31 Days of Winter Read Online Free PDF Page B

half an hour back and a max half hour before
he realises we’ve played him. So you’ve less than an hour and a half. Let’s
move it.’
    I felt sick as I put the key in the lock and the
visual of him fucking the rear of the 69 played out in my mind. Brooke snapped
me out of it with a shove to the shoulder and we stepped inside. The kitchen
island was littered with empty bottles and yet more traces of coke. I tried not
to imagine the scenario of him getting drunk and drugged up, alone in a world
of hurt, or of him having a load of prostitutes around and partying to get out
his frustrations, neither were filling me with joy. I didn’t even hate him
right now, that was what was so odd, I felt kind of sorry for him. Yes he’d
been an arsehole, but what world had I been living in to be so oblivious that
he was drowning? I got my large case out of the spare room and Brooke and I
went to work packing up all of my jewellery, the rest of my toiletries and
perfume. She’d brought her case with her as well, luckily I’d still got the
rack on the back of my car to take a second case or we wouldn’t have been
fleeing with much given the size of my boot. We didn’t have anywhere near
enough room for all of my clothes, shoes and handbags, and picking which things
I was going to have to leave behind from my treasured collection was more
painful than when I’d walked out of here on Friday afternoon.
    ‘How many other cases do you have?’ Brooke asked
as she sat on the one while I zipped it up.
    ‘Zac has a huge one, a medium like mine and a
small overnight one, but none of them will fit in the car Brooke, and we won’t
have time to go to yours and come back.’
    ‘How about we fill them with the rest of your
stuff and ask Mike downstairs to look after them? If you leave me your car
while you’re away I can come and get them without Zac knowing.’
    ‘You wouldn’t mind?’
    ‘Would I mind having Maisie for a month? Hell no.’
A wide smile played across her face, she couldn’t afford to run her own car and
loved it when I let her drive Maisie.
    ‘Fine, but we need to know if Mike’s in and if
he’s prepared to do it first.’
    ‘O he’ll do it, he’s always had the hots for you,
babe. I’ll go and ask and play up the “hurt girlfriend’s too distraught to come
and ask you, or to face Zac again.” Trust me, it’s a done deal.’ She left me to
grab the spare cases and start packing those and I gasped as I opened the one
and found a stash of coke in cellophane. It was more than a few snorts, this
was serious days’ worth of binge stocks. I heard the new ring tone for Zac
blasting out in the lounge so I picked it up and took a deep breath.
    ‘Zac.’
    ‘El, I’m getting worried. You’re ten minutes late
and you don’t do late.’
    ‘Sorry, traffic was terrible and I’m having
trouble parking, should be there in about another ten,’ I lied with a cringe. I
didn’t do lies as a general rule, but I really didn’t want to see him.
    ‘I’m so glad you want to meet, I’ve been in hell
since you walked out.’
    ‘What have you been doing?’ I asked, to see if
he’d lie back to me.
    ‘Just sitting at home waiting for you to call.’
    ‘No wild parties or more drugs then?’
    ‘No. The drugs were a slip, it’s not like I’ve got
a problem, El.’ Lie one.
    ‘So you can stay off them for good?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘You haven’t kept any for future use?’
    ‘No, of course not,’ he uttered. Lie two.
    ‘And the prostitutes?’
    ‘I’ve been stupid El, it won’t happen again.’
    ‘How did you pay for them all? The prostitutes and
drugs?’ I knew I didn’t imagine the hesitation in his response.
    ‘My own salary.’
    ‘You haven’t touched our savings have you?’
    ‘How could you ask me that?’ he uttered
indignantly. I closed my eyes and shook my head, that was as good as lie three. Three strikes and you’re out Zac Foster , I thought. ‘El, are you still
there?’
    ‘Yes,’ I