Read Online Unfinished Business by Heather Atkinson - Free Book Online Page B

were etched across her forehead and around the sides of her mouth and it was clear laughter hadn’t put them there. Her eyes were dark and hollow and her teeth large and crooked. However her hair was beautiful - thick and shiny, a rich dark brown gleaming in the light streaming in through the window. With her slender frame from behind she would probably get wolf whistles that would quickly turn to screams when she turned around.
    “Mr Brodie,” began Maggie.
    “Brodie’s my first name.”
    “That’s not a first name,” she replied as though he was wrong.
    “Aye it is,” he frowned, annoyed.
    “Brodie,” she sighed, rolling her eyes. “This is a family matter so you can leave.”
    “Mrs Creegan wants me here and this is her house, so here I stay.”
    “Actually it’s my son’s house.”
    “I don’t see him here,” retorted Brodie, throwing out his arms. He noticed Mark’s younger sister Lauren twitch at the sudden gesture. She was an attractive girl and, like brothers, her hair and eyes were black. Funnily enough, despite the warm weather she wore a long-sleeved black jumper. She took a step back, face draining of colour, even her lips. She appeared to shrink in on herself. What had this woman seen to make her like that? He glanced at Seth, who radiated rage and darkness and thought he had his answer.
    “Now I’m just going to stand here and make sure everyone keeps calm while you have your wee chat,” said Brodie, folding his arms across his chest and planting his feet, doing a good impression of an immovable object.
    Seth glared at him as though he wanted to rip him into tiny pieces.
    Maggie looked back at Sarah. “You can’t stop me seeing my grandkids. You have absolutely no right.”
    “You lied to me Maggie, you all did,” replied Sarah, emboldened by Brodie’s presence. “All these years not one of you had the decency to tell me the truth. If you had I might have understood, Bryan was an abusive man, but you chose to keep it from me and now I can’t trust any of you.”
    “We’re still the same people you’ve always known, we’ve not changed,” said Maggie.
    “That’s half the problem,” Sarah said coldly.
    “You stuck up, arrogant bitch,” thundered Seth. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”
    “Hey, steady on pal,” said Brodie, putting himself between him and Sarah.
    “Who are you, her bodyguard? Or has she moved her new shag piece in already?” he spat, standing nose to nose with Brodie.
    “It’s not like that,” said Brodie calmly. “I’m here in a professional capacity.”
    “You’re a bit old for a fucking gigolo,” he sneered.
    “I’m here for Mrs Creegan’s protection and now I see why I’m needed.”
    Seth shoved him in the chest but he stood his ground.
    “Think yourself fucking handy, do you?” yelled Seth.
    “Try me,” hissed Brodie.
    “Seth, we’re not here to fight,” said Maggie. “We’re here to talk reasonably with Sarah and show her she’s nothing to fear from us, or Mark.”
    “Don’t you mean Theo?” said Sarah.
    “Mark’s his real name, he changed it legally, it’s who he is,” countered Maggie. “Theo is long gone.”
    “Is he? I’m not so sure. How do I know he’s not going to snap and stab me or the girls to death?”
    “Stop being so dramatic. You know as well as I do that would never happen. He’d endured a life of misery and violence at the hands of his own father, we all had and he set us free.”
    “That’s what you call it?” said Sarah, her voice rising into a slightly hysterical shriek. “You call stabbing someone to death being set free?”
    “Yes. You’ve no idea of the hell we went through. The courts and police believed us, that’s why Mark isn’t in prison now, so why can’t you?”
    “Because I don’t feel safe with him anymore. I’ve just realised I’ve been married to a stranger all these years and I don’t know what he’s capable of.”
    “Mark loves you. He won’t hurt you, he