Page 34 of It Shouldn't Be You
“Deal, but you can’t breathe a word of it to anyone.”
“That’s fair. It’s no secret my father was a piece of shit. However, what most people didn’t know until recently was just how twisted he was and how deep his dodgy connections in the seedy underbelly of the world were. He was wrapped up in a human trafficking ring, which I first learned about when he sold my mum off at one of his auctions.” As I lay my soul bare, Abigail freezes before twisting so she can look up at me with horror painting her features in a way I’d hoped to never see.
“As I was getting older, I think he realised that he was losing control over me. His punishments of broken bones and being thrown in the cellar weren’t stopping me from digging into what happened. I was just about to turn eighteen, and Angus was adamant that I would not be going to rugby camp that summer. That I was too old, and he needed to ‘train me up’. Peter knewas well as I did that was a load of shit, and he just wanted me there to torment, so somehow Peter got me to the camp without Angus knowing. At first, it was the same as every other year; I hung around Owen and Matt for the most part if I wasn’t with my classmates. Until one night, some of Angus’s men showed up in the middle of the night with every intention of killing me then and there. If it hadn’t been for Owen saving my ass, they would have.”
“Lo, that’s barbaric,” she rasps, looking at me with wide eyes brimming with tears for teenage me.
“It was all I knew, Abigail. The fact my father wanted me dead didn’t even shock me. By then he had made it painfully clear what he thought of me, and there was no love lost between us. I’d also learned what exactly had happened to my mum, which made him furious, and if it wasn’t for Alex showing up just as Owen killed the last of my father’s men and dragging me out of there, he’d probably have come to finish the job. I didn’t even know Alex at that point, but he knew of me. His sister had vanished the previous year and while trying to find her, he found the same thing I had. His sister was sold at one of my father’s auctions.” At her sharp gasp, I wince and hurry to add, “Shutting them down was the first thing I did when I took over. But that’s how Alex knew who I was, and we soon bonded over the fact my mum and his sister had met the same fate and from there we followed whatever lead we had while trying to get answers. Which didn’t exactly get us far. It soon became clear I’d need to take over the Clan to gain access to the resources needed to get to the bottom of this, so here we are.”
“Holy fucking shit, Logan. That is insane. How can one man be so evil right down to his core? I’m glad you killed that bastard.” She reaches over to cup my face between her hands and pulls me in for a kiss.
Taking hold of her waist, I pull her closer and cherish the fact she's not looking at me with disgust or pity marring her features before trying to lighten the mood by prompting her, “Your turn to spill your secret.”
With an Eskimo kiss and a shaky chuckle, she pulls back so she can look at me as she explains, “Honestly, it’s nowhere near as dramatic or exciting as yours. Basically, Lily had a scare and... well… if anyone saw her getting a test, the domino effect that would have would be catastrophic.”
“Why? Surely Jonathan’s not that old school he buys into the whole virgin ‘till marriage thing.”
“Well, no, but he does do marriage contracts as you well know.” With a pointed look between us, she raises her eyebrows at me.
“Fuck, Lily’s promised to someone?”
“Worse. Her would-be baby daddy and said baby daddy is none other than her stepbrother.” Frowning, I try to recall the family trees of the Four Points, only to freeze when I realise what she’s saying. Don Salvatore would no doubt declare war if Matt did anything to risk the marriage due to take place in the next few years.
“Fuck. What the hell is he playing at? Is he looking to get killed? Because this is one surefire way to go about it.”
“Exactly, but luckily it was a false alarm, so no one needs to know.” At her raised eyebrows, I’m quick to agree with her. I’ve enough messes of my own to balance without adding any fuel to the ones brewing up here.
“On that, we are without a doubt on the same page, Princess.”
Chapter 28
“How’s married life treating you this morning, Mrs Jameson?” I ask Cora as I drop into the seat beside her. Lily is on her other side, refusing to look up from her plate due to the ginger who’s sitting on her other side. If looks could kill, I’d happily flay him alive here and now.
“Oh, you know, with orgasms aplenty.” She smirks as we watch our men approach from the other side of the room. Damn, what a fine sight Logan makes. Hair braided back, sleeves rolled up, tattoos and arm veins on full display. Is it too soon to disappear back to our room for a round two?
“That’s what we like to hear. Also, I can confirm Logan was worth the wait if you know what I mean,” I say with a pointed look and get a squeal in return just in time for the boys to make it to the table. I would laugh at the confusion on Owen’s face if it weren’t for Logan’s concentration on his phone. And the smirk dancing across his features as he reads whatever has him so captivated. Bile starts creeping up on me as thoughts of what could be getting that kind of reaction race in.
“Everything okay, ladies?” Logan finally looks up from his phone as he slides into a seat beside Matt, opposite from me. Smirk firmly in place as he kicks back in his chair and goes back to looking at his phone.
“Just perfect. But Lily here was just saying she needs to powder her nose, so if you’ll excuse us,” I say and grab the girls by their hands, hightailing it to the bathroom.
“Okay, spill. What’s going on?” I ask Lily as soon as the door is closed behind us. Maybe if I focus on her drama, I can forget about mine for a second.
“Huh? Nothing.” She looks guilty as hell and won’t meet my eyes. I swear if she slept with Matt again last night, I am going to kidnap her and bring her to Glasgow.
“Cora?” I ask, turning to her, only to see her guarding the door with her arms crossed as she studies our friend.
“She hasn’t said a word all morning. Disappeared not long after you last night.”
“Listen, I'll tell you both when I can, okay? But nothing’s wrong, I pinkie promise,” she pleads with us, holding out her pinkie. Looking over at Cora in question, I follow her lead and link pinkies. You can’t break a pinkie promise after all.
“Now. What the hell is going on with you and Logan?” Cora turns on me with her eyebrows in her hairline.
“Well, let’s just say you weren’t the only one consummating your marriage last night,” I say before fidgeting with the hem of my dress, nerves creeping in as I ask them something that’s been eating at me all night. “If it wasn’t good for him, he’d tell me, right?”
“What are you on about?” Lily frowns.
“Babe, what’s going on?” Cora asks me, abandoning her post at the door to come closer.
