Page 90 of Thrill

Danny sobbed. “After seeing what it did to my parents. I can’t risk that all over again.”

Tyler got up and sat next to Danny on the bed. “It’s not the same at all. This is an established business. You can grow it too.”

“It’s not only about money. Failure can destroy everything.”

Tyler frowned. “Danny, I feel like you’re trying to tell me something. Whatever it is, I’m here.”

“It’s heavy.”

“I’m here.”

They scrambled on the bed so they lay against the pillows and stared up at the ceiling.

“When the business failed, we were in deep shit financially,” Danny began. “My dad took any work going. Mainly on building sites.”

“A big change from estate agent.”

“Bloody right. He hated it at first. Three kids and no money. One afternoon, Mum took Ben and Monica to my gran’s. I don’t know if he even realised she’d left me. He was so bloody knackered in those days.”

Tyler reached across and took Danny’s hand.

“Anyway, I was happily playing away upstairs. I loved it when the others weren’t there,” Danny said. “Then I heard him in their bedroom. He was banging around. I peeked through a crack in the door.”

Unease crept over Tyler. Nothing good ever came from these types of stories.

“Go on,” he said, gently.

“He was rifling through his belts. There was something…manic about him. I had no idea what he was doing but I was bloody terrified.”

Tyler squeezed Danny’s hand. He had a sneaking suspicion of what was coming. Part of him wanted to shy away from it but he knew that Danny needed to get whatever memory was plaguing him out.

“He took one and was coming back out. I didn’t want him to catch me spying so I ran back into my room,” Danny continued. “I heard him go crashing down the stairs. My bedroom was part of the extension and over the garage. He was right underneath me.”

“Oh shit, Dan.”

“Something just gripped me, you know,” Danny said. “I knew I had to stop him. Whatever he was doing. I ran down those stairs like a ghost was after me.”

He stopped and wiped his eye with his free hand.

“What happened when you got to the garage?” Tyler asked, softly.

“Dad was stood on a chair just staring at his belt,” Danny replied. “Then he looked up and straight into my eyes. “

Pain etched across Danny’s face. The hubbub of the party outside might as well be a million miles away.

“I didn’t know what to say so I asked him if he wanted to play on the Wii,” Danny continued. “He said yes and he’d be there in a second. We never spoke about it again.”

“Shit, Danny. I…”

“Can’t you understand? I’ve seen what going out on your own can do. I can’t risk it.”

Tyler flung his arms around him.

“Are you awake?”

Tyler opened one eye. He’d forgotten to draw the curtains and a ridiculous amount of sunlight illuminated into the room.

“No,” he replied.