Down London Road

tenderness in his eyes, the honesty I’d known from him, our laughter, searching hands that couldn’t seem to get through a day without feeling my body beneath them …
    Blair coming back into Cam’s life was a problem for me. However, it had never been because I was worried he would do something so callous as cheat on me with her. Yes, I had worried that he’d leave me for her, but I never believed he would cut me like that. I’d
trusted
that he would never cut me like that. Did that trust still exist? I searched his face for the answer.
    No. Cam would never cut me like that.
    Something in his gaze shifted as he recognized my realization and he sighed.
    There she is.
    I pinned him with a look that told him he wasn’t off the hook just yet. ‘We still need to talk.’
    He nodded, his gaze flickering to my mouth. His own lips thinned, a hard glitter entering his expression at the sight of my bruised and swollen lip.
    ‘Does anyone else know what just happened here?’ Mick asked impatiently.
    Joss grunted. ‘I think Jo just said she believes Cam didn’t sleep with this Blair chick.’
    Braden grumbled, ‘If only you were that intuitive about our relationship.’
    She glowered at him. ‘If I wasn’t so damn worried about you going off to face this guy, I might just dump your ass.’
    I raised an eyebrow, looking over my shoulder at her fiancé. Braden narrowed his eyes and I watched another silent conversation unfold. Whatever he said in it made her squirm.
    ‘Och, enough of this,’ Mick groused cantankerously as he wrenched open the hotel door and stormed out, followed by Braden. Cam gave me one more meaningful, soulful look before he disappeared behind them.
    My stomach flipped as I thought about what they were going to do.
    Another cab ride took Joss, Olivia and me back to the flat. Although I was exhausted, I was awake enough to shoot the door to Cam’s flat a glare so ferocious it was a wonder flames didn’t erupt from the doorstep and devour it with the heat of my anger.
    ‘He explained everything to me and Dad,’ Olivia suddenly said, obviously catching my look. ‘You need to talk to him.’
    ‘She doesn’t need to do anything but rest right now,’ Joss insisted softly, taking my keys out of my purse as we climbed the steps to my flat.
    ‘It’s okay,’ I muttered. ‘I believe him. Seeing
her
was ashock, I didn’t think clearly … but Cam wouldn’t do that to me. Still doesn’t mean he isn’t
thinking
about doing it, though.’
    ‘He’s not,’ Olivia assured me, but I was too weary to listen.
    We tried to be quiet as I settled on the couch with Olivia while Joss made us all a cup of tea, but I heard Cole’s door open nevertheless. I closed my eyes, drawing in a deep breath.
    ‘What’s going on?’ I heard him ask, obviously talking to Joss.
    She whispered something to him and the next thing I heard was his light footsteps across the hardwood floor.
    ‘What the hell?’
    My eyes flew open to find Cole standing over me in his pyjamas. His eyes were wide and frightened as they took in my face, and just like that he was a wee boy again. ‘I’m okay.’ I attempted to reassure him, stifling a flinch of pain as I reached for his hand and dragged him down beside me.
    The fear began to melt out of his eyes, to be replaced by something that was all too familiar tonight: the promise of male retribution.
    ‘Who did it?’
    Despite all the crap that had happened in the last twenty-four hours I was starting to feel rather loved, given all this anger and bristling on my behalf. ‘Dad,’ I answered honestly, having already decided I wasn’t keeping this from him.
    I told him everything. And not just about tonight.Bracing myself, I confessed to all three of them of my dad’s abuse when I was young.
    The last word had spilled from my mouth minutes before and still no one had said anything. We sat in the living room in a heavy silence. My stomach churned as I awaited my brother’s response.
    Joss was the first to speak up. ‘Well, now I hope Mick kills the swine.’
    ‘You don’t mean that,’ I muttered.
    ‘Doesn’t she?’ Olivia asked, surprising me with her anger. She was always so laid-back. ‘People can be … well, they can be wonderful. And sometimes, unfortunately, they can be monsters we hide from inside our homes. We worry that those monsters will find their way inside. We’re not supposed to fear that they already
are
inside. Your mom and dad are supposed to protect