Sharks - Matt Rogers (classic books for 11 year olds txt) 📗

up to fill the void, but Slater was comfortable in the void.

Finally she said, ‘You should be a shrink, Will.’

‘I’ve had a few people tell me that.’

‘You’ve struggled with your own demons, haven’t you?’

He paused. ‘What makes you say that?’

‘You don’t know so much about the core of this stuff unless you’ve dealt with it first-hand.’

‘I’m an addict,’ he said. ‘You’re right. You should be a shrink yourself.’

‘What are you addicted to?’

‘Currently: not a whole lot. Previously: alcohol, drugs, women, gambling, danger.’

‘I’d say you’re still addicted to danger.’

He thought it over. ‘Maybe.’

‘My husband is not an addict,’ Lyla said. ‘If you’re going to believe anything I tell you, believe that. For thirty years he never fell off the deep end in any area of his life. Not once, not even close. I don’t think it was lying dormant inside him this whole time. I think he made a mistake and was too foolish to see that trying to fix it was only making it worse. And now our life savings are gone and we can’t pay the debt. I work in Customer Service for one of the maid cleaning services on the island — my salary’s nowhere near enough to pay what we owe. And you’ve seen where Teddy works. We’re in a hole we can’t get out of. It’s a nightmare.’

‘Is that how you really feel?’

‘Of course.’

‘Then drop it, Lyla,’ Slater said. ‘Drop the act. You don’t have to put on a mask for me. I know you were raised to be self-sufficient, but right now I want you to be vulnerable. Tell me what you want. Don’t hide anything. Please.’

Tears welled in her eyes.

She thought it over.

Then she said, ‘I love Teddy. I hate what he did, but I love the man. We need your help. Please.’

Slater said, ‘Wipe your eyes and we’ll go back in. That’s all I needed to hear.’

‘What are you going to do?’

Slater stood up. ‘It’s best we end this conversation here. For deniability.’

He ushered her out of the study.

But before he left, he turned and put a hand on her shoulder. ‘If you keep your mind strong, this will make you stronger.’

She looked at him funny.

How could he get it across without sounding preachy?

He knew better than anyone — the light means nothing if you don’t go through the dark first.

He said nothing more and led her out.

39

When Lyla and Slater stepped back into the living room, King found himself unnaturally heated.

They’d been embroiled in a back-and-forth for the better part of ten minutes.

Teddy said, ‘I wasn’t thinking.’

‘That’s not good enough,’ King said. ‘That’s the oldest excuse in the book.’

‘Well, it’s the truth.’

‘Is it going to happen again?’

Teddy rolled his eyes. ‘Leave it. Your friend already hammered that point in the car. I mean, seriously? I never asked for you two to follow me home. I don’t need abuse.’

‘And yet, here we are. Is it going to happen again, Teddy?’

‘I told you!’

‘I want to hear you say it to me. Not to Slater.’

‘It’s none of your business!’

‘Do you want our help or not?’

‘No!’

‘I’ll never understand addiction,’ King said, shaking his head.

Teddy pointed an accusatory finger. ‘You think you’re better than everyone, you piece of—’

Slater stepped between them, and Lyla stayed back.

Slater said, ‘Let’s cool it, hey?’

Teddy said, ‘I want you two out of my house. I’ll figure this out on my own.’

‘And how’s that been working out for you?’ Slater said.

‘None of your concern.’

Slater said, ‘But it’s your wife’s concern. I don’t care if you fall on your own sword, but I do care if you take this woman with you.’

Teddy reeled, shocked that Slater would dare to drive a wedge between such a happily married, unified couple.

Slater said, ‘You want it in plain English?’

Teddy said, ‘Sure.’

‘Sit down and shut up. You don’t call the shots anymore.’

Teddy froze, his jaw practically swinging on hinges.

Lyla looked uncomfortable, but made no move to reprimand Slater.

King said, ‘You thought I was angry, Teddy? You haven’t seen anger.’

Teddy sat down, suddenly intimidated, like the reality of the situation had hit him with all the restraint of a baseball bat to the chest. Then he put his head in his hands and cried.

Slater said, ‘I feel sorry for you. I think you’re a good man. I wouldn’t be angry if I didn’t care about you.’ He turned to Lyla. ‘Or you.’

She said, ‘We just need a way out of this mess.’

‘We’ll work on it,’ Slater said. ‘In the meantime, stay put. When’s your next payment due?’

Through sobs, Teddy said, ‘Vince will come harass me tomorrow.’

‘Maybe not,’ King said. ‘Depends what we do before then.’

Lyla laid a hand on Slater’s forearm.

He turned to her.

‘Please,’ she said. ‘Don’t put us in more danger than we’re already in.’

‘That’s not our style.’

‘I saw your eyes. I know how angry you can get. Don’t do anything you might regret.’

‘I have,’ Slater said.

She cocked her head.

‘I’ve done so many things I regret. A long time ago. Not anymore.’

King said, ‘Lyla.’

She looked over.

‘You can trust him,’ King said. ‘I can vouch for him. With my life.’

‘Can I trust you?’

‘Yes.’

She believed him. She took her hand off Slater’s arm and nodded to both of them. ‘Thank you both.’

‘We haven’t done anything yet.’

‘I consider myself a good judge of character,’ she said.

She cast her eyes around the home she loved, looked at the man she loved.

She said to them, ‘You know the stakes, right?’

They nodded.

‘Caleb has seen things he shouldn’t have seen,’ she said. ‘Back home in England. We took him in to give him a stable childhood. He doesn’t know anything about our situation. If this escalates…’

‘It won’t,’ Slater said.

He’d never meant two words more.

She nodded to both of them.

They made for the door. On the way past the sofa, Slater laid a hand on Teddy’s frail shoulder, and the old man took his face out of his palms.

Slater said, ‘It was a mistake what you did. You’re a good man.’

Teddy smiled at him.

There were infinite emotions in his eyes.

He and King went through the