Page 87 of Mercury Rising

Even when the street was empty, Mercury couldn’t tear himself away. His heart was breaking at the memory of Nick’s face when confronted with his past.

Inside, he could hear his mother’s voice. She was clearly trying to persuade her friends that she did the right thing. Mercury didn’t have the strength to tear a strip off her. He needed time to think and to work out what the fuck he was going to do to salvage things.

He knew where he had to go.

Mercury woke with a start. He’d only been asleep for an hour. The daylight broke through the curtains and danced on his sleeping bag.

Is he staring at the ceiling too?

He shifted to get comfortable. In the process he managed to knock an empty wine bottle from the table.

“Just come and get in with me. Jesus Christ.”

Mercury wriggled out of his sleeping bag and padded through into the bedroom.

“That sofa is not built for sleeping,” he muttered.

“I didn’t say talk,” Lotty replied. “It’s five thirty in the morning. Get in. Go to sleep.”

Mercury dove under the duvet. It had been a warm night but even sharing a quilt was preferable to being boiled in a bag.

He lay there. His mind playing all his memories with Nick. It wasn’t only that either. He hadn’t even had a chance to say goodbye to the kids. They would think he’d grown tired of them.

“Okay,” Lotty said. “You can talk.”

They had talked their way through two bottles of wine. Everything had been said.

“Why would she do it?”

Lotty sat up. She thumped a pillow into submission and tucked it behind her head.

“You said yourself. Drugs trigger her.”

“She’s a fucking actress. Do you think she calls out every coked-up actor, director or journalist that comes across her path? It doesn’t wash.”

“Babe, they aren’t getting serious with her son. I’m not making excuses. She’s been a total bitch. I’m saying you can at least try to understand even if you don’t forgive.”

Mercury pursed his lips. “You saw that on Instagram. Bloody hell, Lotty.”

“I liked it. Besides, it’s more than applicable.”

“It’s like being done for another crime I’ve not committed.”

Lotty gasped.

“What?”

“Are you for real? You should never have told your mum about Nick’s past. Mercury, you have to see that.”

Mercury sighed. Of course he did. Admitting it he found to be a different prospect.

He covered his face with a pillow and screamed. When he came up for air, Lotty was watching him.

“I’m fucked. Aren’t I?” he said.

“Babe, I think you need a clean slate. Ring your probation officer later. Get something decent and finish the bloody time. You can stay here as long as you like.”

He was lucky to have her. When he’d stormed out of Queens Crescent about ten minutes after Nick, he’d come straight to Lotty.