Page 58 of East (The Moral Compass 3)

Mac: They have her. We are following.

Mac is one of my guys. He’s a top bloke and has been with us all through this damn journey. He’s a good friend to West, too, so I know he will do everything he can to get her back in one piece.

I just wish he’d managed to get to her first.

“What’s that?” North asks. I turn the phone so he can see the message. His face falls, and Kara’s eyes fill with tears.

“I know you blame me for all of this, and I do accept some responsibility, but I am not to blame for Matias,” Margarite explains.

“Just answer me this: why did you drug me and East?”

“You were so pissed off with each other, and I didn’t want you to miss out on the love of your life.”

“How the hell do you know she’s the love of my life?”

“I could tell by the way you looked at her and the way she looked at you. I’ve never seen you look at any woman like that.”

“Sorry, but you’re confusing me again. How would you know how I look at women?”

“Zed… I’ve been watching you your whole adult life.” She looks me right in the eye and then bows her head.

“What the fuck do you mean? How have you been watching me? I’ve never seen you before all this shit.”

“Zed, you were never looking for an old woman. You have always been focused on the bad guys. It was easy for me to sit in the background and observe.

“Who the hell are you?”

“I’m your grandma, Margaret. Your mum’s mum.”

Fuck me. I never expected that. The whole plane feels like its shaking. I take my drink and down it in one. I shake my head. I must be hearing things.

“You’re what?”

“Oh, come on. I tried to give you a hint when you and East had that meeting with me. There are very few people who have the information I divulged. It should have sparked some curiosity as to how I knew it all.”

“It did, but then everything went to shit. We didn’t have time to find out how you knew it. You caused so much mayhem.”

“I know, and I’m sorry about that, too. I shouldn’t have participated in your wedding. I should have stopped it, but you both looked so in love. It felt wrong to postpone the inevitable.”

“That drug you gave us nearly killed her! You fucking interfering old bag.”

“I didn’t know that would happen. I checked when I bought it. They told me it was a simple love potion made from herbs. My crystal ball wasn’t working, so I didn’t see that East would break her goddamn arm and end up having surgery. It was just supposed to make you both feel happy.”

“You’re fucking crazy. You’re not wired up right!” I bellow at her. I stand and walk to the other end of the plane. I have so many questions, and my blood is pumping around my body. I can feel every single pulse. I know what The Hulk felt like now. I want to explode all over the plane. I want to smash everything in sight, but I don’t. I breathe and picture East’s beautiful face, her golden hair, and her sapphire-blue eyes. My body calms, but I can’t return to the others.

I sit down at the front of the plane and stare at my phone screen.

Mac: They have her. We are following.

I check my watch, and I tap out a reply.

Zed: We land in thirty minutes. Where do we meet?

Mac: I’ll meet you at the plane and give you an update.

Chapter 23

East

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