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‘No.’
‘Tell me what’s happened.’ His shrug in response set my nerves on edge.
‘Logan is heading toward the meeting room if you want to catch him.’ He was throwing me a bone. If he couldn’t tell me what was happening, I’d sure as hell force it out of Logan.
His longer legs carried him quicker than me, but I caught up with him without having to break into a full run as he reached the ornate door to the meeting room.
‘Logan, what’s going on?’
‘I’ll fill you in later... I need to head up this meeting.’ Tension marred his face. He already looked five years older than he had a few months ago.
‘Like hell you will. This must be something big, and I’ll be damned if I’m the last person to find out about it.’
He ran a hand through his hair while he let a guy pass him and go into the room beyond.
‘Please?’ I asked, touching his arm. ‘Don’t freeze me out.’
With a deep breath and a hard stare, I thought he was going to dismiss me once more, but his shoulders dropped as he gave in. ‘It’s Mac. The Thompsons have him.’
With that one sentence it was like someone had wrapped me in ice, unable to move, yet inside it was like every part of me burned with white furious rage. I could not lose another brother to those fuckers. I would not lose Mac.
‘I’ll kill them,’ I whispered.
‘You won’t. But I might.’
‘Are you planning to go there? Is this what this is about? I thought he was trying to make peace?’ My words were a flurry, a quick tumble of thoughts.
‘Not exactly. He’s sent a messenger. He’s due to arrive soon.’
‘I’m coming in.’
‘No, you’re not. You know the rules.’
‘Logan, so help me god, if you try to stop me I will go over there right now.’
‘Don’t be a twat, you’d get yourself killed.’
‘All the more reason to let me in. He’s my brother too.’
Logan groaned, but relented, holding the door open and letting me pass through. ‘Fine, but stay at the back and keep your emotions out of it. Keep quiet and don’t make me regret it.’
I slipped into the room, with its wood-panelled walls and elaborate hung chandeliers. It had once served as a dining room to entertain guests who really needed impressing. The mansion was old, built long before even the industrial revolution turned Glasgow into a thriving city. I often wondered about the former owners. Maybe they were movie stars of the forties or from old money, with ancestors spilling back into the country’s ruling history. Or maybe they made their money from illicit means too. The atmosphere was thick with testosterone and barely contained anger, perhaps even excitement. A lot of the men gathered hadn’t been brought up like we had, in the lap of ill-gotten luxury. Many had seen prison time, had come from shitty parts of the city where education was poor and crime was an appealing career choice. But they were loyal. Fiercely so. My Dad had been as firm with them as he was with us, but the hierarchy worked well with so many of them. They wanted to belong.
There were no windows in the room, placed as it was in the centre of the home, but there were curtain lined alcoves along two of the walls to help the room echo less. I tucked myself into one and leaned back against the soft fabric. A few eyes glanced my way, the odd eyebrow lifting in a surprised salute. They all knew better than to challenge my brothers publicly, though.
Logan and Ewen took their places, Logan at the top of the table next to Dad’s vacant seat. It was a customary reminder that he was an acting boss, and that Dad was still alive.
He spoke with a cool, level tone, though his tight posture gave away his inner turmoil.
‘As many of you will have heard, Harold Thompson has taken Mac.’
A murmur broke out amongst the gathered men until Logan lifted a hand to silence them.
‘We believe this is in retaliation for Esther’s reneging on the wedding agreement, although we had been trying to work out an alternative deal to calm the situation.’
My palms became increasingly more clammy as he spoke. The thought of Mac being held by those monsters made me want to march over there and demand answers.
‘A representative of the Thompson family will be with us shortly to enlighten us about their demands.’
