Page 52 of Indie
“Ste doesn’t seem like the type to upset people. He’s always so lovely, your dad.”
And for once, my beautiful observant girl couldn’t be farther from reality.
“Demon, huh? Is that like a rider name?” She added, as if sensing a sudden tension.
“Yeah. He was always mischievous as a child. But he also had some hellish temper tantrums. Like he was born out of hell itself. And so, he became Demon. Think he prefers it to his actual name. Derek.” I added when Emmie sat looking at me expectantly.
“I guess Fury is for something similar?”
“Fury got his nickname from the army. But yeah, he used to be a crazy bastard when he lost his temper. Army did a lot for him, though.” I smiled encouragingly, not wanting to frighten her away.
“And you?”
I sighed.
“Indie is my real name. A shortened version of it.” Emmie’s eyebrow raised, trying to hide her amusement. “You saw my mother. She’s eccentric. And my dad had to be high or something to let her name me. My full name is Indominus.”
I caught the snigger and the way she bit her lip to stop her face from crumbling. The skin pulled into a flush of tiny lines at the corner of her eyes as she silently laughed at me, the golden freckles across her cheeks almost moving underneath the animation of her face. I didn’t think I’d ever seen her laugh before. I’d watched her smile. Different smiles. The closed lipped adoration smile when she looked at her children, the nervous smile when she didn’t know what her reaction should be, the smile that didn’t quite grow the way it should where she was too scared to let herself be happy. And that just sated grin of satisfaction that I’d seen on her last night and this morning.
But the laugh, the curl of her lips and the crinkle of her eyes. That was something else, and it made me chuckle too, even though we were both now laughing at my expense.
“Apparently it meansfierce king.Which is probably why he let my mother name me it. Not sure I lived up to that name the way he wanted me to.”
“Why would he want you to be fierce?”
“My dad likes boys to be boys, and men to be hard. He once was a mean old bastard. Not as much as his brothers. He was probably the nicest out of the three of them, but he still had a reputation.”
“And did that have anything to do with you joining the army?”
“Yes, and no. Some part of that was trying to escape the doldrums of the north east. I can’t really remember whether I was trying to escape my father or show him I was the tough man he expected of me. It was 1993. Demon had just been born to my dad’s new wife. My mother had eventually divorced him after years of him cheating on her. Hadn’t taken him long to shack up with one of the women that hung around the bike club once she’d left him. And next thing you know, that one was pregnant.”
“Yeah. It happens.” Emmie’s voice was suddenly quiet, her teeth worrying at her bottom lip again.
“Shit. I didn’t mean to offend you, Emmie. My dad’s relationships touch a nerve, even all these years later.”
This time Emmie’s smile was weak, an unhappiness setting in, and I realised I’d touched a nerve too. Whatever that was.
*****
“Mammy, I got all my spellings right today,” the little girl that sat behind me in the crew seat of the van chattered happily.
“That’s great, baby. Well done. And what about you, Luke? How was your day?” Emmie continued, straining to look over her shoulder at the sullen faced boy who’d said barely anything since we’d picked him up.
Luke shrugged. “Was ok. What’s for tea? I’m starving.”
“Don’t know, yet. We’ll have to see what’s in.”
The little street of council houses was quiet when we pulled up. Even the sparse cars parked on the road were almost completely gone. There was no one outside and not a curtain twitched. The garden gate to Emmie’s house gaped open. Jumping out, I slid the side door of the van open, holding out my hand to help Lily out onto her feet and stepping back to let Luke clamber over the bench seats. He looked up at me, a hint of a scowl on his face, as if he was having to put some effort in to being annoyed at me. Then he walked off, leaving me standing holding the handle of the open door.
I followed up the garden path, Lily bounding away in front of me and Luke pulling the toes of the black leather shoes across the bumpy concrete. And right at the front Emmie paused, her palm outstretched, resting on the door, not moving, staring at something in front of her.
Chapter Twenty Five
I would have barrelled straight in. I almost didn’t notice. But the door seemed different, not quite in the frame. And when I looked closer, it wasn’t in the frame at all. The wood around the edges was splintered, a huge chunk completely missing just around the locks.
Lily was right on my heels, happily skipping towards the door, her rucksack over her shoulder.
“Wait a minute, baby.” I moved to turn, to look for Indie. But he was already there behind me. A sudden presence,carefully stepping around the small child, his arm outstretched, crossing in front of me.