Page 74 of North (The Moral Compass 2)

“Come for a walk with me.” I take his arm and lead him out of the room of prying eyes. It dawns on me that I am the only other person that knew of this woman before today. It must be a shock to them. No one knew he even had a girlfriend until a few days ago, not even me.

Once outside, we walk in silence for a while. Then, he starts to rant. I could tell he was fuming, and no one needs to hear the shit he comes out with when he gets like this. Look what happened last time.

When it feels like he’s blown off enough steam, I yell, “Stop!”

South looks at me confused. “What? You told me to get it off my chest!”

“Yeah, and now you’re going round in circles. It won’t do you or anyone else any good if you keep trashing everyone around you. You’ve said how you feel. Now, we need to get you some closure,” I preach.

“Okay, let’s hope the police will let me see her.”

“They will.” I pat him on his back as we head back to the house. His shoulders slumped and rounded. He looks like a man defeated. Which is hard to see. He’s the biggest out of all of us at six foot, five inches. I look like a midget next to him. He’s even broader than both me and West. He is as solid as a brick wall. He’s also the only one of us to have ink that he’s gathered on his travels.

Sutton and Kara are sitting on the floor in the lounge when we return. They are changing the babies. Kara looks like a natural as she lifts the baby’s legs and puts a new nappy in place. She turns and catches me staring at her. I take my place on the floor next to her and help her dress my niece. I’ve no idea which one she is, but they are all beautiful. I just hope I can tell them apart at some point.

It doesn’t take long before I get cramps in my long, lanky legs, so I make my excuses and go and help Mum start lunch. Kara joins me soon after.

Bread knife in hand, I’m making a right mess of this fresh loaf.

“I forgot to ask; did you ring the prison?” I ask her.

“Yeah. He asked for it to be cancelled as he had heard I had a lot going on.” She raises her brows. “I’ve rebooked it for tonight. You don’t have to come with me, you know?”

“I know, but I want to. I’ll just do what we did last time.” She nods and takes the bread knife from me, laughing at the mess I’ve made.

South comes into the kitchen with a confused look. “What the hell have you done to that bread Kara?” He smirks at her.

“This is the work of your dear brother.” She laughs back at him.

I never thought those two would get along, but Kara has forgiven him, and he seems to actually like her which is a world away from where I imagined their relationship to go.

My phone rings in my pocket, and as I answer it, I see both Kara and South looking at me.

“Okay, yeah, no problem. Yes, both South and I can be there in about thirty minutes. Ah-ha, yeah, okay. Thanks, bye.”

I click the phone off as they both wait.

“That was the police. They have asked if you will still speak with Paula. I told them yes. I have to go and give my statement, so I said we would be there in half an hour,” I repeat. “Oh, shit! Sorry, Kara, I might not get back in time to take you to the prison.”

“It’s fine. I’ve told you; I can go on my own,” she sighs.

“No! The driver will come for you.” I raise my finger to tell her not to argue. I grab my keys, kiss her gently, and nod to South to follow.

Chapter 51

South

Ifeelphysicallysickas we walk through the doors of the police station. The reception area is quiet with just a young girl sitting in a corner. It smells of disinfectant. Not like a hospital but like someone has pissed in a corner and they’ve done a bad job cleaning it up. This does nothing for my stomach flipping all over the goddamned place.

I’m shown into a room with a huge glass mirror. The detectives are standing on the other side, and the conversation between Paula and I will be recorded. I just don’t understand how she got dragged into all of this. I suppose I’m going to find out.

She’s brought into the room, and her handcuffs are connected to a metal bar on the table. She looks like a completely different person.

“Paula.”

“South, what—why are you here?”

“Cut the crap. You know why I’m here. You tried to kill my brother. I want to know why.”

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