Page 34 of Callous Shot

Daniel Hoyton—unfortunately not an unwanted figment of my imagination, but real and alive and in my uncle’s lounge—was sprawled out on the sofa as if he had every right to be there. His gaze was fixed on the TV, where Zelda was currently paused. What the hell was happening here?

My gaze dragged up his body, pausing on his thighs as I took in the way his muscles were flexing in his dark jeans. He wasn’t as relaxed as he was pretending to be. I completed my perusal, not finding anything out of the ordinary. Injured. That was obviously a lie. He looked like his usual infuriating self.

Tilting his head, he tugged his plush bottom lip between his teeth as he studied the screen intently. “So I’m supposed to be like the baddie in this game?”

Tilly, who was snuggled up on the sofa next to my most hated rival without a care in the world, nodded emphatically as she waved the Switch controller in the air. “Yep. That’s what Link says. Did you know that Link spells his name with a K because I asked him to, because of Link in Zelda?”

Daniel’s lips kicked up at the corners, and my heart beat faster. “I didn’t know that, no. So he thinks I’m like this Canon guy, huh?”

“Not Canon. Ganon.” She laughed, and I found my own lips lifting into an involuntary smile.

“Hmm. Ganon must be very handsome. And I bet he’s very clever and cunning, just like I am.”

“He always gets beaten in the end,” she informed him matter-of-factly, and I heard Mike snort from the wingback chair, out of my line of vision.

Daniel hummed, unconvinced, but he dropped the subject, his eyes flicking to the top corner of the screen. “Hey, I recognise those heart things. Your cousin has a tattoo⁠—”

“Yeah. Heart containers,” she interrupted. “Can you do braids?”

Daniel blinked several times at the seemingly random change of subject, and I held my breath. If he⁠—

“Can I do braids…” he repeated slowly before relaxing his shoulders into the ancient sofa. I gritted my teeth when he flashed her a bright grin, full of his usual egotistical confidence. “I happen to be an expert. Some have even called me the best in the Cotswolds.”

Tilly rolled her eyes, and I breathed out. At least she wasn’t completely buying into his bullshit. “Prove it. I want my hair like that, but Dad doesn’t know how to do them properly.” Shooting him a challenging look, she jabbed her controller in the direction of the screen, where Princess Zelda was currently frozen.

“Uh…” His gaze darted towards where I knew Mike was sitting. “I can try, if your dad says it’s okay.”

“Go ahead.”

I could hear the rumble of amusement in my uncle’s tone. What fucked-up alternative reality was I living in? Had Mike forgotten that Daniel was a Hoyton? Had he forgotten our animosity? I took a step forward but stopped dead when Daniel spoke again, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it.

“Can you show me any close-up photos? I wanna make sure I’m doing it right.”

I rubbed at my chest, unable to look away as their heads bent over Tilly’s tablet, swiping through a series of photos. Eventually, Daniel raised his head, giving my cousin a decisive nod. “Alright. I think I’ve got it. Let’s try it.”

There was a creak, and I jumped back just in time before my uncle appeared in the doorway. He shot me a knowing look. “Been here a while?”

“I just got here,” I snapped back, and he snorted under his breath. Following him to the kitchen, I rounded on him as soon as we were out of earshot of the lounge. “What the hell is Daniel fucking Hoyton doing here?”

“Keep your voice down,” he cautioned. “I don’t know…yet. He claimed he was looking for you. Know anything about that?”

“No.”

“One thing I can tell you is that he had no idea this was my house. His face when he saw me standing there… I’ve never seen anyone go so ghostly white.”

My stomach twisted. “I have no idea why he’d be looking for me, unless he’s got another note to pass on. You know we avoid each other outside of those situations, unless we’re forced into the same location by circumstances outside our control. I heard he was injured, anyway, so I don’t know what he’s doing here. How did he even get here? I didn’t see another car, so what did he do? Hitch a lift?”

“All good questions,” Mike mused, flipping the switch on the kettle to turn it on. “Tea?”

“Tea? Got anything stronger?”

“Not while Tilly’s up. You can have tea, water, or squash.”

“Tea, then,” I muttered. A sudden thought struck me, and I shoved at my uncle. “You fucking left Tilly in there on her own with him!”

“Why don’t you go and check on them,” he suggested calmly, and I growled under my breath, spinning on my heel and stalking back down the hallway to the lounge.

I burst through the doorway, angry words ready to spill from my lips.