Maia leaned in to me, looking frightened, and I put an arm around her. “It’s okay. It’s just a shock for him.”
Logan glowered at the wall, and I watched him take slow, even breaths as he tried to calm himself. “How could she do that to me? How could anyone do that?”
“She told me she lied to you.” Maia pulled gently away from me, and Logan looked at her sharply. “We’ve been living in Glasgow all this time, but I can’t stay with her anymore.” Desperation suddenly bled into her words. “I can’t! She saw you in the paper, and that’s when she told me who you were. They said you were put in prison for attacking your sister’s boyfriend because he beat her up and tried to rape her.”
I sucked in a huge breath, and Logan’s eyes flew to me. We stared at each other as I processed this. Someone tried to rape Shannon? Attacked her? I was horrified.
“You were a hero. Protecting her like that. And you got punished for it. My mum puts me in harm’s way all the time, and no one gives a damn. You could look after me better than her.”
Logan’s attention was forced from me at this unwelcome information. He stared hard at Maia. “What do you mean ‘harm’s way’?”
Maia ducked her head, threading her fingers together anxiously. “Mum’s a junkie.”
I closed my eyes. This was getting more melodramatic by the second.
“What do you mean ‘a junkie’?” Logan asked quietly, danger in his words.
“Heroin.”
“Oh God.” I felt sick.
“I can’t live with it anymore.” Tears started to fall down her pretty cheeks, and I felt a coldness creep into my bones at the expression in her eyes. Such despair for such a young girl.
“Logan,” I whispered, looking up at him, pleading, though I didn’t know why.
He looked trapped. Terrified. I could tell he wanted to escape.
It was frightening to see. He was usually so together, so in control.
“What can I do?” he snapped at us. “I admit the eyes… You look like…”
“Shannon,” I offered helpfully. He glared at me. Clearly it was not helpful.
“Your sister?” Maia said, her eyes brightening with curiosity.
Logan groaned and rubbed his hand over his short hair. “I don’t know for certain if you’re my kid.”
I just managed to contain my snort, but he shot me a dirty look anyway, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.
“How did this happen? Two minutes ago I was just… You can’t stay here, Maia. I have to take you back to your mum, and then I’ll have to talk to her about all of this.”
Maia stood up. “Please. I don’t want to go back. That’s why I’m here. You don’t know what it’s like there.”
Faced with her fear, Logan could only stare at her helplessly.
When the silence stretched between them, turning physically painful to be around, I stood up. “Maia, you can’t stay here with Logan. It isn’t right. He could get in trouble. He’ll have to take you home until this can all be sorted out.”
She bowed her head, her dark hair falling like a curtain and hiding her face. But we both heard her quiet sniffles.
Logan gave me a look as if to say, What the hell else can I do?
I gave him a bolstering smile.
And for my troubles… “You’re coming with us,” Logan said to me.
Oh no. “To Glasgow?” I squeaked. No. Absolutely not. I was exhausted. I did not need to witness an emotional roller coaster on top of my exhaustion.
“Yes.”
“No. I…” My refusal trailed off when Maia abruptly looked up at me, her watery eyes begging me.
They both needed a buffer.
Great.
“Okay.” I reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m coming with you.”
You know in those old Western movies when they shot scenes of bales of hay blowing down empty main streets of small towns? The wind would whistle in exaggeration, the only sound to break through the silence…
Let’s just say it came to mind as Logan drove us to Glasgow. I didn’t even know he had a car. I didn’t know enough about cars to know exactly what it was. I just knew it was some kind of Volkswagen and it was at least five years old. It was dusty from disuse.
We were twenty minutes into the journey and Logan had informed me it would take about an hour and twenty minutes to get to Maia’s council estate. Someone had to talk. The silence was becoming unbearable.
“You know, I’ve only ever been to Glasgow city center. For shopping. At Christmas. Oh, and I’ve been to the theater and out for drinks. There’s so much going on in the city center, you just forget how big the rest of the city is.”
I got nothing.