Hidebound

Chapter SixtyOne

Its been a week since Ace Pollar unexpectedly showed up at Hex's place of work.

Hex had been tense and wary of going to work the next day but it lessened with each day Ace hadn't shown his face.

That wasn't the only change in Hex though. He had become overprotective, much more than usual. Almost suffocatingly.

To the point that every time I left the house, he would come too. Even if I had been quiet for too long while I did random things around the house he would call out and ask if I'm okay.

I know in my soul that Ace had said something to him that had caused him to behave like this.

Hex wouldn't have blown up the way he did if Ace had just shown his face, he must have said something and it must have had something to do with me.

And that's why I had been allowing him to do whatever he needed to soothe the worry and anxiety he's feeling. Besides, it makes me feel safer even if he is overbearing at times.

"How are you feeling today?" Sarah asks as she stands next to me, her much shorter legs only allowing her head to reach my chin.

I don't miss the roll of Harley's eyes. She had obviously worked out that I wasn't actually sick yesterday.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Feeling much better" I smile at her as Harley turns to look at me from behind Sarah.

"Your brother came in yesterday looking for you" Sarah exclaims innocently. I don't look up as I dry a glass but I pause in my actions. My shoulders rise to my ears and anxiety crawls up my neck, strangling me and making my mind foggy.

"My brother?" I clarify.

"Yeah" Sarah grins at me but it slowly slips off when she looks at me and sees my bleached face. "Are you okay? Maybe you're not feeling better" she grabs my forearm with concern.

"Poppy doesn't have a brother, Sarah" Harley walks towards us, crowding us and lowering her voice.

Instead of feeling claustrophobic, the small circle we form makes me feel safer.

"W-what do you mean? He knew your name? He came in here asking for you" her words send a shiver down my back. I'm pretty certain I know who she's talking about.

"Wh-"

"Did he walk with a limp? Arm in a sling?" I cut off Harley and bring Sarah's attention back to me.

"Y-yeah" her voice is full of confusion and somewhat concern, wondering what she had done wrong. "What's going on?" She asks, her voice trembling as she confirms my suspicions that Ace had shown his face at Darby's yesterday. He must have come here before he went to the mechanic shop.

I ignore Sarah and look at Harley. She looks confused too; I guess she hadn't heard about Ace's injuries.

"Ace Pollar" I mumble and side eye Kevin as he sits a couple of meters away at a table by himself. I don't know if he's seen Ace since Amos died but I don't want him to overhear us talking about him. He still thinks they're friends.

"Ace was here?" Harley's eyebrows draw together aggressively as she looks around Darby's, double checking that Ace isn't here now since she hadn't noticed him yesterday.

"Did he say his name?" I ask Sarah but she looks bewildered, her mouth open but no words escape as she shakes her head, no.

"W-we can check the cameras?" Sarah suggests. Her face is falling further into concern, guilt and also confusion.

I nod. "Don't worry about it Sarah; its not your fault. He just has a problem" I don't inform her that the problem is Hex and neither does Harley.

My reassurance does little to wipe the worry from her face.