“The feds,” Asa said. “Everything else is squared away, but if the police pick you up, you’re going back in the nick, mate, and your brother will skin me alive.”
That gave Dante pause. He stopped struggling and fixed Asa with a fierce glare. “Luis wouldn’t give a shit if I went back inside. He’s done with me.”
“Sure about that?”
Dante coughed, wincing at the throb in his battered ribs. “Unless you know something I don’t about what goes on in my brother’s head, then yeah, I’m pretty fucking sure.”
“You shouldn’t be.”
“I—” A car drove past. Dante flinched and wrenched his arm free of Asa’s punishing grip. “Look, just let me go, okay? I did what you wanted.”
“I know, that’s why I’m telling you not to be so sure that your baby bro doesn’t give a fuck.” Asa reached into his pocket and retrieved two phones, one smashed to bits—mine, you fucking bastard—the other looking fresh out of the box.
Asa tucked the broken phone into Dante’s pocket and held the other up. “I didn’t tell a fucking soul I was gonna take you, but somehow it reached Luis anyway. He’s been blowing up my phone since teatime, telling me he’s gonna kill me if I hurt you. Remember that next time you’re so sure he doesn’t care.”
Dante heard the words, but they didn’t seem real. Swaying, he pictured them floating over his head. “I need to go home.”
“Come on then,” Asa said. “I’ll take you.”
“No.”
Dante was so tired he could hardly raise his head, but he couldn’t get in Asa’s car. They were done with each other forever, fromright now. They had to be, or he wouldn’t make it.
He stepped away from Asa.
Again, Asa stopped him and pulled him back. “At least get cleaned up first. The feds will pull you for sure if they see you bowling about with claret all over you. Wait here.”
Asa disappeared. It was Dante’s window to escape, but like the idiot he was, he stayed rooted to the spot until Asa came back with a roll of blue paper and a bottle of water.
He cleaned the blood from Dante’s face and held the damp tissue paper to Dante’s eyebrow, stemming the bleeding until it stopped. “Don’t touch it,” he said. “Or it’ll kick off again.”
Dante said nothing, too tired to speak. He watched Asa stuff the stained paper in his pocket, then tracked the water bottle as Asa held it out.
“Fuck’s sake.” Asa pressed it into Dante’s hand. “Here’s some cash for the train. Don’t forget to buy a ticket.”
“What?”
“The train,” Asa repeated. “I’m guessing that’s where you’re headed, but you need to run. You’ve got forty minutes to get to Euston before the last train leaves.”
Perspective returned to Dante in a stumbling rush. He opened the water bottle with trembling hands and tipped the contents down his throat. The cold water woke him up. He dropped the empty bottle and staggered back.
Asa caught him again. “I know you fucking hate me, and I don’t blame you, but before you cut me dead, at least let me drive you to a train station.”
“No.”
“Yes. You’re not gonna make it on your own.”
In his head, Dante pushed Asa away. Shoved him to the ground and stamped on his head. But as common sense kicked in, the sickening realisation that Asa was right kicked him in the dick. The night was marching on. If Dante wanted to make the last train north, he needed Asa’s help.
He scrubbed his hands down his face with a heavy sigh. “Whatever, man. Just don’t kill me on the way.”
Asa leered. “Guess you’re gonna have to trust me on that.”
“Why the ever-loving fuck would I trust you?”
Asa said nothing.
Dante sighed again and remembered something Fen had once said to him in prison.“Who another man is doesn’t change who you are. Be better because you want to be.”