Page 52 of North (The Moral Compass 2)

I look at him, confused. This is the most he has ever said in the whole time I’ve known him.

“Okay, well. Yeah. Okay. Good. Yeah. So, we are good, then?” I finally find a string of words.

“Yes, if that’s okay with you. I’d like to help find out what’s going on, too.” His voice is still deep but has softened. His facial features are not as tight, and he looks relieved.

“That would be great. The more the merrier. West is going back to the hospital later to be with Sutton and the girls, so the more hands we have on deck, the better.”

I turn to leave the room, but then I decide to take a risk.

I throw my arms open and gesture him in for a hug. To my utter amazement, he comes forward and hugs me. Wonders will never cease.

“Thanks, Kara. I didn’t know how to get myself out of this corner. You’re a great girl, and North is bloody lucky to have you,” he says as he releases me from the embrace.

Something tells me there is more to come from South, but I’m not pushing my luck just yet.

We are all gathered around the computer at 1:50 waiting for East to come online when the front door flies open.

“Anybody home?” a female voice sings out.

“What the hell? We are all sitting here waiting for you to come online to talk to us. How come you’re here and not in New York?” West yells.

“Oh… Nice to see you, East. How have you been, East? Kiss my arse, East. Thanks for the hello, Brother.” She stands with her hands on her hips. The boys are all six foot plus with dark hair whereas East is tiny. She must only be just over five feet tall, but she’s full of spark and has beautiful blonde hair that I would die for. Mine always looks muddy blonde, but hers is like strands of gold.

She huffs. “When South left the other day, and I knew you guys were all here together, I felt left out. And if I am here, we can solve this together, and I get to spend some quality time with my nieces and new sisters.” She smiles. Perfect white teeth. I look at the four siblings. They must have been made-to-order. They are all stunningly gorgeous.

“That’s absolutely true. And it’s good to have you here,” South chirps up. North and West look at each other in shock. Since when did South speak when he absolutely didn’t have to? Things are so weird.

We all sit around the island in the kitchen. North takes the lead and goes through everything we know. He shows all the security footage which makes everyone laugh. He has added emojis to cover our private parts since we were walking around the villa naked. I get coconuts and a peach, and he gave himself a huge, much bigger than necessary, aubergine. It brings a little light relief to the fact we have a severe problem.

“Right, come on now, East, you told me you had some information,” North directs at East.

“I do, I just needed to see the footage for the entertainment factor. West told me what you had done, and I didn’t quite believe how big you made that aubergine.” She laughs.

“Fuck off, it was the right size. Now, come on, and give us the info.”

“All right, Northy, steady yourself. I need to ask some questions first just to make sure I am on the right path. We don’t want to go down the wrong rabbit hole and waste time. So, question one. Who have you both pissed off together? Not just one of you, but both of you and probably at the same time,” East asks, looking between me and North.

“Well, first there was Alicia. She thought she was getting lucky with one of the McGarry brothers only to get a smack in the face,” I say, laughing as North dips his head.

“Oh, yeah! Then, there was Nick the copper,” North says excitedly, as if he has just made this a point-scoring exercise. “Yeah, he wanted a date, and then I told him you were mine. He was well pissed off when he realised I wasn’t your brother.” North smiles and takes my hand which I quickly remove.

“And then there was Holly, one of North’s playmates who apparently used to frequent his Shag Pad on the regular. We first encountered her nutjob side when we went to the Lakes, and then she turned up at the hotel suite at the Majestic.” North dips his head again. I can tell he feels bad, so I take back his hand and give him a smile.

“It’s okay, I’ve caused you far more drama than you have me. Whoever it is has a job on their hands. Seven against one. We’ve got good odds,” I tell him.

“Seven?” East asks.

“Yeah, seven. North, South, you, West, me, Sutton, and Zed.”

“Oh, Zed. That’s West’s mate, isn’t it? I’ve heard about him but never met him. Is he coming here?” East asks, getting all giddy.

“No, he’s in Mexico making sure nothing else happens to the villa,” West answers abruptly as a big brother would, I suppose.

“Come on, East. Who the hell do you think it is?”

Chapter 37

North

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