This was his idea. He had to come up. No way would Kelly talk to Finn alone.
‘What? Why not?’
‘You two need to work this out yourselves.’
‘No, we need your help.’
Eli just shook his head and gave a sad smile.
‘Can you at least give us a lift to the airport?’
But Eli drove away.
Finn took a deep breath. ‘Fuck,’ he said out loud.
He punched in the security code to her apartment lobby. The door unlocked with a click. He pushed it open and strode inside.
Chapter Forty-two
Kelly stared at the briefcase, all packed up now. It was black and scuffed and indistinguishable from countless others like it. But the contents, that’s where the treasure lay. The contents that were now locked away and would never be accessible to her again. Tradition dictated that she would hand it to the most promising trainee who was sitting their exam next year. But she didn’t have that in her. Maybe she’d just drop it off at Eli’s and let him make the call.
She touched its smooth, leather surface. Cool on her fingertips. She couldn’t take her hand away, as if doing so would be the final capitulation. The final acknowledgement that it was all over.
There was a knock at the door. Kelly sighed. It would be one of her parents or her brother; they were the only ones who knew the code to get in through the lobby and up in the lift. Them and—
Finn.
He was standing there looking sheepish when she opened the door. Kelly was so shocked to see him that she didn’t speak. Despite all the anger against him that immediately burned within her at the sight of his face, she felt a deep longing to reach out and hold him. To have him hold her.
‘Hello, Kelly,’ he said.
‘Hi, Finn.’
‘Can I come in?’
Kelly pushed open the door and Finn brushed past her. Their skin touched. She smelled him; musky, familiar.
Finn paced the room. It was obvious he was high. That pissed her off. She’d made it clear she didn’t want to see him while he was using. But she didn’t have the willpower to vent her anger.
‘What do you want, Finn?’
‘Eli came to see me. He told me you’re not sitting your exam tomorrow.’
‘I’m not.’
‘You have to.’
‘Please, Finn. I don’t have the energy for this.’
Finn stopped pacing. He looked at her as though he could see right into the very core of her being. His eyes were full of pain, his mouth heavy with anguish.
‘Please, Kelly, you have to do this.’ His voice was raspy.
Kelly was sick of being told what she had to do. ‘Why can’t anyone understand that there’s no point? When that video comes out, I’m finished. The Society won’t accredit me and I won’t be able to work. It’s over for me, Finn.’
‘It’s never over, Kel.’
‘Look, I get it. You feel bad about the cafe thing and you don’t want this on your conscience. But it’s not your fault. If it hadn’t been the cafe, it would have been something else. I’m a fucking time bomb. We all know that.’
