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‘Oh yum.’
Mum carried in a tray of tea and coffee.
After taking a bite, Greg looked at my Dad. ‘Dennis, this is truly the best cake I’ve ever had – and I have a real weakness for cake. It’s excellent.’
Dad gave a pleased smile. ‘You wouldn’t know you’re a cake man,’ he said, eyeing Greg’s muscles. ‘You look more like a chicken-and-rice guy.’
Greg shrugged. ‘Everything in moderation – except this cake. You can give me this cake in excess.’ Dad looked chuffed. Score one for Greg.
‘Kiss-ass,’ Ben muttered under a cough, but he shot Greg a grin so he’d know he was teasing.
‘Only when she asks nicely,’ Greg rebutted mildly, making Ben spit his tea everywhere. I burst out laughing.
As always, Greg had been right: this was exactly what I’d needed.
Chapter 7
Saying goodbye to Mum and Dad was hard. I was still thinking of Maria and Luca and, by the way that my mum clung to me, she was thinking the same.
I’d told her over the phone that I’d found out that my birth mother and father had died, but we hadn’t had the chance to discuss it in person. After all the smiles and much-needed laughter over lunch, I suddenly wasn’t eager to bring them up but I felt their presence, like spectres haunting me.
I hugged Mum harder and she kissed me on the forehead. ‘All right, baby girl?’ she whispered.
Not in the slightest. I longed to tell her the truth, to tell her about the two men who had died on my land, to tell her about the crown that sat oh-so-heavily on my head. But instead I simply nodded and summoned a weak smile. ‘Getting there.’ I paused. ‘I’m glad I have Greg.’
She smiled brightly, warmth filling her eyes. ‘I’m glad you have Greg, too. He gives off such a supportive vibe, like he’d do anything for you.’ She grinned. ‘If anyone did blackmail you over porn videos, he’d definitely help me bury the bodies.’ She winked. ‘I approve.’
I groaned. ‘Will you ever let the porn thing go? There are no videos, it was just a silly question.’
She gave a ‘humph’, but she was still smiling at me. ‘It’s nice to see you looking so strong in yourself, Lucy.’
I felt more than a prickle of guilt. She’d visited me 24/7 when I’d been dying, but since my miraculous healing I’d worried about lying to her face and put off seeing her. I’d called lots, but there was no substitute for being in the same room. You couldn’t hug like this through a video call and for whatever reason – possibly the two dead bodies and the crown – I’d really needed that hug.
When Mum finally released me, it was Dad’s turn. ‘Don’t be a stranger,’ he said and his words held a note of chastisement.
I took it on the chin and nodded. ‘No, sir,’ I teased.
‘Your mother has missed you a lot,’ he said gruffly. ‘And so have I, Lucy Caboosy.’
The old nickname made heat spring to my eyes. No matter what was going on in my life, I could rely on my mum and dad. Thank goodness.
Dad gave me one last squeeze then drew back and handed me a big cake box. ‘Take the rest of the cake home for the residents of your fancy mansion. Lord knows, I can’t eat it all.’ He patted his slightly rounded tummy. ‘I know you said to your mother that you were struggling to make friends. Cake always works.’
I suddenly thought of the trays of cookies that Finley had carted in the previous night; maybe he had reached the same conclusion. He’d been a loner before he joined us. I needed to speak to him properly and check he was settling into pack life.
Ben and Pollyanna were staying the night in my parents’ guest room, but my brother got up to say goodbye. ‘Smell you later,’ he whispered into my hair as he hugged me far too tightly. I nodded against the crook of his neck. When we pulled back, he spotted the tears in my eyes and his own filled. ‘I’m really glad you’re not dead,’ he said bluntly, startling a laugh out of me.
‘Me too, bro. Me too.’
He slugged me on the shoulder.
Greg was waiting in the car, giving me some privacy to say my goodbyes. The engine was already running, ready to take us back to pack drama. His eyes lit up as I slid in with enough cake to feed an army. ‘Dad says we can share the cake with the others,’ I told him.
He snorted. ‘Fuck that. That cake is for us. That’s alpha-and-beta-only cake. I’ll kill to protect my slice,’ he vowed solemnly, making me giggle even more.
I was still laughing as I waved goodbye to my family and we zoomed away.
I got back to the mansion filled with a new determination. We needed to get to the bottom of Larsden’s death, and hopefully that would tell us more about why Ramsay had taken his own life. Another question was bothering me: who had Ramsay given the laptop to? Who was the mysterious driver of the car that had zoomed away with it?
