by Lena North
“Yeah, it has to be someone in one of the families who’s forty-something to what? Fifty? Fifty-five?”
“Someone like me,” Nico said with a tired grin.
“Was it you?”
He got a look back which clearly communicated the stupidity of that question, but since Joao hadn’t meant it seriously, he just grinned at his uncle and asked, “Okay, so who then?”
Nico tilted his head back and watched the stars for a while. Joao filtered through the families and could only come up with one name. There were others, but the only logical assumption would be –
“Only one I can think of.”
His uncle had apparently drawn the same conclusion.
“Yeah. That means she’s my cousin.”
He didn’t like that realization, and told himself that it was the protector in him. No one messed with his cousins.
“Your grandmothers were cousins, boy. There’s nothing to worry about, you’re barely related.”
“What?”
“Just saying. You can’t talk to Mimi about this.”
“Mimi?”
“Your girlfriend?”
Shit. He’d put Mimi so far out of his mind that he’d forgotten about her altogether.
“I know that,” he muttered. “Mimi is great.”
“Huh.”
“What does that mean?”
“If you think so then everyone will be happy for you. You can’t talk to her about this, though. It’s important that no one knows. Not until we’ve figured out what to do about Charlie’s boyfriend.”
“Ex.”
“What?”
“You said it’s her ex-boyfriend.”
“She thinks so. He doesn’t.”
“Fucker,” Joao said with emphasis.
“Agree.”
“We’d need to find out who fathered her.”
“I’ll think about it some more,” Nicholas promised. “It could be someone else… but either way, I don’t understand. None of us would abandon a child.”
“I’ll investigate some,” Joao said. “Can I talk to her tomorrow?”
“You’ll need to tread carefully.”
“Wasn’t born yesterday, Uncle Nico.”
That got him a grin, and he leaned back to watch the stars. Charlie… short for Charlotta. Was she still sleeping? Her face had been one big, swollen bruise, and Uncle Nico had said she hurt her foot.
“You can’t talk to Mimi about this,” Nicholas repeated quietly.
“What?” Joao asked.
He’d said that before but surely –
“She talks to her girls. Her girls talk to their girls. Word spreads.”
He turned his head slowly to look at the older man, and clenched his jaws when he saw the look on his uncle’s face.
“You sure?” he asked calmly, but he knew.
“You got called out when Tina miscarried, and it was all over the Island in less than a day. Tina asked you not to tell anyone. But you did.”
Shit. Everyone had known, and it had surprised him because his cousin had been adamant that he kept it quiet. It wasn’t like anyone minded, but Tina and her girlfriend having a child would be talked about. He’d thought Tina changed her mind, and hadn’t thought more about it. And he had told Mimi when he got to her place that night. It had been a rough day, and he was closer to Tina than any of his multitude of other cousins, so he’d been unhappy. Mimi had been there, murmuring soft words of comfort and listening as he vented his frustration.
“Tina knows it was Mimi, Joao,” Nico interrupted his thoughts. “She doesn’t blame you for unloading a shitty day on your girlfriend. She does blame Mimi for making no less than five phone calls as soon as you left her house, though.”
“Jesus,” he said, not doubting the older man’s statement. “I’ll talk to her.”
“That’d be good.”
“She made a mistake, Uncle Nico.”
“I have more examples of mistakes like that, Joao. You need to get her to understand, or stop sharing.”
“Why haven’t anyone said something?”
“We all want you to be happy.”
“She’s a good woman. I’ll talk to her,” Joao said with a sigh.
“Wait until tomorrow, boy. No need to rip her a new one in the middle of the night.”
Joao couldn’t imagine ripping Mimi a new anything. He’d have to find a way to discuss this calmly, and gently. Perhaps it would just be easier to keep his work and private lives separate, he thought.
“Not going there tonight anyway,” he murmured. “Too tired.”
“You’re too tired?” his uncle said as if needing to sleep was a concept he’d never heard about.
“Can I take another look at her?”
Nicholas didn’t pretend to not understand, and nodded but didn’t go with him into the guest room. Joao sank down on his haunches next to the bed and let his hand slide slowly over her swollen cheek. She moved a little, and moaned softly.
“He’ll never hurt you again,” he said quietly. “You’re safe here, Charlie.”
***
“He’ll never hurt you again. You’re safe here, Charlie.”
The words echoed in Charlie’s mind and when the man closed the door gently, she exhaled and let the tears come.
He’d made a promise, but he had no clue what Sebastian was capable of, so he couldn’t know that he wouldn’t be able to keep it.
She’d never be safe. Not until Sebastian Lievens was dead.
So, she’d have to kill him.
~~~
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Table of Contents
Copyright
My thanks
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Epilogue
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