“London came to me yesterday. Nick, her ex, contacted her about your marriage. He threatened you all, including Kelly. London wanted to keep it from you because of everything else you have to deal with, but if it were my woman, I’d want to know.”
Anger flashed through me. “Threatened her how?”
Ramsay pulled out his phone, tapped the screen a few times, and held it up.
You think you don’t belong to me because you married one of those morons from Bumfuck Island?
He thinks he can touch what’s mine?
He touches you again and you’re both dead.
Maybe I’ll come for his daughter first.
Don’t get comfortable. Someone will be investigating this sham of a fucking marriage very soon.
My hand clenched tightly around the phone. Then it hit me that London had been dealing with this threat on her own. She hadn’t said a word to me. “Is she all right?”
“She’s scared.”
“I want to kill him. He threatened Kelly too.”
“I’m dealing with it.” Ramsay pried his phone out of my fingers. “I just wanted you to know.”
“I’m her husband. I should deal with it.”
“I have contacts who can permanently extract Nick Huston from London’s life,” Ramsay offered without arrogance. “The best you can do is let London know she’s not alone. That you can carry the weight of her burdens too.”
“I thought I’d done that.” I considered the song link I’d sent her earlier. My way of communicating with her that felt easier to navigate than conversation right now. “I’ll talk to her. You don’t mind if I tell her you told me about Nick?”
“Go for it.”
A while later, I got back into my Discovery to return to the office to update Fraser. Ramsay promised to contact the detectives immediately, so hopefully we’d have word soon. As I crossed the causeway, my phone vibrated in my pocket. Fifteen minutes later, I pulled the SUV to a stop outside my company offices and checked my mobile.
There was a text from London with a link to a song.
This was me until you sent that song. Thank you.
The song link was Lord Huron’s “Meet Me in the Woods.”
I knew that song by heart.
Despite the conversation we needed to have, relief soothed my agitation. I’d sent the song because I needed London to see herself how I saw her. Not as some lost woman full of regrets but as someone who had come out of something dark, changed for the better, not the worse.
And I was beyond gratified my message got through.
I texted her the song link to “Hallelujah,”and as I walked into the office, my phone beeped. London had replied with the laughter emoji.
It was amazing. I had all this darkness in my life, but a text with a laughter emoji from London Wetherspoon had reminded me my life was filled with more light than dark.
24.London
Iknew I’d find Kelly with her grandmother. She wasn’t enrolled to start at the high school until Monday, so while her friends were occupied with classes, Fiona was watching over her.
Murray’s mom was surprised to see me on her doorstep. I’d gotten the address from Cammie who seemed to know where everyone and their mothers lived on Glenvulin.
“I thought I’d pick up Kelly and take her home. Save you the trip.” My heart banged against my chest as I waited for Fiona to react.
Maybe she saw my sincerity because her expression softened and she stepped back, gesturing me inside. “Come in.”
