Hidebound

Chapter FiftyNine

"Bye mum!" I call while I open my car door as she watches me from her front door. She says goodbye back and closes the door.

I turn my car on but before I can pull out onto the road, my phone rings. I have to dig through my bag to find it and answer it just as it gets to the final ring.

"Hi Hex" I smile as I say his name. I hold the phone between my shoulder and ear as I find a radio station that's playing music instead of adverts.

"Uh, it's uh, Clyde" I stop fiddling with the radio immediately. My heart dropping into my ass.

"Oh, hello Clyde. Where's Hex?" I ask. I keep my voice stable and calm even though my heart rate starts to rise. Has Hex hurt himself? Why else would Clyde have his phone?

"Don't stress darl, he's fine but you're going to have to come pick him up" my heart calms only slightly but there's still something wrong. I can feel it.

"Okay" I breathe "Okay, I'm on my way" I put the car in drive and stay on the phone, something I don't ever do.

"Fuck off!" I hear in the background, my ears recognising the voice immediately as Hex's.

"Clyde, what's going on" I demand, my voice strong and my eyebrows furrowing on my forehead.

"Some guy walked in here, I don't know if Hex knows him or what, but it set him off" I look at the time and see that it's close to the time Hex usually finishes work.

A random guy walked into the mechanic shop and pissed Hex off?

Hex isn't close to many people and he wouldn't let just anyone get beneath his skin like that; so he has to know him.

Unless it's a Pollar. But it can't be; Alex and Amos are dead and Ace is injured from the car crash.

I hadn't even realised that Clyde had hung up the phone and I had continued holding it to my ear with no one on the other end. I throw the phone onto the passenger seat.

I can see the mechanic shop coming up on my left and Hex's car is parked just outside the gates.

I don't know if I'm allowed to park in the mechanic shop driveway and possibly block cars from coming and going but I do it anyway. Hex is standing at the entrance of the garage with his hands in his hair; a clear sign that he's pissed off beyond belief.

Clyde stands off to his right with his arms crossed over his chest, watching Hex closely. Other mechanic's watch while they work on cars in the garage but don't get involved.

He seems so wrapped up in his head that he doesn't even notice my car or feel the pull towards me that I know his brand is inflicting.

Clyde sees me though and breaks Hex out of his head by pointing at my car. He sees me and doesn't bother saying goodbye to anyone or grabbing the lunchbox he had walked out the door with this morning.

His eyes are dead set on my car, not looking anywhere else.

I turn my head to look to my right and take a deep breath, preparing for what I'm about to hear when he enters the car. But something catches my attention; a guy walking with his back to me, his arm appears to be in a sling and he walks with a limp. My heart catches in my throat.

And when he turns his head to look back, it confirms it; it had been Ace Pollar that had pissed off Hex and walked into the mechanic shop.

I pull my gaze away when the passenger door is ripped open and slammed shut far too harshly as Hex takes a seat, the car rocking with the force.

He's silent but puffs out breathes of frustration and firmly grips the handle above the door. I don't think he realises Ace is just down the street and I think we should leave before he sees him.