Page 75 of North (The Moral Compass 2)

She sits there, staring at me, not saying a word.

“Paula. I want answers, and I am not leaving here until you give me them.”

“I don’t want you to leave, South.” She sniffs.

“Paula, there will be no hope for us if you don’t tell me the truth. I can’t protect you if you don’t tell me everything. Paula, I still love you. I was going to call you before all this happened but… We can sort this out, but you need to tell me. Why?”

I feel sick even saying these words, but the police told me to say whatever it took to get her to talk. I have to be careful not to put words in her mouth, so I try to coax with promises of a future.

“Do you promise, South? Do you promise to help me and stay with me if I tell you?”

“Yes, I promise.” I lean over the table and take her hands in mine. The amazing electric feeling I used to get every time I touched her isn’t there. “Paula, please,” I beg.

“It wasn’t my idea. It was Jaxon. He started to write to me about a year ago. We became pen pals. You were always away hunting for your next artefact, and I felt lonely, so I replied. Then, he asked me to visit him, and we became friends. You’ve been tied up with your family business stuff, so you didn’t even notice.”

“Jaxon? Are you talking about the Jaxon who put Sutton in the hospital?” I question her. This can’t be right.

“Yeah, he explained everything to me. It was all a misunderstanding but because he has a record, he was given a stiffer sentence.” She actually believes what she’s saying.

“Paula, he was in prison because he tried to kill her. He escaped and came looking for her to finish the job. There was no misunderstanding.”

“He said you would say that. You don’t know the real truth, South. She is part of a really bad gang who trafficked children. Jaxon and his team try to save them. She is a really bad person. Jaxon has told me everything about how she has had her own mother killed. Can you imagine that, South? Having your own mother killed?” She shakes her head in disgust.

“Paula. I don’t want to talk about Sutton. I need to know what Jaxon has to do with everything that happened to North.”

“Well, Jaxon asked me to go out to Mexico to make sure no one disturbed his team saving some children. When I got there, everything was okay until a guy called Pedro showed up at Jaxon’s house. I had to get rid of him. So, I drugged him and tied him up. I put him in a boat and pushed him out to sea,” she admits. Who the fuck is this woman? I stare at her, not believing what I’m hearing. She is so cold and unfeeling.

“So, you never saw Pedro again?”

She shakes her head. “No.”

“Then what happened?”

“Your brother turned up with that cow, Kara. I knew I couldn’t get rid of both of them the same way. I’d used all the drugs on Pedro, so I just decided to scare them until they left. That actually worked quicker than I expected.” She laughs. Fucking laughs.

My heart is pounding and my stomach rolling. Pedro has worked for us for years. He is practically family.

Don’t lose your shit, South.

“It was actually quite funny to see your brother’s bitch scared. She was involved in Sutton’s mother’s death, too, you know?”

“I told you, Paula, this is not about Sutton. So, when did you come back?”

“That’s the fun bit. I came back on the plane with Kara and North. I pretended to be a cleaner. I climbed in with the luggage. That has got to be the worst part of all this. It is so cold in the hold. I thought I was going to die at one point until I unpacked all the clothes and wrapped myself up. Jaxon told me to make sure they came back to the UK. That was the only way. Your airline security needs to be improved, by the way.”

With that, I agree. How fucking easy was it for her to infiltrate my brother’s airspace? I’ll have West’s arse for this. He looks after the security.

“So, you’re back in the UK…”

“Yes, and Jaxon calls me and tells me that you and your brothers were going to ruin everything. That you were planning on stopping him from saving those kids. So, he asked me to distract you all whilst he got them out safely. Did he? Did he, South? Are the kids safe?”

Shestillbelieves that Jaxon is the good guy.

“Yes, Paula, they are safe. Now, you need to tell me how you distracted us. I need to be sure I have the full picture.”

Paula goes on to tell us how Jaxon had the ketamine delivered to her and how the plan was supposed to go.

“South. Are you mad at me?” she whispers.

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