
Jem turned around to face me, the phone still to his ear. “It won’t come to that.”
I tilted my head in the direction of the window. “A crowd of them are starting to form. They’ll be screaming for him to show himself.”
Megan’s hands were shaking now. “We’ll phone the police.”
Even I heard the sound of doubt in her voice. They would take hours to come, especially if they were answering on behalf of Conor Thames. Neither Jem nor I had the heart to correct her.
Looking anguished, she turned away and trudged out of the room and to the living room where her son was. I wanted to follow, but I couldn’t deny the pull I felt to the window, to the mob beginning to form.
“I’ll take care of this,” Jem suddenly promised me. “Don’t worry, Char, I’m calling our guys over. You should go and comfort Megan and be there with Penny and Conor. They’ll need you –”
He cut himself short, catching sight of Conor coming into the room in his usual sweats and tight white tank. Jem looked him over, looking equally enamoured by the changes he could see in him. Jem, who was bigger than your average guy, looked puny next to him.
Collecting himself, he appeared friendly, giving Conor a reassuring smile, “Hey, man.”
Not responding straightaway, Conor walked past him and to the window where I stood. Not bothering to be discreet, he spread the blinds apart and peered out.
“Conor,” I whispered, watching his expression closely.
“They want to see me,” he said quietly. “That’s what this is.”
Alarm spiked through me. “Don’t confront them.”
He turned his gaze to me. “What are you afraid will happen if I do, dove?”
He could see the answer written on my face. I was scared there’d be conflict. I didn’t want trouble, and I didn’t know how he was going to react if a bunch of them stood in front of the house, cursing at him or, worse, at me. He used to have so many triggers, and I didn’t want him to be tested so soon.
He appeared for a moment slightly disappointed. “I told you I’m not that man anymore.”
“I know, but I can’t risk you going out there,” I told him, a plea in my tone. “Please, don’t confront them. That’s what they want.”
“A bunch of guys are coming,” Jem intervened. “Like I said, it won’t come to anything.”
Conor flicked his eyes at him now, and his expression changed slowly. “If you get someone else to fight my battles, this’ll never stop, Jem.”
Jem hesitated, appearing conflicted now as he looked at me. “Think of Charlotte, Conor.”
Conor’s nose flared. “It’s for Charlotte that I’m not going to stand behind the blinds like a scared little boy.”
I began to shake my head, “Conor –”
He stormed past me and to the door. Jem grabbed him by the arm just before he got to it, pleading, “Conor, you have to be rational, man. You have to be cool about this.”
Conor didn’t rip his arm out of Jem’s hold. Instead, he went still and stared at Jem, responding calmly, “Have a bit of faith in me, Jem.”
Jem reluctantly let go, but it wasn’t what he wanted to do. Breathing harder, he forced a nod at Conor. “Then I’m coming with you.”