ye all.”
He stands and addresses Leith’s mom in a sincere tone. “Nan. My men will be on yer lot for a few hours, securing the scene. We have an image to uphold. I apologize for the unnecessary trouble.”
Nan assumes her position of power by letting him take her hand. “Aye. Yer support is greatly appreciated.”
The detective heads out of the room as another of Leith’s cousins asks, “How’s Erika?”
Forking my bottom lip through my teeth, I wait for an answer. I’ve got a niggling feeling that I should push past the jealousy. She did throw herself on me during a shootout.
Nan glances at her phone and shakes her head.
“I’ll heid to the hospital,” Blythe says. “Someone should be there. Unless ye have other orders for me, Nan.”
“Nae. Go sit, twiddle yer feckin’ fingers.” Big Brody clicks his tongue. “Take these two eejits with ye.” He points to Little Brody and Leith. “Because I’ll be fixing this myself. Get nae peace!”
Two? I glance around. When had Camdyn disappeared?
“Perfect idea, Blythe.” Nan claps him into a hug. “We’ll be needing to display a show of loyalty to the McFarlands. Ewan’s very own daughter is my clan, too. I’ll need to be updated periodically. Dinna send word to Erika’s da. Not until she’s stable. Och, Lord, let the wee girl be stable.”
Like a mother hen, Nan comes toward me to pull me into a hug.
The past few days return, and I flinch.
“Ye’re a wee bit frightened, Chevelle.”
“I’m sorry, Nan.” A weak, appreciative smile flits past my face. “I truly hope Erika’s alright. I’m gonna head out . . . Mia and I.”
“Och, ye’re my heart, Chevelle. Ye and Mia. Ye’re safe here.” Nan sighs. “If ye feel obliged to go, go. But for safety purposes, allow me to send someone just to keep watch.”
I’ve always told myself that the life the MacKenzies led would be the reason I didn’t get too close to them. The ebb and flow of my emotions and my love for them all probably makes me seem like a bitch. But this very moment is what I’ve always been afraid of.
I smile at the woman who taught me more than Lady, who knew me longer than my own momma and gave me more hugs too. Throat tight, I can hardly get the words out. “Whatever just happened, Mia and I are not a part of it. I’m sorry, Nan. But I need to figure out a few things. Clearly, there’s a crisis here, too. So, we should go.”
“I made a mistake, Chevelle!” Leith collects me up, embracing me tightly. His warmth threatens the chill that’s crept into my heart. In an even, smooth tone, he adds, “All I’ve done was to try to protect ye. I made a bloody mistake.”
My stomach tightens. The concern weighing at the pit of my stomach for Erika frays. “This mistake. Does Erika know all about it?” As the words exit my mouth, I’m kicking myself on the inside. Really? Is that important right now, Chevelle?
“Not much, hen.”
Leith’s response hits me like a tsunami. He trusted her over me. Justice cautioned me against falling so deep with the man I already married. Over a decade and a half, and I’m staring at an alluring mask. “Yup. Not your best friend, I guess. Feel like denying it again, huh?”
“Chevelle—”
“No! Every year, while you were in Scotland for summers and the holiday seasons, I would be at home with my mom.” I grit my teeth on the unnecessary title. “I spent every single second waiting for you. Low and behold, you had your second best friend, a second girlfr—”
“Och, shite.” Leith grits his teeth, muttering in Gaelic.
“Erika kissed you!”
“We were fourteen, Chevelle. It was her birthday. Her father—”
“Is a McFarland. Perfect for your family,” I snap.
“Ya know what? Mam always offered to take ye to Scotland when we were kids. She asked for a letter a hunner times. Would've got it notarized to take ye on the feckin’ plane. She asked yer mam—”
“Not my—” I bite my tongue. “I know, baby. But I had no idea there was an Erika until . . .” Until I had fifty-five pounds of baby weight all over my body. “Leith, you kept her from me. Then I found out the two of you shared a kiss.”
“It was nae big deal. A feckin’ peck! I felt sorry for her, and stop looking at me like that, Chevelle! I told ye that she knew about ya from day one. Ye thought