Page 81 of Restitution

I stiffen at his use of the past tense, letting go of his shoulder and stepping back. “Make sure you have eyes on you and your family wherever you go. I’ll let you know if there are any changes.” I nod to the house. “Go rest, then take one of the cars.”

Barry gives me a quick nod and pulls his earpiece out, yanking the black box from his waistband and disconnecting the wire as he walks back to the manor.

He looks over his shoulder and raises a hand in farewell, and I do the same before he vanishes inside. It’s three in the morning, but every light is on. Mum is sitting on the porch steps with a glass of wine, looking more drained with every minute that passes.

Ewan reported Bernadette, and, shock, there was no evidence to prove anything. Barry checked Police Scotland’s records, and all he found was a closed file that noted Jason McElroy had been found deceased. His death is marked as unexplained but not to be investigated.

That’s fine. Keeps the heat off my back.

Mum’s eyes land on me as she takes a large gulp of wine. She’s been drinking. She’s never drunk, but she’s not exactly sober either.

“The doctor said you’ve to rest as much as possible,” she says, her eyes sunken from nights spent staying awake and crying. “You should sleep.”

I fidget with the joint between my fingers. She’s not yelling at meto throw it away – she’s definitely not doing good. “So should you.”

She smiles and takes another drink as I sit down beside her, resting her chin on her palm and staring off into the silent and steady waters of the loch. Dazed. Tired. Heartbroken.

“I take it the movie’s finished?” I ask, gaining her attention again.

“Yeah,” she says blankly.

“You know he’ll be okay, don’t you? Dad can handle himself.”

Her smile is fake. “I hope so.”

For a minute, I sit with her in comfortable silence before I walk over to the pool house. It’s the only place I can get some peace given the number of guards Barry’s brought in.

We have patrols all over the manor. All armed. All standing around inside and outside. Watching. Waiting. It’ll not be long before Bernadette strikes again, but we’ll be ready. I’ll be ready. Not shacked up in my bedroom while she singlehandedly ruins my family in one breath.

I abruptly and harshly blink multiple times, then screw my eyes shut to stop myself. I sit down on the edge of the drained pool, my legs dangling over the side as I pull my lighter back out to try relighting my joint.

It takes me five tries with my unsteady hands to spark a flame, and I inhale deeply, until my lungs burn more than the thoughts running rampant in my mind.

Dirty.

Pathetic.

Useless.

You were raped by men and women.

Your dad is going through it all now.

And your brother is dead because of you.

26

KADE

Idrop my head and keep my eyes closed, focusing on the one thing keeping me stable, keeping me on this side of the fucking world of sanity.

Revenge.

My dad thinks he’s a hero for swapping with me, but he’s wrong. Bernadette is evil and vile, though her connections are worse. His emotions have been carefully learned over years of studying and therapy, so he can just shut them off. He won’t follow her rules or allow her to abuse him like she did me.

He won’t hesitate to snap her neck if she tries to force him into anything. Maybe he already has and that’s why she’s been a ghost?

He’ll survive through violence, not the pressureof keeping his family safe, because he isn’t wired that way. He’s impulsive and dangerous. Un-fucking-hinged.