Page 36 of The Quarterlands (Dark Water #4)

Chapter Eleven

Josiah

Alex called as Josiah was on his way home. “Hey. How are you doing?” He sounded bright and happy.

“I’m fine. A bit tired. Been a long day,” he replied, every word feeling like a betrayal, but he couldn’t face telling Alex he’d spent the day investigating him. “How was your day?”

“Fantastic. Charles and I spent the entire day shopping. Are you on your way home? I thought we could eat together, have a catch-up.”

Josiah hesitated. He could be home in an hour, but he couldn’t handle a cosy dinner with a happy Alex right now.

“Go ahead and eat without me,” he said. “I’m going to be late back.”

“You okay?” Alex asked. “I haven’t seen you for a few days. Has anything happened? Is it Tyler?” His voice was suddenly anxious.

“I’m fine,” Josiah snapped. “Not everything is about George fucking Tyler.” There was a shocked silence and he felt ashamed of himself.

Alex didn’t know what he’d been doing, so it wasn’t fair to snap at him.

He knew a showdown was looming but he didn’t want it to be tonight.

He was too tired and his mind was too full.

“Sorry. Like I said, I’m tired. Look… why don’t we spend the day together tomorrow? ”

“What about work? ”

“I’ve been working all weekend. You’re right, we haven’t seen each other lately. My fault. Work is taking up all my time. I’m glad you’re having fun, though. Look, let’s catch up properly tomorrow, okay? If you’re free?” He felt like he was walking on eggshells.

“Yes, I’m free. I’d like that. I’ll make us a late breakfast, so you can sleep in.”

Josiah chewed on his lip in silence, dreading it.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Has something happened?” Alex asked tentatively.

“I’m fine. I just need to do some more work.”

That was a lie. He wasn’t going to work any more this evening. He was going to do something else entirely, something he hadn’t done in a long time, but it was what he needed, tonight more than ever.

An hour later, he pulled up outside the rundown gym next to the lost zone near his house, grabbed the bag of workout clothes he kept in the back of his duck, and strode inside.

“Well, well, well… look who’s crawled outta the water.” Winston glanced up from reading a crumpled magazine, his cigar perma-clamped between what was left of his teeth. “Been a long time, Sergeant.”

“Been busy.” Josiah shrugged.

“Yeah, I bin watchin’ the news. You still livin’ with that model?”

“Model…? Alex?” Josiah rolled his eyes. “He’s not a model.”

“Well, he’s too pretty to be a regular bloke. He why you haven’t been around lately? Too busy shagging him to need to fight?”

“I’m not—” Josiah began, then he stopped and sighed. “Something like that.”

“Hah! Thought so. So, what’s up tonight? You lookin’ for a fight?”

“Yeah. You got anything for me?”

“Yup. Crowd of new regulars will take you on, I reckon. Just what you’re looking for. Do ’em good, too. They’re too used to having things their own way around here. Session with you should sort that out.” He gave a dark grin .

Josiah changed and warmed up, then stepped into the ring. Winston had rounded up five men, all young, toned, and fit.

“Reckon you can beat ’em?” Winston winked at him. “Or has all that soft living with your pretty boy made you lose your edge, Sergeant?”

“I can take ’em,” Josiah said grimly.

He wasn’t wrong. The young men were good, but he was in the zone, so he was better.

He took a few blows but landed more than he received.

Soon, his blood was buzzing with adrenaline, his head had cleared, and he was starting to feel better.

He lost himself in the sheer, exhilarating joy of fists connecting with flesh, with breathing coming in ragged gasps, and with that sense of being truly alive that he rarely felt outside of fighting or fucking.

As he fought, he was able to forget what he’d learned over the past couple of days and be only in the moment, which was a blessed relief.

An hour later, he looked up to see that he’d worked his way through all of Winston’s promising young fighters, one after the other. His fists ached, his forehead was bleeding, and he’d taken a few bruises to the ribs, but he felt fantastic.

“Reckon you’ve been cheating on me with some other gym,” Winston grumbled. “Thought you’d be slack, but you’re fitter than ever.”

“Just because I haven’t been here for a while doesn’t mean I haven’t thrown a punch – or several – since last time.” Josiah grinned. “I do a dangerous job, Winston.”

“Well, I’m glad to see you ain’t lost your edge.

” Winston leaned in close, treating Josiah to a whiff of his tobacco-scented breath.

“Hate admittin’ it, but I always love watchin’ ya in action, Sergeant.

Nobody else comes close. It’s a thing of beauty.

If you ever wanted to turn pro, even at your age, there are proper fights I could get you in on. ”

“Nah, I already have a day job.” Josiah climbed out of the ring, feeling much better than when he’d climbed in.

Winston laughed. “That you do, Sergeant. That you do. ”

It was midnight by the time he returned home, and the place was in darkness. He was relieved not to have to face Alex tonight, and not looking forward to tomorrow.

The fighting had worn him out, so he slept well, emerging the next morning washed, shaved, and dressed to find Alex singing as he brewed a pot of tea.

“Morning!” Alex’s good mood from the previous day was still in evidence, and Josiah hated the thought of puncturing it.

“I heard you in the shower, so I’ve made you a cuppa.

Then I’ll cook us both breakfast… Oh shit.

” He looked at Josiah for the first time and took in his bruised cheekbone and the cut above his eye.

“What the hell happened?” He put down the teapot and came over to examine Josiah’s wounds.

“Chasing bad guys again?” He reached out a gentle hand to touch Josiah’s cheek, but he brushed it away.

“Something like that,” he muttered.

Alex stood with his hands on his hips gazing at him searchingly, but Josiah wouldn’t meet his eye. Eventually, Alex gave an exasperated sigh, then went to the cupboard under the sink and took out the first aid box.

“Sit down. Let me see to this.”

Josiah sat cautiously, his ribs aching.

“Okay, where else hurts?” Alex asked.

Josiah lifted his polo shirt to reveal the huge bruise on his ribs.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Alex crouched down in front of him and began gently administering arnica to the bruise.

He was good at it, and Josiah felt soothed by his ministrations but also vaguely guilty as his injuries were all his own fault.

Alex tended to his cut face and then packed the first aid kit away.

“You weren’t in a fight,” he accused. “You went to the boxing gym.”

“Yup,” Josiah grunted.

“You wanted release? You could have asked me.” Alex wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pressed a kiss to his hair. “You know I’d have helped.”

“No.” Josiah pushed him away. “We agreed not to go there. You aren’t responsible for me, Alex, and you don’t have to put out for me. ”

“Sure, but it’s not exactly a chore.” Alex ruffled his hair affectionately. “I mean, I enjoy it.”

“Let’s not complicate things. With Tyler’s trial hanging over us, we have enough to handle without sex and emotions getting in the way.”

“Are you worried about getting hurt?” Alex asked quietly. “I mean, after the trial, whatever the result, I have to leave.”

“I know.” Josiah gazed at him glumly, unwilling to contemplate that reality.

He was by no means convinced that Gideon’s offer of money would amount to anything, and it certainly wasn’t something he was going to share with Alex in case it gave him false hope.

Besides, Gideon’s money was only of use if they won.

If they didn’t, then Alex’s life didn’t bear thinking about because Josiah had no doubt Tyler would make it a complete misery.

“We could share a bed again. Make the most of what time we have left,” Alex suggested.

“I think that’d be a mistake. You’re doing so much better now. I don’t want it to be too much for either of us when this is all over and you have to go. Let’s make it easier on ourselves.”

“Okay, but no more going into the boxing ring. Please,” Alex begged, squeezing Josiah’s shoulder gently.

“Fine.” Josiah caught his hand and dropped a little kiss on it. “Thank you, Alex.”

“I was going to give you this last night over dinner.” Alex disappeared into the dining room and returned a few seconds later holding a large, wrapped present. “But this seems like a good time.” He handed the gift to Josiah.

“You didn’t need to buy me anything.” Josiah felt another wave of guilt. How could he tell Alex he knew his secret when he was being this sweet? He couldn’t bear to shatter his joyful mood.

“Well, technically speaking, you bought it as it’s your money, but, well, it’s from me, as you’ll see when you open it.” Alex sat down at the kitchen table, gazing at him expectantly. “I’ve been working on it for a few weeks. Charles helped me find the perfect thing to put it in yesterday.”

Josiah tensed at Charles’s name. Giving a brusque grunt, he slipped his fingers savagely through the wrapping paper.

Then he sat gazing wordlessly at the picture beneath, taken completely by surprise.

Alex had painted a beautiful landscape in bright acrylic paints, showing a pathway between two rolling green hills, without a lost zone in sight.

The sky was blue, the sun shining, and two men were walking hand in hand along the path, with a black dog trotting along beside them.

Josiah felt his breath catch in his throat as he recognised himself and Peter.

They were smiling at each other, while Hattie looked up at them both, tongue lolling, eyes bright, tail held high.

The painting exuded a sense of joy and quiet serenity.