Page 24 of North (The Moral Compass 2)

She is a loyal warrior, beautiful, and funny, and she will fight for her family and friends.

So why didn’t she fight for us?

My heart beats fast when I remember the times we fooled around and joked. I want to smash the screens in front of me when I think of us together making love.

How much more time do I need to give her?

Will she ever come back?

Should I have gone to France and dragged her back?

And then the question I hate comes in… Has she met someone else? I shake my head and look back at the screen in front of me.

I’m looking for information on who ordered the hits on Stella and Ralph. There have been more altercations in the prisons, and Stella has been beaten up a total of four times now. Ralph has been hospitalised twice.

I need to find out who is ordering the hits and why. We have checked with the Star Gazers, and they have denied any involvement, although they have said they would gladly put an end to the problem. We just have to give the green light.

West and I have discussed this so many times. I couldn’t even put a figure on it, and each time, we come back to the same decision: let justice decide what happens.

The trial date has been set and is going to be in just over a month. It’s not great timing as Sutton is due to have the triplets. If she hasn’t had them by thirty-six weeks, they will be giving her a c-section and bringing them into the world early. By the size of her, I really don’t think she will hang on much longer. The poor woman can’t even walk down the stairs anymore without help.

Kara legally has to come back for the trial, and she will want to see Sutton and the babies, so I am just hoping that when we see each other, she gets hit by a juggernaut of sense.

I’m sitting here looking at these screens, and nothing is making any sense. I’ve got all the prison visitor records and all the phone records for every prisoner. I keep running them through a programme that should pick up anything out of the ordinary, but nothing. Frustration is killing me.

I don’t like to think we are protecting Stella and Ralph, but Sutton and Kara need to see them pay for the crimes they committed. On the other hand, if they die before the trial, it will all be over. The police already think West and I have something to do with the assaults. I need to make sure we know who is behind it and stop them or at least get evidence that proves it’s not us. I don’t want to do a stint in jail. My devilishly handsome features would cause me no end of problems.

It’s time for a coffee; maybe some caffeine will get my brain back in check. I head up to West’s office.

My smile is just a front as I walk past the receptionist and the call centre team and into his office. West is sitting at his desk and Alicia is sitting opposite. Alicia will never get the message. He has no interest in her at all. I’ve never seen a man so head over heels in love like he is with Sutton. It makes me green, both with sickness and envy. I desperately want what they have, and I have to live with it day in and day out. They don’t rub my nose in it, and Sutton doesn’t mention Kara in front of me unless I ask. Which has been less and less over the last couple of weeks.

Torturing myself has become my favourite pastime, but there is only so much of it I can take. If I don’t ask, I don’t have to listen to the answer.

“I’m going for coffee if you fancy it, West?” I ask, pointing out the invitation is only for my brother and not the viper sitting in front of him.

“Absolutely.” He jumps up out of his chair faster than a sprinter out of a starting block. This makes me chuckle. He couldn’t wait to get away from her.

We leave the building and round the corner. There is a small coffee shop just at the end of the street named The Hideaway. They make the best coffee in the whole of London. A big accolade, but so true.

With our coffees ordered, we manage to get a table looking out onto the street just by the door.

“I can’t find any connections in the prison records. I’ve run every search I can think of,” I tell West.

“It’s so weird. No one knows anything. Every attack has been from a different inmate. Nothing links together,” West says.

“The Star Gazers swear they are out on this one and have not set anything in motion.” I scratch my head. It’s become a bit of a habit over the last month. Especially when I can’t make sense of anything.

“Well, I hate to say it, North, but maybe we need to bring East in a little more. You may need a fresh set of eyes on this. I know how distracted you are right now. Maybe you’re looking a little too hard.”

At first, I feel a deep resentment, but I know he’s right. I can’t concentrate for more than an hour at a time before my mind wanders, and I lose where I’m at. I’m better than I was at the beginning, though. I couldn’t even hold a conversation for five minutes.

“I’ll ring East later and ask if she can come back for a while. I’m sure she won’t mind. I’ll get her some more tickets to see that dickhead, Drake, if she does.” West smirks. He absolutely hates Drake. He’s supposedly a big deal in America in the rock scene, but he is a fucking prima donna and nothing like his brother, who just happens to be West’s best friend.

My mind goes back to Kara.How long will I love her without her in my life? To the end of time—longer if I can.Memories flood my thoughts as I look out of the window onto the busy street.

“Is this seat taken?” a young blonde woman asks, pointing to the seat next to me on the bench.

West nods and indicates for her to take the seat. She sits down and opens up her laptop. She starts chatting with us both about the bloody weather whilst she waits for it to load up.

---