Page 24 of Havoc

I sat down on the grey coloured couch and waited, keeping my eye on the doors to make sure they wouldn’t ambush me. Tom joined me, his eye on me as I assessed the room. Harris joined after, in a new outfit and looking very smug.

“Like the threads, Lennie?” he asked, twirling around.

“Sure, it’s a little formal for a casual catch up isn’t it?”

“Never know when you’re going to need to look your best, Lennie.”

Boy, didn’t he know it. He was going to be found dead in those clothes.

“So, what have you been doing with yourself since you got back, Lennon?” Tom asked.

“Keeping low, reaching out to Presley.”

Tom smiled. “Oh yes, I heard she was staying in the chateau.”

“How is she?” Harris asked. He’d always approved of my relationship with Presley and had been the one to suggest leaving Sydney to be together.

“Good, not cut up about her father at all.”

“Doesn’t surprise me,” Harris replied. “What he did to that girl…”

“By sending her away…”

“Well yes, Lennie, but not just that, what happened when she was younger.”

“He didn’t…”

My anger flared and I could feel myself reaching for my blade out of habit. If Gideon touched my Presley…

“No, boy, Gideon wasn’t like that, but he knew when to make people happy.”

“What are you telling me?”

Tom and Harris exchanged a look, and from it I knew I wasn’t going to like what I heard next. I kept quiet, and calm, hoping to find out everything I needed before I took them out.

“Well you know about him offering his new alliances a night with Naomi,” Harris started. I nodded. Everyone knew about that. “There was a time he wanted to make his brother hurt.”

“Dunstan?”

“Yeah,” Tom said. “That lunatic.”

“Dunstan wouldn’t have touched Presley.”

“No, but his son wanted her.”

“Wilder? Presley’s cousin.”

“We all know Dunstan isn’t that boy’s father,” Tom scoffed.

My eyes widened and I knew it judging by the way Tom and Harris laughed. At least Tom was easing at my presence.

“Who is?”

“Who cares,” Tom said. “But like Harris started telling you. Gideon offered Wilder a night with Presley when she was fifteen.”

“She never told me that.”

Harris shrugged. “Probably wanted to block it out or didn’t want you to know.”

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