Page 47 of It Shouldn't Be You
Once we’re in the car, with the girls in the back and Alex riding shotgun, Abigail launches her first question.
“Why the hell did no one seem surprised about Helen’s reappearance? And if you knew she was alive, why the fuck didn’t you say anything? Surely you can empathise with the pain Cora could have been spared.”
“That’s exactly why we didn’t say anything,” I reply calmly. “Imagine if we were wrong. Up until she appeared at the cemetery, it was all speculation and best guesses. Would you have wanted to be the one to give Cora hope, only to rip it away?”
“Of course not, but you still could have told me,” Abigail insists.
“And you would have kept it a secret?” Alex asks, twisting in his seat to give her a pointed look. His expression says it all.
“Let’s back up,” Lily interjects, trying to defuse the tension. “How did all of this even come about?”
“Long story short,” I explain, “Alex and I have been investigating the human trafficking ring my father was running and trying to find out what happened to my mum. Along the way, we uncovered details about Helen’s supposed death that didn’t add up. Coupled with the fact that Angus had already tried to kidnap her, it set off alarm bells.”
“But we were hitting dead ends everywhere,” Alex adds, meeting the girls’ eyes in the rearview mirror. “So, Logan decided to get Jonathan on board.”
“Our marriage,” Abigail breathes, the realisation dawning on her.
“Exactly,” I confirm. “The merger and wedding were tied to a deal to combine our resources and dig deeper into this mess. But we had nothing concrete to go on, so we agreed not to say anything. It wouldn’t have been fair to burden you with keeping something so huge a secret from her. And we never could’ve predicted Helen would just show up out of the blue.”
“Because you thought if she was alive, she might have been sold,” Lily says quietly, horror etched on her face.
“Exactly,” Alex says. “We don’t know any more than you do about what happened or how she ended up at the cemetery. Those are questions only Helen can answer, and it doesn’t look like she’ll be ready to do that anytime soon.”
Chapter 41
“Okay fill me in. How did the meeting with Smithy’s cousin go?” Following Cole’s funeral, Helen’s reappearance and Peter’s betrayal, things have been busier than anyone could have expected. Between strapping different Clan members down in the cellar and torturing them until their true loyalties and beliefs seep through and searching through all of Peter’s shit, it’s no wonder this damn deal still hasn’t been solidified.
Brad Daniel has been blowing my phone up, demanding an update on the ghost guns and there’s only so much patience a thug like him has before he looks elsewhere. Never mind the fact I want these dirty things gone. The sooner I get rid of them, the sooner I can move on to reshaping the Clan.
“Surprisingly well. I think Smithy being promoted to Abigail’s head guard won us some brownie points. Jo mentioned he was cutting back on the smuggling business but was happy to set something up with us. So, I’ve arranged to get the guns to him in time for this week’s departure. You want to tell Danielsthe good news, or should I?” Alex smirks from the seat in front of my desk, feet kicked up and looking so relaxed it’s a wonder he doesn't fall back in his chair. Despite being promoted to being my second and having more on his plate than ever before, he never seems to so much as break a sweat.
“You do it. I need to head out to meet Owen and Brennan. Word on the street is they’ve caught us a little treat.”
“You lucky fucker. Are you sure you don’t want me to swap jobs with you for the day?” Alex pouts.
Chuckling, I grab my phone and wallet before heading towards the door, patting his shoulder on my way out.
“Not a chance in hell. Secure that deal and then continue the integrations, yeah?” I toss over my shoulder, laughing at his tortured groan.
Sometimes being the boss has its perks, after all.
Pulling up to the rundown warehouse on the city’s outskirts, I spot Owen’s SUV parked out front. I hop out of my car and rap my knuckles on his window to get his attention. He rolls it down, grinning as he unlocks the doors.
“Hop in. Brennan’s luring him here as we speak,” he says.
Making my way to the passenger side, I climb in and ask, “Should I be concerned about how excited you are about this?”
“Man, I’ve been on diaper duty more than enforcer duty lately. I’m itching to get my hands a little bloody.”
“Fair. How far out are they?”
“Should be here any moment. Brennan set up the meeting under the guise of being a like-minded piece of shit with anunderage girl back at his place to share.” Owen’s lip curls in disgust.
“He’ll be salivating at the thought and practically running here,” I reply, swallowing back the bile rising in my throat at what this bastard is hoping for.
“He’s also one of Angus’ top buyers. From what we found on the dark web, he never missed an auction and never walked out empty-handed. No price was too high to feed his sick desires.”
“Fucker,” I snarl, cracking my knuckles as I picture driving them through his skull.
