Crossing the Line (23 page)
Authors: Gillian Philip
âThat's not fair,' I began.
âYeah. Completely fair. What are you saying, everybody's on their own? If you really think that, Nick â and you don't â then look after yourself. Look after
yourself.
You're not a frigging superhero. You're not starring in your own movie. You couldn't have saved my brother, OK?' She rubbed her eyes with her fist. âYou couldn't look after bloody Aidan on top of everybody else, for God's sake!'
Running out of words, she blinked. I swallowed hard.
âIt wasn't your fault,' she said.
âIt wasn't yours.'
âYeah, but I know it.'
âMe too,' I said. âSeeing as you've explained it all so tenderly.'
âYou big stupid delusional tosser.' Orla took hold of my face. âI love you.'
So fireworks exploded, and the sky lit up, and the crowds applauded and whooped and stamped their feet.
And Orla Mahon kissed me.
I am hugely grateful to my terrific agent, Sarah Molloy, who believed so strongly in this book. I'm also indebted to Hilary Johnson, Julia Williams and Catherine MacPhail, for their enthusiasm and good advice.
Iain Hingston and Simon Liddiard were incredibly patient and generous with advice on court procedure and criminal law. My thanks go to them and also to Mags Neison and Ewen Riddick for medical advice; to Allan Wright, who gave me useful information about the cattle insemination business; to Dorothy Liddle, who helped with the facts of school life; to Michelle Wyllie for showing me the ropes at Aberdeen Sheriff Court; and to Andrew Evans for reading over the manuscript.
A huge thank you to Sarah Odedina at Bloomsbury, and to Isabel Ford and Helen Szirtes for patient and meticulous editing.
Writing is so much easier when you have writing buddies to encourage, give feedback, and make you laugh. Too many to name, but I owe special thanks, to Linda Gillard â she knows why â and to Maggie Craig, Elizabeth Garrett and Christine Richard.
MEET RILEY ROSE: ALL-ROUND REBEL
AND MISFIT-ON-A-MISSION
To order direct from Bloomsbury Publishing visit
www.bloomsbury.com/simmonehowell
or call 020 7440 2475
Also from Bloomsbury
âMy name is Anna and I shouldn't be here.
I shouldn't exist. But I do.'
âOne of the best written books of the year'
Sunday Telegraph
To order direct from Bloomsbury Publishing visit
www.bloomsbury.com/thedeclaration
or call 020 7440 2475
Also from Bloomsbury
Enter a world of treachery and danger.
Enter the world of STRAVAGANZA.
âAn extraordinary novel'
Independent
To order direct from Bloomsbury Publishing visit
www.stravaganza.co.uk
or call 020 7440 2475
Also from Bloomsbury
Uncover the sinister secrets of
a city under surveillance â¦
To order direct from Bloomsbury Publishing visit
www.bloomsbury.com/grahammarks
or call 020 7440 2475
Also from Bloomsbury
âTHE CHOSEN ONE WILL ARRIVE ONE DAY.
A HOWL IN HER THROAT, AND DEATH IN HER EYES.
SHE WILL RIDE THE SUN AND BRANDISH THE MOON'
To order direct from Bloomsbury Publishing visit
www.bloomsbury.com/maitecarranza
or call 020 7440 2475
Bloomsbury Publishing, London, Berlin, New York and Sydney
First published in Great Britain in April 2009 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
This electronic edition published in September 2011 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc,
49â51 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP
Copyright © Gillian Philip 2009
The moral right of the author has been asserted
All rights reserved
You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise
make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means
(including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying,
printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the
publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages
