Page 73 of Cruel Hearts

The Uber trundled through the frost-covered streets of Richley toward central London. I sat in the back, staring into my lap, while Maxwell placed an arm around my shoulder. The warmth of his large body did nothing to thaw the chill spreading through mine.

Everything made sense. Why Mother had thrown me out when I had gotten Billy Hancock arrested. Why she hadn’t protected me from Billy or from grabby foster fathers. Who could love a product of rape?

Rape.

Even the word made me shudder. Logic dictated that what Mother had suffered wasn’t my fault, but it didn’t stop me from feeling tainted.

“Will your stepfather survive?” he asked.

“Billy Hancock is a strong fucker. I can’t see a bullet in the chest stopping him.”

“What did he want?”

I shook my head and stared out of the window as the car sped past the fancy bistros, bars, and boutiques of Dulwich Village. “He’s doing an Ebenezer.”

“Is this cockney rhyming slang?” he asked.

A tiny laugh huffed out of my chest. “Scrooge.”

Maxwell ran a thumb over my knuckles. “His near-death experience made him see the error of his ways?”

“He’s not giving up his empire if that’s what you’re thinking. But I don’t think he wants to capture and feed me to his dogs.”

Blowing out a breath, he pulled me into his side. “That’s one less worry, I suppose.”

I glanced up into his gray eyes and smiled. “Sometimes, I forget you were the one who drove the motorbike. It’s like there are three of you.”

Pain flashed across his features. “Lilah, I’m—”

“I know you’re sorry. Life’s too short to waste time making you grovel.”

“And Kendrick?”

“Is he capable of not being an asshole?” I asked.

“He’s great once you get to know him.”

“If you say so.”

Maxwell leaned into me and pressed a kiss on my temple. “At least you’ll be able to go to Glasgow weekends without fear of being abducted by gangsters.”

The corner of my lip curled into a half-smile. “I’ve still got that shit with Elizabeth hanging over me.”

“The broken nose?”

“Allegedly,” I replied. “She wasn’t bleeding.”

“Whatever happens, we’ll be at your back. Even Kendrick.”

The warmth spreading through my chest eased away the roiling dread. If we could uncover Father Neapolitan’s link with the Liddell family, we might use that as leverage to stop Lady Liddell from spreading lies about Mr. Burgh.

“What do you know about Neapolitan?” I asked.

“That ass-licker?”

I drew back and frowned. “What do you mean?”

“He’s obsessed with the Liddell family, even though they seem to despise him.”