Chapter 84

“Okay,” he said. “I—okay.”

“Alright. We’ll be there soon.”

For a long minute after Dad had hung up, Eli simply sat and clutched the phone, before slowly pulling it away and texting Danny. Whats going on??

They just took him into surgery n the cops have shode up 2 talk. theyll b lookin 4 u 2.

Eli swallowed, rolled his shoulders, and stood up. Of course the police would come. A man had been stabbed, and at least two others pretty seriously assaulted, by the way Rob had been fighting and Danny had whaled in at the last second like that. And Eli knew—far better than Danny did—the right way to put things, the buzzwords like ‘defending us’ and ‘feared for my life’ to get the boys in trouble and not Rob.

Talk to the police. Yeah. He could do that.

* * * *

When Eli’s phone next went off, it was Mum.

“I’m sorry,” he said to the copper taking his statement. “Can I get that?”