Page 97 of Save Her from Me

In a busy café under the shadow of Inverness Castle, I scanned the crowds, my mind on Ariel’s safety despite what we were here to do.

The threat, however, was all mine.

My mother stared through the sea of bodies. She’d cut her hair into a bob and highlighted it blonde, but she was still the image of my sister grown up.

She even had Lisa Marie’s cake order on a china plate in front of her. The chocolate fudge cake my sister had loved.

Ma was playing mind games already.

Ariel squeezed her fingers in mine. “I’m with you. We’ve got this.”

We.I’d avoided this meeting for so long. I couldn’t have done it without her.

Together, we approached the table. My mother didn’t rise. Neither did the man at her side.

I refused to even dignify TJ’s father with a glance in his direction.

Instead, strung tight with tension, I pulled out a chair for Ariel then sat beside her, capturing her hand in mine again. A lifeline.

Ma gestured with her head to the queue of people at the counter. “There’s no table service here. You’ll need to stand in line. Or send your girl.”

“We won’t be staying that long.”

She narrowed her eyes at me then at Ariel. On the phone, Ariel had introduced herself as my girlfriend but hadn’t given her name. Suddenly, I was determined that my mother didn’t hear it. She didn’t have the right.

“You’ve got me here. What do ye want?” I asked.

Ma came back to me. “Other than to see my only child?”

Her only child? Whose every possession she’d destroyed when she’d turned her back on me?

I couldn’t answer.

She sniffed. “As you’ll be aware, in two weeks, the parole hearing is coming up.”

“Why would I know anything about that?”

She scoffed. “Don’t be difficult, Jackson. TJ’s your brother.”

I recoiled, unable to conceal the reaction. In everything I’d told Ariel about my family, I’d tested myself. Whether I’d been acting in grief. If I’d overreacted and lashed out.

My mother neatly put paid to that train of thought.

“The individual who murdered my sister is nothing to me,” I retorted. “And ye wonder why I don’t want to meet up when ye say shite like that.”

Ariel shifted at my side. I twisted to find her gaze on Ma’s husband.

The man was full-on staring at her.

My heart pounded, adrenaline eking into my system.

All the control I prided myself on was in danger of being lost.

“Don’t fucking look at her,” I bit out, keeping my voice low because there were families around.

My mother took an exaggerated gasp, her face red. “You’re so hostile and rude. For years, your behaviour has been tearing our family in two.”

I couldn’t stomach that. “As far as I see it, whatever was left of our family after his murderous bastard of a son tore us apart was then set on fire by your taking up with him. Da’s heart was broken. I was left sleeping in my car. Can’t ye see what you’ve done?”

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