Page 70 of Twisted Heathens
“What are you two doing out here? It’s your father’s birthday, least you can do is join in. And is that smoke I smell? Bloody kids… if I find out—”
“Mum,” I interrupt, “we were just catching up, okay? Calm down.”
“Well, get back in there and spend some time with your cousins. I’ll be serving dessert soon anyway.” She gestures for Cece to go, but lays a hand on my arm to stop me before I can escape too. “Not you. We need to have a chat.”
Great. The universal words of guaranteed doom.
“Sure. Lead the way.” I sigh.
She guides me through the grand reception area, past rows of priceless artwork and delicate china vases. Raucous laughter and the clinking of glasses rings out from the formal dining area as we pass, but she keeps silent until we reach my father’s office. I sink into one of the armchairs and prepare for what I’m sure is bad news.
“How’s Blackwood? Keeping up with your studies okay?”
Avoiding her eyes, I search for some enthusiasm. “Yeah, I guess. It’s not exactly paradise but we make do. You know how Hudson can be.”
Her fingers dance across her throat as she sighs in relief. “Good, good.”
“Mum?”
“Yes dear?” she says absently.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
With a trembling hand, she wipes at her teary eyes. “I’m sorry to do this on your weekend at home, but I couldn’t tell you over the phone.” She takes a shaky breath. “It’s about Hudson, there’s been a new motion filed against him. They are pushing for a court case in the new year to get a conviction this time.”
A heavy weight settles in the pit of my stomach and I swallow hard. “For… conviction? I thought he was off the hook? It was self-defence, you know that. The judge agreed to three years at Blackwood and he walks free. That’s the deal we made.”
Mum shakes her head, fingers worrying the hem of her dress. “That was the initial ruling, to avoid him spending the next year rotting in a jail cell while he awaited trial. But now a witness has come forward with new evidence against him. They can’t justify not proceeding with a prison sentence anymore. Things are a little complex, it’s hard to explain. But don’t worry, we have a plan…”
She rambles on, throwing out names of fancy law firms and extravagant sums of money, but all I can hear is my heartbeat rushing in my ears. It’s like the ground has collapsed beneath me and I’m tumbling in a free fall. Eighteen months of my life, all sacrificed in the name of getting Hudson back on his feet and bringing him home.
Was it all for fucking nothing?
I can’t lose him. Not like this.
“Who’s the witness?” I interrupt her stream of words.
“Look, Kade. I don’t think—”
“Tell me who it is!”
“I didn’t mean to upset you…”
I grab her hand, squeezing it tight as tears fill my own eyes. We’re both verging on a breakdown, faced with the prospect of Hudson’s permanent removal from our lives. Say what you will about my shallow parents, but you can’t fault their love for my adoptive brother. Mum loves the bones of that asshole and has done for the last five years since he joined our family. Even when he broke her heart.
“Please. Who is it? I won’t tell him,” I reason.
She nods decisively. “Give me one.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, boy. I’m your mother, for Christ’s sake. I cleaned your bedroom as a teenager enough times to know what you were up to in there. Now give me a damn cigarette before I lose my mind.”
I reluctantly hand the pack over and light one for her. She leans back, breathing in a lungful and seeming to relax slightly. “Your father would kill me if he saw this.”
I shrug, watching her carefully. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”
We sit in silence for a moment as she enjoys her cigarette. Meanwhile I’m losing my mind, desperately trying to understand what could possibly be gained from sending Hudson down for a crime that wasn’t his fault. The judge agreed that Blackwood was the best solution. Hudson wasn’t in his right mind, he still isn’t. He doesn’t need punishment, he needs help.