Dealing with the Past Read Online Free PDF Page A

anything clearly while his head was still in so much turmoil. Once the sun had set, he'd headed straight to the cemetery to await his first client for the night.
    He'd raised four people that night and was exhausted. There was nothing special at all about the people or the reasons behind them being raised. Most of the exciting cases went to Jayden these days. Jackson was still a little miffed that his youngest brother had way more power than him but he was slowly dealing with it. He knew it wasn't Jayden's fault and his brother had never once flaunted his power over Jackson or any of their other siblings—god knows he probably deserved it. For Jayden's tact and humility, Jackson would be eternally grateful.
    Jackson closed and locked the door behind him before walking down the passageway in the dark. He knew where everything was and just couldn't be bothered switching on a light for that little walk. Once he arrived in the living area, Jackson kicked off his shoes, emptied his pockets of his wallet, keys, and phone, then placed them all in the bowl sitting on the kitchen bench. He'd learnt long ago that if he put his stuff in the same place every time then he wouldn't ever lose it and end up running around looking like a chook with its head cut off trying desperately to find his items.
    As exhausted as Jackson was, he honestly didn't think he would be able to sleep. Aiden and the blowup at the office weighed heavily on his mind. Instead of crawling into bed like he should, Jackson walked into the kitchen and flicked on the light. He filled a short glass with a couple of fingers of good scotch and dropped a few ice cubes into it. Glass in hand, Jackson slowly made his way to the white leather couch and collapsed down, careful not to spill his drink.
    Jackson swirled the amber liquid around the glass a couple of times before swallowing a large mouthful. The scotch burned on its way down but Jackson ignored it in favour of taking another drink, finishing it. He slouched back and rested his head against the back of the chair, closing his eyes. Immediately, the hurt, angry face of Aiden Montgomery flashed behind his closed lids. The man's stunning hazel-green eyes seemed to shimmer behind unshed tears.
    "Shit!" Jackson exclaimed aloud. "Why can't I remember you?" Suddenly something Aiden said came back to him. "What did he mean by stooping to my level?" Jackson mused.
    He might be a bit of an ass but he wasn't a violent person, never really had been. There were a couple of years in high school where it really could have gone either way but luckily his brothers had caught him with some other guys while taking turns ragging on an eighth grader and told his mother what Jackson had been getting up to.
    He never wanted to sit through another lecture like that from his mother. The one he and his siblings had gotten earlier this year was nothing compared to the absolute tongue lashing he had received at the end of tenth grade. His parents were so horrified with his actions and concerned about his path, they had transferred him to another school for his final two years. They didn't want Daniel influencing Jackson any more than the boy already had, and decided Jackson needed to learn to stand up for himself and others. Jackson had spent his final two years of school at Casuarina Seniors College and had enjoyed his time there more than the previous years at Dripstone High.
    Jackson had never told them how thankful he'd been that they loved him enough to step in and put their foot down. He really hadn't liked the person he was becoming by hanging out with his so-called friends. He carried around regrets from back then, so that's why the problems with Jayden smarted so much.
    Jackson had just sort of fallen into their little group when he was fourteen and they'd all signed up to be on the footy team. Things started off okay. They all got along together well, even if Jackson didn't agree with some of Daniel's views; he just kept his mouth shut