If you could save someone's life, would you? Anyone's? Ali's older brother has a swastika tattooed on his knuckles, a prison ID number for nearly beating an immigrant to death, and spent his teenage years ruthlessly persecuting Ali for being gay. Blood may be thicker than water, but Ali has spent most of his life desperate to prove he is nothing like Tony. A committed vegetarian, charity-supporter, and blood donor, Ali would do anything for anyone. Ali may share parentage with Tony, but he’s determined not to share anything else if he can help it. So when Tony contracts leukaemia, and Ali is the only match for the urgently-needed bone marrow transplant, Ali is caught between two equally awful choices: to refuse and condemn a man to death, or to donate. And in donating, save the life of the man who nearly murdered Ali's Iraqi boyfriend?

Thicker Than Bone

“No, I will not fucking drop it!” Ali exploded, and surged up from the sofa, phone still in hand.


Yazid made a grab for the phone and it was angrily jerked away.


“Yazid, he nearly beat my first crush to death and you’re just blowing off this like it’s name-calling!”


“It is name-calling,” Yazid attempted.


“End me, and Ali, I’ve heard worse!”


“Oh, that’s a real comfort,” Ali snarled. “I’m taking this to the police.”


“For God’s sake, that’s a waste of their time, and—”


“What are you supposed to end?” Ali snapped.


“You!” Yazid snapped. “Alright? He wants us to break up and get me out of the picture.”


Ali’s face went an alarming shade of pink.


“Look, it’s not worth getting upset over,” Yazid tried.


Chapter 44