Page 84 of Rock Giant

“More’s the pity.”

“Have you always hated him this much?”

Jez sneered in a way that showed off the sharpness of his canines.Girls were charmed by those vampire teeth, not that they were inches long or anything.He didn’t have fangs, but they were pointy.“Wrong question.”

He got up and bumped over the barrier dividing the bar from the street.What was the right question?“Why do you hate him?”What had changed?They had been friends, hadn’t they?“Jez, why did you split up with Rune?Did Nash have something to do with it?”

“Do pigeons shit?”

Oh, God!She hadn’t banked on it being the truth.

“What did he do?”

But Jez’s long slim legs had already taken him halfway across the paved street.He didn’t turn or respond to her call.

Jodi slumped back into her wooden chair.What had Nash actually told her?Wait, he hadn’t actually told her.It’d been Balin…or was it Lee?Whoever it had been, had said they’d split because Jez figured it wouldn’t work out due to them being set to tour so much.It’d seemed a flimsy excuse at the time.Now, she didn’t believe it for a second.

“Jo-bill-o.”Balin slid his arms around her from behind.He smelled of recently sprayed deodorant with an underlying thread of sex.She didn’t need to ask what he’d been doing.“How come you’re out here alone?”His lips grazed her cheek.

“I was with Jez, but he’s…” She gestured in the direction of the quayside, with its colourful bobbing boats.

“Is he being a mardarse again?”

“Balin, do you know what happened between him and Rune?Has he spoken to any of you about it?”

He slid into the seat Jez had recently vacated.“Not to me.Figure he will when he’s ready.”

“But Nash didn’t have anything to do with it, right?”

Balin pulled his legs up, so he was sat cross-legged in the chair.“Why would Nash have owt to do with Jez and Rune splitting?Did Jez suggest—”

Nash scraped a chair up to their table.

“You’re here,” she observed, an awkwardly bright lilt to her voice.She tipped her head up towards him, and he dutifully dropped a kiss on her lips.He tasted of mints.“Where’ve you been?”But smelled of the same anti-perspirant as Balin.They didn’t usually use the same brand.She knew, she’d been doing the shopping, and they were all very particular about who liked what.

“I went to the loo, then it’s taken an age to locate you.”

The bar wasn’t that big, which made it a shitty excuse for an excuse.He could have just admitted to being with Balin.It wasn’t like she was unaware of his current fetish.

“But I’m here now.”He folded one of her hands between the pair of his.“What’s your desire?Do you want another drink?Shall I go to the bar?What do you want?Beer, again?Balin?”

“Yeah.”

And off he went like he knew he’d wind up in the shit if he stayed.

Jodi drew her chair closer to Balin’s.He had a dazed look about him, testament, she suspected to the fact he’d just got laid.“Was he watching you?”

“Ah, Jo—”

“Balin, just answer the question.”

He sniffed.“Yeah, sure.”

“Just watching?”

“Course.”

“And what happened to the...to your hook up?”