A Long Way Back (Unfinished Business #2) - Barbara Elsborg Page 0,113
a lot of money.”
“My dad has a lot of money.”
Ink sucked in a breath. “It wouldn’t be legal, so getting caught would always be a possibility. I don’t want your father to get into trouble and you’d have to tell him why you needed the money. I suppose you could say you wanted a penis extension.”
Tay growled and Ink grinned, but the grin fell away.
“I don’t… I don’t want him and your mum to look at me and wonder if I did it.”
“They’ll believe you.”
Ink sighed. “They won’t. I wouldn’t blame them. The jury was unanimous and there’s no new evidence. Your parents were just the sort of people who were on the jury. Good honest citizens appalled by how a child could kill another child. His brother. I know you’d like to think your mum and dad would take my side, but you can’t tell them. You can’t tell anyone.”
“I could borrow the money.”
“It isn’t just about a new birth certificate. I’d need a history—home addresses, educational records, medical records, parents’ death certificates, bank account, a social media presence—everything that would have usually left a footprint. And even if all that were possible, life still isn’t easy. I know because I’ve already done it once.”
“They let you down.”
Ink shrugged. “They did, but they can only do so much. When you’re given a new identity, you’re encouraged to become financially independent as soon as you can. The state wasn’t prepared to look after me beyond that first helping hand. They’d step in if my life was under threat, but it’s more dangerous for me to be in the system than it is out of it. It’s hard to be a different person, especially when there was nothing wrong with the old me. But the constant lying wore me down. I don’t want to be someone else. Not again.”
“What do you think about working for my aunt at the stables? I need to start work on Monday, but I could drive you there and pick you up.”
“Have you asked her yet?”
“Not yet.” But he’d make sure she gave Ink a job. Tay would pay his wages if he needed to. “We can go and see her and my horse tomorrow. He’ll probably bite me because I’ve not seen him for so long.”
Ink laughed. “When’s the hotel reopening?”
“Saturday.”
“Still want to go?”
“Yes, but not until the end of the event. I don’t want to be a distraction.”
“You could call Jonty before then.”
“No. I want to surprise him.”
WHEN THE TIDE CAME IN, the two of them and Dog made their way down to the water. Tay’s mobility was getting better and better. His speech was almost normal. He probably couldn’t run, he was nervous to try, but he was regaining the life he’d lost. While Ink was getting a taste of a life he’d never had.
Ink let the water run over his toes and yelped as he stumbled back. “Fuck, that’s cold.”
Tay laughed. “It’s not that bad.”
Dog bounded in and bounded out.
“See! Even Dog thinks it’s cold.”
“He’s probably never been in the sea before.”
Not far away, a bunch of kids were splashing around in the water and body boarding, not a wetsuit among them.
“How can they not feel the Arctic chill?” Ink asked. “I feel like I should keep a look out for polar bears.”
“They’re so active, it keeps them warm. For a while at least. I’ve got two wetsuits at the house. I think my old one should fit you. If not, we can go and see Micke. He owns a sports shop on a beach a bit further north, and I’ll get you a suit from him. I want to teach you to surf.”
“Sure you’re up to surfing?”
“I’m not going to be able to get to my feet quickly enough to stand on a surfboard, but I have two bodyboards in the garage and you were right, we can have fun on those.”
“How are you going to get back to your feet when you ride in to the beach?”
“That’s where you come in. And I can get up, just not quickly.”
“So if a shark’s behind you?”
“I’m done for. And before you ask, no, we’re very unlikely to meet a shark. Well, a shark that might bite us.”
Ink moved to his other side away from the water and took his hand again. Tay laughed.
“Don’t laugh. I’ve seen that shot of killer whales throwing themselves up onto the beach to get seals.”