Page 123 of Finlay

“To be fair, Oscar would hate that,” Bailey said. “You know he doesn’t like being the centre of attention.”

Harlow laughed. “I don’t know why. Being the centre of attention is fabulous.”

“Which is why you spend all your time there,” Cal said drily.

Suddenly it made a lot of sense that Danny felt so at home with these supes. In a lot of ways, their banter and easy kinship reminded me of what I shared with Calan, Logan, and Evan.

Knowing that though, I suspected they’d continue in this vein for a while if not redirected back to the original topic. “Does that mean Matt’s alive and well?”

Harlow flashed me a dangerous grin, one I was used to seeing on Logan’s face. “Oh, he’s alive, but I wouldn’t say he’swell.”

A slow smile formed on my lips. No one knew how to fuck with someone better than a demon. “Do share.”

“First, we made him move to the middle of nowhere, Siberia to rent a one-bed flat. He’ll never be able to sleep for more than a few hours at a time, and when he’s awake, he’ll always be scared but never know why.” Harlow ticked off each item with relish. “Every pair of shoes he buys will be a size too small, and whenever he looks at a burger he’ll feel sick but won’t know why. And, my particular favourite, he won’t be able to get an erection unless he’s handling raw chilli.”

Chester was shaking under my arm. I glanced at him to see tears pouring down his face. For a second, I was horrified. Until I realised he was silently laughing.

“That’s brilliant.” Chester swiped away the tears. “Utter fucking genius.”

“Thank you.” Cal bowed his head modestly. “Coming up with that was one of my prouder moments.”

Chester sobered suddenly. “It’s great that you compelled all of that to happen, but I know Matt. He has enough savings hidden away to keep himself happy despite everything.”

Harlow’s smirk was evil. “Ah, bless. You think we left him a single penny? No, hun. All of his money went into the ‘Chester’s new life starter fund.’”

Chester’s jaw dropped. “What?”

“It didn’t cover everything,” Harlow added. “We topped up the rest, but it made us ridiculously happy to know his money was helping you get a fresh start.”

I squeezed Chester’s shoulders. “It makes me feel happytoo. He made you suffer, so it’s right that he should be the one to pay to fix his mistakes.”

“You think I was a mistake?”

“Nae, m’eudail.” I kissed his temple. “His mistake was treating you how he did. Trust me, it’s not one I’ll ever make.”

“I know.” He smiled. “I love you, Finn.”

“Aww.” Harlow’s clapping made us both jump. I think we’d forgotten we had an audience. “Honestly, this is just thebestnews.”

Cal was grinning widely too. The only one who wasn’t participating to the celebratory atmosphere was Bailey. He was watching Chester with pensive eyes, his thumb stroking back and forth over his lips as he contemplated something.

Could he see himself in Chester? There was certainly a physical similarity between them. Matt obviously had a type, which proved just how twisted he was. He chose bigger men so he’d have something to hold over them. A derogatory tool to wield to make them feel small and give him the power.

“Chester, would you mind if we went somewhere quieter to talk?” Bailey asked suddenly.

Chester shot a look at me before shrugging. “Sure, I guess.”

Harlow frowned at his mate and grabbed his arm. “Why can’t you talk in front of us?”

Bailey got to his feet and bent down to kiss the top of Harlow’s head. “Because you’d interrupt too much. What I want to talk to Chester about doesn’t require an audience.”

“Should I be worried?” Chester said, and I knew he was only half joking. Unlike Harlow, I didn’t do anything to stop him standing.

He wasn’t my mate—a reminder that didn’t ache as much as it usually did. Because, even if he were my mate, I wouldn’t stop him doing what he wanted.

Apparently, Harlow wasn’t going to either. He let go of Bailey’s arm with a dramatic sigh. “Fine, but I expect to be filled in on any juicy tea later.”

Bailey rolled his eyes before smiling at Chester. “Fancy getting some fresh air?”

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