Page 84 of Poisoned Pawn

“Yeah, I fucking got that part,” I mutter, turning to Shep. “You got anything to help me find him?”

He blows out a breath, then indicates to the door with his head. Once we step outside, he speaks.

“You might want to be in the vicinity of Irlam tomorrow night. I heard there’s a deal going down over there. Other than that, I don’t know a fucking thing for sure. This place is like a school playground full of whispers and rumours.”

Zak and I share a look knowing that must the deal Akim alluded to. Shep leads us back the way we came. At Titch’s room, I pause looking at him now slouched back in his beanbag with his head thrown back, eyes closed and a smile on his face.

“Judge all you want, Carter. But can’t help him if he don’t want it.”

You won’t get an argument from me on that. Shep continues back to the side door we entered through.

Pushing it open, Zak steps out. “I’d like to say it’s been a pleasure.”

Shep chuckles as I follow Zak. “Yeah, likewise, Lawler. See you around, Carter.”

The door slams closed with a clang.

CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN

STAR

The kettle begins to boil, and the bubbling of the water inside is so loud in the cavernous room that I quickly flick the switch in case it wakes anyone.

“Make me one,” comes a voice behind me, and I almost piss myself as I spin around, kettle in hand.

“Jesus Christ! You scared the crap out of me, Roxy.” I grab another cup from the mug tree and add coffee and milk.

“What are you doing up?”

“I was going to ask you the same question, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say you’re waiting for the same thing I am.”

I place the kettle back on the stand and look over at her with a frown.

“Zak went with Carter,” she tells me, grabbing her cup and carrying it over to the sofa.

“Really?” I join her, tucking my legs beneath me. “Do you know where they went?”

“No. And that’s what is keeping me awake.”

“Because you don’t trust Carter,” I say, rolling my eyes and shaking my head.

“Actually, that’s not it at all.” She takes a sip of her coffee. “I would worry about Zak even if he was with Aidan or Maddox. It’s the price for the life we live.”

She’s not wrong, and I realise that my relationship with Carter will place me in her shoes quite literally. A life forever thinking and worrying whether the man, or men in Roxy’s case, you love will come home every time they leave the house.

“Are you ready for that?”

It takes me a minute to really grasp what she’s asking. “You mean because I’ve spent the last five years running from that life? I wasn’t running, Roxy. I just wanted something as close to normal as possible.”

“I’m so—”

“No. Don’t do that. No more apologies, Roxy. They weren’t needed then nor now. What happened to Mum, what happened to me, neither of those things were your fault. I never blamed you. But I needed to be free for a while. To live without the constant eyes watching over me.”

“I hate to tell you this, but I have a feeling that man is a step above anything Aidan put in place to keep you safe.”

Her words send a warmth through me because they mean she finally understands. She can finally see Carter as something other than a threat.

“But the difference is I won’t feel stifled or resent Carter for it. Don’t get me wrong I love Aidan like a brother, and I’m grateful for everything he and his family did for me. I can’t imagine the pressure he was under to protect me on his father’s word, but I grew to hate the restrictions. I missed you. I hated that you thought I was dead. But even after I returned, if only for a short time, it was the same, but then I had even more people preventing me from spreading my wings.” I sip my tea, then change the subject. “Where do you think they went?”

---