Music and Lies (George and Finn Book 1) by Gill-Marie Stewart Read Free Book Online

still. I didn’t understand all of that, but I definitely didn’t want them to realise they’d been overheard. For an awful moment I thought Dex might recognise my tent and come to find me in there, but someone called him and his footsteps headed away.
    Only then did I unzip the tent and peer out.
    At first I couldn’t see which way Cami had gone. Then I spotted his slight frame heading over the wooden bridge. And, as I watched, I saw a slim, tall figure that could only be Finn cross the bridge a little behind him, moving in that fluid way he had. They both turned left and were hidden from view.
     

 
     
    Chapter Eight
     
     
    FINN
    I reckoned if I hung about the campervan section whenever Dex wasn’t around, I’d get a chance to talk to Beck. It didn’t work too well at first, but it did mean I could keep an eye on whether Cami was there. And found he was spending more time with Dex Barker than was sensible. Not that Cami was ever sensible, but I thought Marcus was different these days. Why didn’t he say something? If I’d thought it would do any good, I might have said something myself.
    I wasn’t going to get involved with what bloody Dex Barker was doing, but I couldn’t help looking out for Beck. And Cami, little shit that he was. It certainly wouldn’t do any harm knowing what Cami was up to.
    The first couple of days Beck had seemed really spaced. That wasn’t good. But on Tuesday she looked better. She actually called out when I was wandering past, invited me in for a chat. She must have been pretty sure Dex was far away if she did that.
    ‘I wondered if you’d help me with George,’ she said, coming to the point immediately. She was certainly switched on today. Or maybe she was worried about Dex returning, and keen to get the conversation over.
    I wanted to talk about her, try and find out how she really was. But I made myself say, ‘Your sister? Aye, I suppose I could.’
    Since the evening we’d met in the forest, I’d kept my distance. George was sweet, but nosy, and so naive.
    ‘She needs some food,’ said Beck. ‘She needs someone to show her the way to the village. Could you do that?’
    ‘I could.’ I’d been there a couple of times now. ‘But why don’t you go with her?’ It would do Beck good to get out.
    ‘No, no. I couldn’t. Dex wouldn’t like it.’ She sounded quite panicked.
    I hated to see her like that. ‘You don’t have to do what Dex wants all the time.’ I tried to keep my voice calm. ‘Surely it’s up to you what you do?’
    She paused and seemed to actually consider the words, puzzling them over. ‘Well …’ she said doubtfully.
    And then she froze. There were voices in the distance. Two or three people arguing. One of them was Dex. Bugger. Obviously he hadn’t gone so far away, or for as long, as Beck had thought.
    ‘I think you’d better go,’ she said frantically.
    I’d already stood up. The last thing I wanted was to cause her hassle. ‘I’ll head back to my tent. You know, if you wanted you could come and visit me, or George, over there …?’
    She smiled faintly but said nothing, just chewed her lip and practically pushed me out of the door.
    I managed to slip round the corner before Dex came into sight.
    Why didn’t Beck stand up to the bastard? Or, better still, walk out on him? But it seemed she wouldn’t, or couldn’t. At least, not yet. It looked like the only way to help was to do what she asked, and seek out her little sister.
    And if I was going to do it, I might as well get it over with and do it now. I headed straight for George’s tent and called out her name. I’d half hoped she wouldn’t be there, but there was some rustling and then, ‘Finn? Er, hi. Hang on a sec.’
    After a moment, she undid the zip and peered out. ‘Do you want to come in?’
    I looked inside, wondering what had delayed her. The sleeping bag was rucked up like something had been pushed underneath it. Books, from the shapes.
    ‘I’m going to walk