Without You (Sequel (2018))

History Repeating Itself

"And why am I only finding out now that you've kissed ... twice!" Cara exclaims, not faltering her gaze when I shush her fiercely. "Well I'm glad that you both finally cut the crap and got on with it!"

"We didn't get on with anything!" I argue back, rolling my eyes and hoping nobody out in the back garden heard her less than quiet outburst.

Just then, the doorbell buzzes loudly, automatically making me jump. Brushing off her endless questions, I march through the house and pull open the wide wooden door.

"Seriously Tyler? Is that the third time you've forgotten your keys?" I scold him fondly when I open the door to his familiar sheepish face and Josh standing next to him.

"You're so funny," he replies, pulling a sarcastic face and covering my mouth with his hand.

I squirm away giggling before meeting Josh's eyes. It's difficult not to look straight away because it's so obvious that they've lost the same school boy charm that was there last year. Continuing my mindless squabbling with Tyler, I can't help but wonder if I should tell Josh about my phone call from Doctor Forbish regarding someone trying to get into the office under my identity. I've been suppressing the thought that it could have been someone working for Alex but it won't go away. Since he was completely dragged into this whole mess and probably more traumatised than anyone, I feel he should know about any potential threats.

"Josh wait."

I hear it come out of my mouth before I realise I've even spoken.

"Yeah?" He replies, turning to face me in the living room with a small smile once Tyler's disappeared outside the back.

"Well ... it's probably nothing but ..."

"What's wrong?" He insists with immediate concern, coming over to me and squeezing my shoulder gently.

"I got a phone call the other day from my therapist ... apparently someone tried to get into her office the other day. Someone claiming to be me," I wade through the contents of the horrible phone call again. "I don't know who or why but I have a really horrible feeling that it could be - well you know."

"Alex," he doesn't even pause before practically spitting his name out.

"What is it?" I ask, when he turns his head anxiously to check that no one is listening in.

"The one thing that I've not been able to shake since last year ... an eighteen year old guy didn't plan and execute something as big and random as that. So how is he still operating it from jail?" He tells me honestly.

"It's like the police basically told us last year, it's his whole messed up criminal family with his dad as the patriarch," I reply, confused to see where he's going with this.

"Exactly and they couldn't pin anything concrete on his dad because he used his own son for all the dirty work, he only got probation for issues with his taxes," he recites bitterly.

"So he's still pulling all the strings, the only reason Alex probably ever got involved in the first place is because of his bad blood with me," I state, staring blankly at the floor.

"Which worked well because you would also be perfect to torture to punish Mason for not repaying his loan," Josh argues, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "It was like killing two birds with one stone."

"So his dad is still controlling all of this, I don't think anyone believed for a second that Alex was solely in charge of the operation."

I can feel that sickening dread slowly filling up my stomach as I realise that I never thought that Alex's family might not be done with us yet.