Ruined (Family Untied Book 1)

by S. A. McEwen

  Smiled her big smile.

  She thought to herself that this day could not get any better.

  But then it got worse.

  65

  Two Months Later – May 2018

  Tentatively, Griffin introduces Natalie to his sister.

  Marilyn is wary and skittish, until Natalie answers questions about her job honestly. Then, unexpectedly, she starts to cry.

  They don’t talk about Andrew.

  Natalie and Griffin have canvassed that topic enough that Natalie never wants to talk about him again.

  Her feelings changed for Griffin at the police station. After making her statement, Griffin was also interviewed. He asked if Natalie could stay in for it. Then he spoke at length about his childhood, and what it was like when Andrew joined him, Marilyn, and Catelyn in Sydney.

  He admitted that Brian still lived near the farm where they had lived as children, but stated that he has never been in touch with him, and always refers to him as deceased. “He’s dead to me,” he says, and shrugs.

  He speaks about Andrew’s verbal violence toward Catelyn.

  Of Catelyn’s guilt and unrelenting love. How she tried to make it up to him, but never, ever could.

  He spoke about how angry Andrew remained all these years later, whenever he got in touch with Griffin and they had a pint.

  “He wasn’t a pleasant guy to be around,” Griffin said. “But I always felt guilty about him being left behind. Every time, I wanted to try to help him. And every time, I walked away with a bad taste in my mouth.”

  Andrew was sixteen when Catelyn was killed, in a car accident with a client. Andrew had gloated when she died: That’s what whores get! Exactly what’s coming for them. Griffin had organised for Andrew and Marilyn to go live with Catelyn’s sister in Melbourne, but Andrew never turned up. Every couple of years he would get in touch with Griffin, but he never told him where he was living or what he was doing. Griffin always got the sense that he wasn’t doing well, but he was never receptive to Griffin’s offers of support.

  “I would never have thought he would actually hurt anyone, though,” Griffin stated, pensive. He squeezes Natalie’s hand hard.

  “So your mother left him, and he never forgave her. It doesn’t sound like he had the resources or insight to work through it,” Detective Casey muses. “But why would he target escorts of colour, rather than white escorts, like his mother, do you suppose?”

  Griffin had looked thoughtful.

  Natalie watched him carefully, a painful tightness in her chest.

  She stops herself from answering for him.

  Waits, breathing deliberately slowly.

  In, out. In, out.

  Finally, he speaks. “If someone’s fucked up enough to want to kill escorts because they’re angry with their mother, frankly, I think you’re clutching at straws to try to find too much logic in their motives.” He pauses, goes to speak and then stops, glancing at Natalie again for a second.

  Natalie wills him on. Wills Casey to stay silent.

  Keeps very still.

  “I suppose, it’s maybe about the response?” He glances at her again, his assessment more a question than a confident statement of fact. But he carries on, the answer unpolished, not considered before this moment. But forming, nevertheless.

  “I suppose he thought it was easier to get away with it? Even the murder of marginalised women like sex workers might draw too much attention if they’re affluent and white?”

  After the frenzy of the investigation dies down, Upeksha drops in on Natalie unannounced.

  She lets herself in with the key she insisted Natalie give her years earlier “in case of an emergency.”

  She makes irrelevant small talk, and wanders around the flat. Natalie’s skin bristles: it looks like Upeksha is checking up on her, again. Assessing her standard of living.

  Murmuring about inane things as she moves around, Natalie switches off, rolling her eyes at Griffin (now his legal name) behind her mother’s back. She stops following Upeksha around the flat, giving up on understanding what she is doing.

  Instead, she goes back to what she was doing before she was interrupted: making Griffin a cup of tea.

  She can hear Upeksha rustling in her bedroom. But she swallows the rush of rage rising in her body.

  More of the same, she thinks to herself determinedly, the phrase somehow comforting. Her mother will never change.

  She doesn’t see Upeksha calmly and quickly return a long black wig and a pair of Louboutins to the back of her wardrobe.

  Months later, she’ll discover them there, in a strange spot where she doesn’t keep either wigs or shoes, and remember.

  Running into her mother outside the hotel when she fled Andrew’s room.

  Taking them off in the car.

  She’ll remember the mention of an older brown woman on the CCTV approaching Andrew’s room at the hotel, the telltale flash of red visible on her feet, the face hidden behind long black hair. The halfhearted request for her to come forward as a witness, drowned under all the images of the three young sex workers. Even Natalie, usually so tuned in to mentions of race, barely gave it a second thought.

  She’ll never ask Upeksha about it, and she’ll never know for sure.

  But Natalie holds onto it.

  Feels it in her bones as an act of love.

  Now though—she sees Griffin watching her, witnessing her reset herself against her mother’s intrusion.

  Noticing.

  Getting it.

  She smiles at him warmly, and hands him his tea.

  Epilogue

  In Ravi and Upeksha’s backyard, Griffin is barbequing steaks and chatting to Eloise.

  Natalie can see that Eloise is enjoying herself. Occasionally, she throws her head back and laughs, her smile wide, her teeth perfect. She looks natural and comfortable, but Natalie can see that she is full of wonder at the circumstances.

  Griffin looks handsome and relaxed, managing the steaks and being attentive to her friend both important to him, and both things he does with ease.

  He looks like he belongs there. Charming everyone at a family barbeque like he’d known them his whole life.

  Natalie is sitting with Alex.

  She’s made a point of coming by every week. She told Alex she wants to see more of him. She asks him more questions. About his work. About how he manages aspects of his life in relation to what he knows about how his brain works. She talks to him more openly, more confidingly. Sometimes, he responds in kind; sometimes, he does not. Sometimes, he drifts off and plays with his figurines.

  Upeksha and Ravi are quietly delighted. Their house is filled with laughter more on the days Natalie comes to see Alex. Even on the days he’s not receptive to company, Natalie stays with them and chats. To them, she seems less on edge and more accepting than she has her entire life.

  When he’s in town, Griffin accompanies Natalie, and they approve of his commitment to family time. They suspect, rightly, that Natalie’s softening—toward them, toward life in general—has something to do with him. Sometimes, she even brings Eloise, and secretly they hope that Eloise might fall in love with Alex. It’s far-fetched, they know that. But they hope for it anyway.

  Now, Griffin plates up their steaks, remembering that Ravi likes his blue, and Upeksha likes hers without a hint of blood. He tops up their glasses, and they swoon at his thoughtfulness. While Natalie rolls her eyes at his failure to multi-task, he will always stop what he is doing to really listen, even to them, and they adore him.

  Everyone converges around the outside table.

  “To Letitia,” Natalie says, raising her glass, as she always does at these get-togethers. They clink glasses.

  Later, getting ready to leave, Natalie is taking her empty Tupperware back to the car. Though Upeksha had protested, Natalie had bought the steaks, marinated them, and brought along her favourite salads.

  She’s changing their dance, just a little bit.

  Grant is
taking things out of his ute. He stops and stares at her, his lip curling in distaste.

  “Fucking wogs,” he mutters under his breath.

  He still can’t get his racist slurs right.

  He looks like he’s about to say something else, but then Griffin appears with more Tupperware. Loaded up with leftovers this time.

  “Your mum insisted,” he says. Natalie rolls her eyes.

  She glances back toward Grant, curious, but he ducks his head down, pretending to look for something in the ute. More of the same, Natalie thinks to herself.

  To her surprise, it doesn’t affect her the way it usually does.

  Griffin shuts their boot, and takes Natalie’s hand.

  He kisses her gently on the lips.

  Then they walk together inside, to say their goodbyes.

  I hope you enjoyed Ruined! If you like my writing, I’d love for you to join me for The Lost Boy, book #2 in this standalone series. It’s available for pre-order now.

  May I ask a small favour? I would so greatly appreciate it if you could leave me a review for Ruined. Reviews help readers to discover books they will enjoy, and are super important for independent authors. It only needs to be a line or two, to help others decide if they too would enjoy this book. I read all my reviews, and I would be so grateful x.

  Also, grab yourself a free copy of Perfect, available exclusively to my newsletter subscribers >> www.samcewen.com. You can read what readers are saying about it here.

  And finally, if you’d like to read a bonus chapter for Ruined, please have a look here!

  Book #2 Coming Soon

  Available to preorder

  The Lost Boy

  In a quiet Melbourne suburb, a young boy vanishes from his front yard without a trace.

  Thrust into the limelight, his seemingly happily married parents start to unravel. The more time that elapses with no leads, the more public opinion starts to swing from sympathy to suspicion, and the image of the perfect family starts to crack under the increasing scrutiny of the media and the police.

  Wolfie's mother, Olivia, knows better than anyone that even the happiest-looking families harbour secrets.

  And sometimes the nightmare is closer than you think.

  Pre-order on all platforms >> www.samcewen.com/coming-soon

  Exclusive free novel for my subscribers

  PERFECT

  Praise for PERFECT

  “Great story, complex characters...amazing, gritty and emotionally charged.” Book-Lover Book Blog

  “It’s rare to read a romance that does intrigue so well and has such unforeseen plot twists.” Amazon review

  “…a haunting romantic thriller.” Amazon review

  “…entertaining, captivating and…sexy read. I could not put it down. Wonderfully written with strong, intriguing characters.” Amazon review

  “Sexy and full of suspense, PERFECT is a complex and layered story about love, family and our perceptions about ourselves. I was sucked into it from page one.” Saffron A. Kent, Amazon Bestselling Author

  “This book is oh, so entertaining. Not an easy, relaxed read. But…pay attention and enjoy. It is so well written and clever. I highly recommend.” Amazon review

  “…a breathtaking read. You will love all the suspense and angst this thrilling read has to offer. Go one click today.” Amazon review

  “…surprisingly and pleasantly different from the “norm”. This author was able to successfully weave romance, suspense, angst, turmoil, love and sex…a really good read that kept me on the edge of my seat.” Amazon review

  “Wow! Loved this book! …kept me captivated from the first to the last page. No ones life is perfect…the author did a wonderful job portraying the complex thoughts we all have trying to be our best.” Amazon review

  “What an interesting read! Well presented storyline; characters that kept you guessing; some creepy twists and turns with lots of the unexpected…If you like books a bit off kilter…Perfect by Fen Wilde belongs on your TBR Lust.” Goodreads review

  “Perfect! There isn't one thing I didn't like about this book...” My Girlfriend's Couch Blog

  “This was a wholly original book...Ben is a kind, warm and emotive soul who balances out Ada's frosty exterior.... his character was a great at exposing the fun and carefree side to her character. Their scenes and interactions together were beautifully constructed and filled with chemistry and passion.” Bubbles The Book Pimp

  “This amazing book is so very well written. It is always surprising the things that a person can withstand and the heart can cope with.” Goodreads review

  Blurb for PERFECT

  Two years ago, perfect Ada Cosgrove made one mistake—and narrowly escaped with her life.

  Gorgeous, clever, and the editor of the sexiest magazine on the racks, she dealt with it in her usual efficient, solitary manner—then carried on as she always had. Working hard, following the rules, and winning at everything she turned her hand to.

  Mistakes weren’t part of her identity, and she didn’t care to linger on—or share—the nightmarish details.

  Except now, threatening letters start appearing.

  Someone knows something they shouldn’t.

  And in trying to work out if she’s in danger, Ada is forced to relive that night and question everything she’s worked so hard for.

  Did she really leave the menace behind her that night?

  Trying desperately to understand her past, she unearths more secrets than she bargained for…but they just might be the truths she needs to save herself.

  A dark, sexy suspense that has it all—complex characters, family drama, and endless intrigue.

  *Please note this novel contains dark themes and some mild taboo and sexual content. 18+.

  Grab your free copy by signing up for my newsletter here >> www.samcewen.com

  Note from the author

  I’m acutely aware of the danger of cultural appropriation in trying to tell a story like this. For those wondering, yes, I consulted with someone with Sri Lankan heritage for this book, though this book is more about a broader refugee experience than about Tamil or Sinhalese people or their history and struggles.

  Likewise, I consulted with a working escort for this book. Natalie offers only one very privileged perspective of sex work. Sex workers are as variable as workers in any profession. Some hate their job, some love it, some can pick and choose their clientele, and some need to take any work to survive. You probably know a sex worker or two, without knowing their profession. They’re people, just like everybody else. So be an ally. Vote for decriminalisation. Dehumanising sex workers is a slippery slope for human rights.

  Finally, I feel acutely how lucky I am to have been born in Australia. And it is just that—luck. Refugees are you and me, with worse luck. We can never know the choices we would make under the circumstances that they face.

  I love Glennon Doyle’s phrase “there is no such thing as other people’s children.” Alan Kurdi, and every other child refugee, were and are our children, just unlucky enough to be born somewhere not safe for them to stay. It is beyond devastating to me that we are not protecting them.

  I wanted to write a story to honour that.

  A note about sex work

  Please also note that ‘sex worker’ is the preferred title. The word prostitute is dehumanising and thus can be dangerous for sex workers. It is used in this novel in certain contexts as the killer is dehumanising his victims, and it is likely the term that he would use.

  It is also offensive to refer to a sex worker as a whore. Workers may refer to themselves in this manner, but people outside the work cannot without causing offense.

  This novel portrays the work of only one way of working in the sex industry. It is that of a very privileged worker who is able to pick and choose her clientele, and avoid some of the more dangerous and dehumanising aspects of the work. It is in no way intended to represent all sex workers, in particular workers of colour. Though I have hinted at
the impact of race on sex workers, that is a whole other topic beyond the scope of this book.

  Bonus chapter

  I wrote an extra chapter for this book that didn’t really fit anywhere. It’s a short sweet little interlude featuring Natalie and Aaron.

  If you’d like to read this chapter, please head over to my website:

  http://www.samcewen.com/bonus-chapter-ruined/ and enter the password Natalieandaaron.

  Acknowledgments

  To Stephanie—thank you. I am in awe of you every day. I am so proud and feel so lucky to call you my friend.

  To Sarah—thank you. Your wise words, your sharp wit, your amazing insight and your willingness to read my half-baked drafts have made this book so much better. I’m so sorry I keep failing to deliver you the romance I keep promising.

  To Justin—thank you. Your feedback meant so much to me. Really, really, a lot. You have no idea. Even if I left in the dodgy romance lines ;)

  Thank you to The Tension Dilemma - http://thetensiondilemma.com/ for the use of some content. For anyone wanting more insight into how to be a better ally to women of colour, read this blog.

  To E—for the insights about sex work. Thank you.

  To Catherine Deveny—thank you for taking the time to read my draft, meet me to chat and provide such a thoughtful overview. You helped me to see the bigger picture and gave me the courage to not try to fit this story into a box. And, of course, thanks again for Gunnas (and the omelette mix), a truly fabulous class.