Page 42 of North (The Moral Compass 2)

I just wish I could fast forward four weeks. Hopefully, the trial won’t take that long, and then I can just up sticks and move on.

I know leaving North again is going to physically hurt like a mother, but I love him too much to put him in danger. I have never seen him so worried. No, he wasn’t worried, he was scared and scared beyond belief.

I just wanted some information about who I’m up against, but he won’t tell me anything. The weirdest thing is that Zed and West, although concerned, are not reacting in the way I thought they would. The suite is not overrun with security, and they both seem relatively calm.

I don’t leave the suite, and neither does North. We skirt around each other, barely talking. I can’t look at him. If I catch his eyes with mine, I will turn into a crumpled mess.

I need to be strong now, and I need to fight for not only my life but his.

On Monday morning at 10:50, I’m standing outside the visiting room in the prison. I have been strip searched, my belongings have been taken from me, and I don’t even have my shoes on.

A buzzer sounds and a guard opens the door in front of me and gestures for me to enter.

The room is brightly lit with long white strip lights, and there is a table with two chairs. One on either side.

“Please take a seat here, Miss Simpson.” The guard points to the seat nearest the door I have just come through.

There is another door which, after a couple of intensely uncomfortable minutes, opens, and in walks my dad, handcuffed, shackled, and wearing a grey tracksuit.

He looks older, but he is still strikingly good-looking. His dark hair is now mostly silver, and he has a goatee beard. I was petrified coming in here today. I was sick twice before even entering the prison, but seeing him in front of me, I don’t feel fear. I feel angry. Really fucking angry.

“I was hoping at some point you would come to see me, Princess,” he says. He puts his hands on the table, and I just look at them. There is no way I am touching them.

“I don’t have much choice,” I spit back.

“Hey, why? What’s wrong? No one has forced you to come today, have they?” His eyes squint at me.

“Yes!Youhave!” I remain strong. “I am here because—”

“The McGarry brothers,” he says softly. My eyes fly up to meet his, and he smiles back at me.

“Kara, my sweet little darling Princess. You do not need to worry.” His voice is sickly and weird.

“Please don’t call me Princess, Xander.” I can’t stand it from him. That is what North calls me and only North.

“Okay, Kara, I know why you’re here, and I need you to listen very carefully to what I am going to tell you. I will not repeat any of it, and I will not answer any questions. I will, however, be very clear in my message.” He is direct and pointed as he speaks. Bile rises in my stomach again. Oh, dear God, what is he going to say? I nod.

“I was sent to prison for manslaughter before you were born. The reports say it was two opportunist robbers that were unlucky. This is not true. They were drug dealing human traffickers, and I had interfered in an international investigation. I had interfered one too many times, so they locked me away until they thought I had learned my lesson. I still worked but from prison and under their watch. Your mother did not know any of my work, Kara.”

I go to ask a question, but he raises a finger.

“When I was released, I came looking for you and found you. I will always be grateful for that. You gave me the strength to carry on, Kara. I hoped that we could have a real father and daughter relationship, and it was going great until I found out how and why your mum was killed.”

“What do you mean? It was an accident! She was killed in a car crash.”

“You’re right, it was a car crash, but I’m sorry, Kara, it was no accident.” His eyes moisten, and he bends his head, looking at his handcuffed wrists.

“I loved your mother more than life, Kara. Please believe me. That was why I told her to move on and find some form of love with someone safe when I was sent away. She didn’t want to, but with help from your gran, she did what was needed.”

“She needed to give you a different life, a different background, so that you were not connected to me in any way, shape, or form. I couldn’t protect you from in here back then. Unlike now.” He smirks at me, the fucker.

“Your mother was murdered, Kara. Someone got sight of the letters she sent me and found my weakness. I had no way of knowing if they had pieced together that you were my daughter. I just had to hope and pray that they believed you were fathered by someone else and had nothing to do with me.”

I seethed. “You lied to me all those years ago. You knew back then what had happened. Why didn’t you tell me back then?”

“You were a kid and, to be honest with you, if you hadn’t been abducted and understand the work I do first hand, I would not be as open as I am. I’m only telling you this because of who you are connected to and what has happened to you.”

“But—”

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