A Long Way Back (Unfinished Business #2) - Barbara Elsborg Page 0,76
players.”
Ink pushed the chair on, but it was a stop-start path through the bustling crowd.
“Christ,” Tay muttered as a couple of kids ran right in front of him and Ink had to bring the chair to a sudden stop. “Whose idea was it to come here?”
“I was so desperate. You couldn’t resist the way I begged and begged and—”
“It was a question that didn’t require an answer,” Tay snapped.
Ink leaned down and nipped Tay’s ear.
“Ouch! What was that for?”
“Being grumpy. Covent Garden’s full of happy people. No moaning allowed. I’m going to think up punishments for when you whine. In fact, I saw something in a shop back there that I’d like to buy for you. I’ve put the brake on. I won’t be long.”
“Promise to come back?”
Tay’s voice was different then. Ink swallowed. “I promise.”
He hurried back to the shop, made the purchase with his bank card and returned to Tay. He wouldn’t be coming back to Covent Garden again so he figured just one use of his card would be fine. Ink handed Tay the black T-shirt with white lettering.
Tay held it up to look at it and chuckled. “Punishment will continue until morale improves. Thanks a lot.”
“You’re welcome.” Ink took the T-shirt from him and pushed it below their sweaters into the net bag at the back of the chair.
“What punishment are you thinking up?” Tay asked.
“Physical exercise.”
Tay turned to look at him with wide eyes. “Do we need to be somewhere private?”
“Why would we need to be somewhere private?”
“Oh, fuck off.” But Tay smiled as he said it.
“At the back of a sports shop, not far from here, there’s an eight-metre ice wall you can climb with crampons and ice axes.”
“Have you been on it?”
“Pfft. I don’t have that sort of money. Thirty-five pounds for an hour, plus twenty-five quid for someone to teach you how to do it and a fifteen-pound booking fee. I’ve watched through viewing windows and it looks fun, but too expensive for me. You’d have to pay for your own punishment which would be an additional penalty.”
“I don’t think I’m up to climbing.”
“I disagree. Wheeling your chair has given you good upper body strength. And all you have to do is smack the axes into the ice and kick in the crampons. Easy.”
“Right.”
“Hey, you could try. You can’t fall. You’re fastened on. When you get to the top there’s a bell to ring. If you can do that, Everest should be no problem. Though I don’t think there’s a bell at the top of Everest. When you’ve climbed it, you can tell me if there was.”
Tay laughed. “I like the idea of standing at the top of the world, but it’s a risk too far for me. I’ve already played a game with death and nearly lost.”
Ink rubbed his fingers over the back of Tay’s neck and he arched into Ink’s hand, turning his head against the touch like a cat. “I can’t imagine how scary it must have been not being able to communicate, not being able to make people understand you were still in there. Bit like talking to me when I decide to ignore you.”
“That’s just annoying. Falling was…life-changing. My bravery has gone.”
“That’s crap. I think you’re brave. You’ve just misplaced your courage and need a shove back into life. Climb an ice wall today and do a freefall parachute jump tomorrow. You’ve forgotten how to enjoy being alive.”
Tay grabbed onto the arms of the chair as Ink brought it to an abrupt halt.
“Shit, sorry,” Ink gasped.
The two guys who’d stepped into their way carried on as if they’d done nothing.
“Dickheads,” Tay growled.
“Don’t say things like that too loud because they’re not going to thump the guy in the wheelchair. And why didn’t you tell me you had a super power?”
“What?”
“You’re Mr Invisible today.”
Tay huffed. “I wish I’d not bothered with the chair.”
“Where would we have put our sweaters?”
“And you still piled them on me even after I’d told you how much that pissed me off.”
“I only piled them on you because it pisses you off. I’m teaching you tolerance, but you’re a slow learner. You’ll be grateful for the chair later because I’m not going to carry you home.”
“God, you’re really useless. Why did I give you this job?”
Ink laughed. “I was the least crappy. You want to go straight to the restaurant or for a drink first?”
“The restaurant. The bars will be full. I hadn’t realised it would be as busy as this. I should have