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Chapter Sixteen
MAC
“Jesus, Ace, can’t it wait?” I pull a sheet over us to hide Raven’s naked body.
“No. Ru—” he begins.
“Get the fuck up right now,” yells a voice from behind him. I lock eyes with Ruby as she storms in like a raging bull. “We need to talk.” Raven rolls from me, taking some of the sheet.
“Do yah think you could wait outside and let me dress?” I snap. I’m in shock, nothing ever gets under my skin, but seeing Ruby here rattles the hell out of me. How the fuck did she find me? Everyone was sworn to secrecy. My brothers back home in Nottingham would never have given me up like that. Not because they owed me any loyalty, but because they were glad to see the back of me. Most of them made it pretty clear their loyalties were with my twin, even after his death.
“It’s not like I haven’t seen it all before,” mutters Ruby before stepping out with Ace.
I grab my jeans and pull them on, keeping my back to Raven. “How the hell did she find me?” I mutter, more to myself than her.
“I’m sure she just wants to clear the air so you can both move on,” says Raven.
“She’s here to rake up shit that I wanna forget. I came here for a fresh start. She needed that too.”
“Maybe she’s hurting and needs closure,” she suggests.
I groan and bury my head in my hands. Just when things were going well. Raven kneels behind me and rests her head against my shoulder. “Just talk to her. She’s obviously in pain. Some things need to be settled face to face.”
“You don’t get it,” I mutter.
“She just sounded so hurt, like she needed to see you to get things straight in her head.”
I frown, pulling away slightly to look at her. Her eyes widen and her mouth opens like she’s about to talk but nothing comes out. “What are you talking about?”
“When . . . erm, when she texted you. When you showed me her texts.”
“You hardly looked at my phone when I showed you those.” Her expression fills with guilt. “Unless you’d already read her messages?” I add. She doesn’t respond. Instead, her cheeks flush pink and she looks away. “Raven?”
“Oh god,” she mutters. “Okay, I checked your phone and I feel so bad for it. I just wanted to know who was texting, in case it was urgent.” She sighs, shaking her head. “That’s a lie. I was checking your phone to see what she wanted.”
“Raven, you don’t have to sneak around checking up on me. If you wanted to see it, you could have asked.”
“I know. I felt awful when you showed me earlier. I’m so sorry. You avoid talking about her, and I was curious when she kept texting you.”
I’m not mad at her for being curious. She’s been through a lot, and I don’t blame her for not trusting men. I pull her in to kiss her. “I texted her back,” she whispers, and my lips freeze inches from hers. “I am so sorry, Mac.”
I pull back, staring in disbelief. “You told her where I was?” She nods, and I stand, feeling the sting of her betrayal. “Why would you do that? You know nothing about my situation with her.”
“I felt like she was hurting badly, and I could relate to that, so I was trying to help. I thought if you’d just see her and explain—”
“Explain!” I yell, taking her by surprise. “Explain what? You don’t know what happened! You can’t make that decision without the facts!”
A tear leaks from the corner of her eye. “I thought I was helping, like you helped me.”
“Bullshit. I’ve done nothing but be patient and kind to you, and this is how you repay me? By contacting the one person you knew I was avoiding without knowing any of the facts. You’ve just made my life so much worse, Raven. You have no idea what you’ve done.”
The door opens, and Ruby stands there. “Can you have your domestic another time? I’ve been waiting months for this.”
“You shouldn’t have come,” I snap.
Ruby smirks. “That would suit you, wouldn’t it, Mac? That way, I couldn’t come here and tip your life upside down like you did mine.” Her eyes land on Raven and she arches a brow. “So, this is the one you’ve met?”
Raven stares down, and Ruby places her hands on her hips. “You know he’s a fucking two-timing cheat? It won’t be long before he’s ripping your heart out and running out the door.” I groan. Raven’s head snaps up to look at me. “Oh darling, he’s been keeping so much from you.” I grab Ruby by the arm and march her from the room as she laughs. It’s the reaction she was hoping for as I push her along the passage towards my room. “How serious are you two?” she asks, still looking amused.
