Page 74 of The Other Side of Green

“But you spoke to police when you came home.” Lyra’s fingers shook against her skin.

“It’s okay, ma’am, it’s just formality.”

All three of us stared at the bag of evidence in his hand and I could only wonder what the formality was for, because it all seemed pretty fucking damning to me.

Chapter Eighteen

Lyra

“Oh my god, Luca.” I clutched his arm, a sharp stab in my stomach making me wince as Jack was strapped into the front seat of Ruth’s boyfriend’s cop car. His gaze didn’t lift to look at me and it stung down deep in my bones. “What’s going on?”

Luca held on to me, pulling me up. “I don’t know. Where the hell did he get that hoodie?”

“I gave it to him, earlier. I told him we’d hurt him enough and that he should have it.”

“Lyra! That wasn’t for you to do.”

I pulled out of his hold and then slammed my hands against his chest for good measure. “You did this. You.”

“Keep your voice down,” he hissed, pulling me back to the car. I turned, finding Ruth watching. I wanted to break free to go to speak to her, but what would I say? Her face, pale and wan, stared at me with stony depths and I knew talking to her right now might not be a great idea. She knew something; hell maybe she always had. Funny I’d never thought about that before. Back when I’d lived in innocence and hadn’t known it was my own brother who had stabbed Tomàs Cross multiple times. I’d just wanted to convince her it wasn’t Jack. God, I was so stupid.

“Buckle up,” Luca growled.

I stuck my tongue out; totally mature.

“Seriously, Lyra, what the hell were you thinking?”

“Ooh no, no, no, no. You don’t get to turn this on me. Every single thing that has happened, everything is all down on you.”

His fingers tightened on the wheel, but he answered with silence.

Taking the opportunity, I launched off.

“Don’t you see this, Luca? This is all you. You kept a secret, not just from me but from Jack. You’ve known Mom’s wild claims since I was nothing more than a baby. Yes, you’ve never told a soul. Why? Why wouldn’t you?”

Silence again. Wow, and usually he had so much hot air coming out of his mouth it was suffocating.

Perfect for me though.

“None of this would have happened. I mean, you know Mom’s a drug addict, right? Who knows why she was shouting over the fence that day. The woman isn’t stable.

“I know what I heard, Lyra.”

“I don’t give a shit what you heard. You should have told me, told us.”

“Watch your mouth.”

“No, Luca! I’m eighteen for God’s sake.”

“Yeah, and you’re my baby sister.”

“So?” I turned in the seat to stare at him as he glared through the windshield. “Oh my god, this is what it’s all been about hasn’t it? Are you jealous of Jack?”

Luca’s lips crimped into a firm line. “No.”

“You are! Is this why you never told us? Why you did what you did that night?”

His eyes narrowed at an unwitting bystander as we flew past. “Well, it was pathetic really. The way you worshiped him, always watching him, looking for him, thinking I couldn’t see.”