Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
My stomach was in knots as I waited for Mum to arrive. Mum liked to play tough, but seeing Imogen like this would really hurt her.
“Mum will be here soon,” I told Imogen probably for the thousandth time that day. I never received the slightest reaction from her, but at least she’d been stable the last few days. No more scary incidents. Maybe with Mum being here, Imogen would finally improve.
The door opened and Mum poked her head in. Our eyes met and mine filled with tears right away. I’d been overly emotional all day. She gave me a small smile and stepped inside then froze upon seeing Imogen. Her face was completely stiff, and she slowly closed the door but didn’t come closer.
She’d lost weight. Her jeans and leather jacket hung from her body. She swallowed, squared her shoulders, and strode over to me. I stood and half fell into her arms. I started sobbing, unable to restrain myself. Mum patted my back.
“It’ll be all right, Aislinn. I’m here now. We’ll handle this like we’ve handled all the shit thrown at us over the years.”
I pulled away, nodded, and wiped away my tears. Mum bent over Imogen and stroked her cheek with her knuckles. “You have a bright future ahead of you, Imogen. I can feel it. You just have to find the strength within yourself.”
She leaned down and kissed Imogen’s temple, and I had to wipe my eyes again. Mum sank down onto the chair I’d set up beside mine and took my sister’s hand. For a while we sat in silence. Mum needed to get a grip. I could see it in the tight set of her jaw. She didn’t want to cry. “This wasn’t an accident, was it?”
I shook my head. With Mum looking directly into my eyes, I couldn’t lie anymore. She deserved the truth no matter how painful.
“Do they know who did this to her?”
I assumed she was referring to Lorcan but I wasn’t sure. The answer was the same either way. I shook my head. “Probably someone with connections to the Russian mafia, but Imogen got on the person’s yacht in the Caribbean on a whim. It’s difficult to get information. Lorcan is trying his best.”
“I assume he has more effective ways to gather information than the police.”
“He’s doing what he can. I know you don’t like me being back with him, but you should see him with Finn. I’ve never seen Finn so happy and carefree.”
Mum narrowed her eyes in consideration. “So this is about Finn. You feel responsible to give him a father figure? That isn’t your job, Aislinn.”
“I know, and it’s not the only reason why I changed my mind about Lorcan. But him being good with Finn shows me that he isn’t just a bad guy, at least not with family.”
“What is it about him then?”
I liked being around Lorcan. He made me feel like not all responsibility rested on my shoulders. I knew he had my back. He had a dark sense of humor that I appreciated. I liked his thoughts about family and marriage. And the sex …it was absolutely mind-blowing.
“If this is just about scratching an itch after Patrick cheated on you, then there are easier ways to get laid, Aislinn.”
My eyes grew wide. Mum had never talked this openly to me. I knew she could be like that because customers in Merchant’s Arch had told me, but around Imogen and me, she’d always been a strict Mum.
“That’s not why I changed my mind about Lorcan.” I had no plans of discussing my sex life with Mum now. Just the idea made me feel like throwing up.
Mum sighed. “You’re an adult. You have to make your own decisions, even if I want to protect you. We all have to learn from our mistakes.”
“Did you?” I asked, then bit my lip in guilt.
Mum was still bitter about the past and that bitterness stopped her from enjoying the present. She looked at Imogen, avoiding my gaze.
“I didn’t want you and Imogen to meet a new father-figure every other year. That’s why I never dated. I wanted to give you consistency.”
“But Imogen and I have been old enough to handle a man at your side for a while now.”
Mum shrugged. “I guess I’m too jaded.”
“That’s what I thought about myself.”
Mum snorted. “You’re just a babe.”
“And you’re not an old hawk so stop acting like one.”
Mum stroked Imogen’s hand. “Now isn’t the time.”
Mum stayed in New York for ten days but Imogen’s state hadn’t changed in the slightest, and the doctors gave us little hope that it would be any different in the foreseeable future. Mum had bills to pay and wanted to resume working, so she couldn’t stay any longer. Not to mention she wanted to avoid being around Lorcan as much as possible, and with Finn being Lorcan’s biggest fan that proved really difficult.