Page 44 of East (The Moral Compass 3)

“Yeah, well, that’s not going to be a problem. He doesn’t want this…” I wave my good arm around and point at myself.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and if that’s not someone who is interested, I don’t know what is.”

“You’re too kind, Kara. He’s not interested. All that is just guilt about my arm, and he feels responsible for the marriage, neither of which are really his fault.” I know I’m making sense.

“Look, I am going to go and stand on my own two feet. I could even grow up a bit. Then, you never know, in ten or twenty years, our paths might cross and it might be the most amazing love story ever.” I laugh and cringe at my own words. Kara nods. I think it’s finally making sense to her, too.

“Kara, I need to ask a favour. Please don’t tell anyone any of this. I don’t have anyone else to talk to anymore, and I am hoping that you will be my one and only true friend that I have.”

“East. You’re asking too much. I can’t lie to North. I can’t. We made a promise to each other. But I will stall them as long as possible and, yes, of course I’m your friend. I am more than your friend, silly. We are family. Don’t forget you were a huge part in saving mine and Sutton’s lives. Without you, East, those boys are going to struggle.”

“Hmm, I don’t think they will. I’m pretty sure they will be just fine.”

Chapter 18

Zed

Northisdrivingmefucking crazy. I know he wants to find Margarite just like I do but the guy is like a flaming whirlwind banging and crashing around on the computers, breaking into files, and searching databases that no one should be able to get into. I keep warning him to slow down. Too many breaches will create a security incident, and all the systems will be blocked completely for at least twenty-four hours. Plus, what he is doing is highly illegal, and I don’t have the time or patience to dig him out of the crap here in America.

In the meantime, while East has been in the hospital, there has been another threat on Drake. Someone left broken glass in the bottom of the shower cubicle.

We know it’s not Alicia because it was her that nearly sliced her foot open, so that puts Alicia firmly off our radar. It does leave us with a huge black hole.

Mateo has been around and has found some of the footage the police said was lost, and he’s going through it with the security team, but all roads lead to Margarite. All this started after she came onto the scene as Drake’s manager. She knew all about our childhood, too, and Drake swears he never told her. Alicia doesn’t believe a word of it, though.

According to Alicia, Margarite is a lovely lady; she wouldn’t hurt a fly and is not capable of all the things I’m accusing her of. She might have a point, but my gut is rarely wrong. She is involved one way or another, and, well, Alicia is not really the most reliable person.

I need a break from North before I actually do him some harm.

“I’m going to the hospital.”

Totally engrossed, North mumbles, “Okay.” He doesn’t even look up from the screen.

I don’t know why, but as I reach the floor where East is, something feels off. There are less staff, and the nurses that were in and out of her room are gone.

I open the door quietly and tiptoe inside.

My heart drops. My breath stalls.

She’s gone… and so is Kara.

Fear and anger rage as I pull the door wide open.

“Where the hell is she?” I yell.

“Excuse me, but can you keep your voice down? We have very poorly patients on this floor and some very distressed family members who have just lost a loved one,” a doctor in a white coat angrily whispers.

“Where the hell is my wife? She was fine when I left her, and now the room and the bed are empty.” I can feel bile rising as fear grips me. Please, please, she can’t be dead. She can’t.

The doctor asks for her name, looks down on his list, and then shakes his head. My legs turn to jelly.

“Oh, here she is, sorry about that. She was moved to orthopaedics a little while ago. If you go back down in the elevator to the first floor, it’s at the end of the corridor.” Then, he smiles.

He fucking smiles. I can’t breathe, and he is smiling his bastard head off. Why the hell did Kara not text me and let me know? Instead, I’m like a fucking weeping widow. I’m so fucking over the North and Kara show right now. Those two better just get out of my fucking way and let me do my bastard job.

I can’t wait for the elevator, so I take the stairs. When I get to the first floor, I am a man on a mission. I storm right up the corridor that feels like it’s a mile long and barge through the double doors, leaving them swinging in my wake.

“Where is my wife?” I growl at the nurse on reception.

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