Chapter 10
S ettling into a new normal with Jonathan was surprisingly easy. He’s made a point of having breakfast and dinner together, using the time to talk about our days and getting to know each other. From swapping simple things like our favourite coffee order—a plain black coffee for him, an iced caramel latte for me—to sharing how he never moved on from Mum, which explained why he remained a bachelor at forty-five, despite the pressure to provide the Four Points with a future leader.
Following the smell of freshly brewed coffee, I enter the kitchen and find Jonathan seated at the breakfast bar, coffee cup and newspaper in hand. I steel myself to ask the question that has been tormenting me, the one I’ve been too afraid to voice.
“Morning, sweetheart, there’s coffee in the pot,” he says, turning to face me with a welcoming smile. But it slowly fades as he notices my hesitation, standing frozen in the doorway like a guest, even though I’ve been living here for a week. The revelation that he remains so deeply in love with Mum after their whirlwind romance, never even considering another relationship, speaks volumes not just about his love for her but for his character as well. But I still can’t understand how he could watch from the sidelines as Abbie and Owen helped me bury her without stepping forward to help.
“Why now? Why not step up when she died? And if you really were keeping watch over us, how could you let her die?” The words are like a grenade between us but I can’t help but ask. I need the answers more than I need my next breath.
“Cora, if I could have put myself between her and the truck that took her out, I would have. What happened that day made me double down on my desire to protect you to the best of my ability, I thought I was doing the right thing. I can see now I fucked up.” He approaches me and takes hold of my hands, continuing, “Unfortunately at the last Table meeting—”
“Table meeting?”
“Essentially, it’s a meeting where all the leaders of the different factions gather in one place to discuss issues in a controlled environment, reducing the risk of war. These meetings happen quarterly, and we rotate the hosting duties to keep things fair. This last time, it was Angus’s turn to host. Once we were all disarmed and seated, he unexpectedly opened fire. It could have turned into a bloodbath if it weren’t for his son, Logan, who managed to sneak up and choke him out before he could do any real damage. After that incident, I had the Finlay brothers watch over you full-time and well…” He trails off, leaving me to absorb the shock of just how unstable this crazy motherfucker is—definitely not someone I want to encounter in a dark alley.
“Here we are, with me as your houseguest and you going behind my back to arrange getting me out of here for a few hours.” Seeing a man with as much power as him scramble for an excuse will never not be funny.
“Staying cooped up here isn’t healthy, Cora. You haven’t so much as explored the building, and your friends are worried. Hell, I’m worried. Go, enjoy, and save me a few grey hairs, yeah? I’m too young to pull off the silver fox look,” he says, handing me a credit card.
* * *
Pulling into the underground parking lot of the shopping centre Abbie had picked out, I spot her baby blue Fiat 500 easily amongst the sea of black, red and white cars. Pointing it out to Liam results in a constant stream of grumbles about how reckless her car choice and lack of security are as he parks his SUV.
“What’s Jack thinking? That car is a walking talking safety hazard.”
“Not everyone needs a team of grumpy, snarky and flirty bodyguards,” I toss over my shoulder as I hop out of the car and leave them to fight over the labels I’d just given them, only to face off an angry redhead glaring at me with folded arms.
“Girl, you can’t just go radio silent on me for a week. That shit was torture,” she reprimands me.
“I didn’t even think you’d notice,” I tease with a laugh as I pull her into a hug before linking arms with her and following Aidan and Cole into the shopping centre with Liam behind us. Despite being lured here by the promise of new books, Abbie leads the way to do some clothes shopping first since in her words, “Now that you’re the head of the mafia’s daughter, you’re going to need a wardrobe fitting for that.”
We try everything from formal dresses to casual wear to a few blouses and skirts fit for office wear. Apparently, when Abbie said I needed a new wardrobe she meant that literally.
“Wait, hold on, let’s go in here for a second.”
“Abbie, what are you doing,” I hiss as she starts piling things into the basket she gave to Cole.
“Girl, I’ve seen your underwear drawer. One of the first steps after a breakup should be getting a whole new supply especially if there’s a new guy on the horizon.” She quirks her eyebrow at me, green eyes looking more mischievous than ever as Cole stifles a laugh.
“New guy? Babe, please. As if I have the mental bandwidth for that right now,” I tell her before whirling around to Cole, narrowing my eyes at him. “You close your eyes and ears while we’re here or I’ll tell Jonathan you saw my underwear.” His face pales, and I smirk .
After trying various lingerie on and deciding on a few, I call out, “Can you take these to the till and I’ll be out in a second?” “Yeah, meet you out front when you’re done.” With that, she leaves and closes the door. As I’m wiggling back into my jeans, a loud bang makes me jerk back just as the changing room door bursts open. A bulky guy with a mask and a dark hoodie storms in.
Oh hell no. I am not getting attacked today. Fuck that.
With a grunt, I launch one of my shoes at his head as I scramble to cover myself and think of a way out of here, but before I can reach for my things, he charges, slamming me against the glass mirror.
I wince and gasp at the impact, struggling to breathe, but manage to knee him in the balls. He curses but doesn’t budge. Just as I start to scream, he clamps his hand over my mouth and pinches my nose shut at the same time. Panic sets in as I realise this fucker is trying to suffocate or knock me out. I flail desperately, trying to dislodge him, but the lack of oxygen makes my head fuzzy. As darkness creeps in, the last thing I see is the glint of his signet ring in the light.