Page 42 of Yours on the Canvas

“Jack,” the voice says again.

Silas.

My head turns to him, but I don’t really see him, not fully, not through the fog choking my vision.

I look back at my father just as his head turns toward Silas.

“Can I help you?” My dad says, his voice slick, like oil.

Silas doesn’t answer. He just watches him, deathly silent, and I see the exact second he recognises a threat. His eyes snap back to me.

“Jack? You good?” he asks.

I don’t speak, I can’t. I’m fighting just to stay upright, trying with every fibre in my body to keep from collapsing into a sobbing mess on the floor. So I hold onto the only thing keeping me standing right now: Silas.

Silently, I plead with him to see what’s happening. To see the fear in my eyes, and I watch his body change the moment he does.

He turns to my father, his voice quiet, deadly. Dangerous.

“I think you need to leave.”

My dad watches Silas, assessing him. His eyes move down Silas’ body, then back up to his face, and Silas’ gaze shifts slightly to the men behind my father.

My father’s smug smile falters for a fraction of a second, his eyes darting as he realises the space around him has quietly narrowed. Deck and CJ have flanked my father, boxing him in with a heavy, deliberate, and entirely unyielding presence.

A cold wave of dread washes over me as the full weight of my uncle and father being in Campbell River crashes down. They have brought their war to my doorstep, thinking they hold all the cards, completely blind to the fact that they’ve just walked straight into a lion’s den—and I’m the one trapped right in the middle of it.

Dad clearly decides to not fight today, and he stands, adjusting his jacket, and his eyes meet mine. He taps a finger on the counter. “It was good to see you, son.”

He turns to leave, but Silas blocks his path. Silas remains silent as he straightens to his full height, towering over my father, who looks between the three men.

Silas stares at my dad, not saying a word. His body is locked in on the threat, my father. His silence speaks louder than anything he could say. Silas has gone from concerned to lethal, to the predator, and he hasn’t even spoken a word.

Then I hear CJ scoff.

I watch him step up to my dad, and he leans down, his voice low and final.

“Stay the fuck away from him.” There’s no room for argument in his tone.

My dad lets out a bark of laughter, pushes his way through Silas and Deck, and moves toward the door. He turns back, and the words he leaves me with knock the air out of my lungs.

“I’ll see you again, Jackie.” He smiles at me and walks out the door.

Me.

I collapse to the floor.

10

Silas

CJ was in front of me when we walked through the café door, and when he stops short I slam into his back. He grunts as my weight shoves him forward.

“Jesus, fucker, watch where you stop,” I say, frustration sharp in my tone.

I want to see Jack. After our argument this morning, I need to see him. It had been bugging me since he left, and it had upset Hale, which wasn’t good. That boy needed stability

CJ turns and looks over his shoulder at me, raising an eyebrow. “Really?”