Forrest novel Chapter 41

MEGAN

I COULDN’T hear this anymore without feeling the surge of jealousy inside my chest. I looked away and blinked when I got all weepy.

“At fifteen, Meadow became my girlfriend, and I thought we would get married. When I turned sixteen, I found out someone was looking for us. And the man that was once my father came back from the dead. He faked his death. That was why I fled to this country to protect my mother and myself.”

“I left my Mama. I knew she was safe because no one would recognize her anymore, but I was not. That’s how I ended up here. Alan is not my uncle by blood.”

“Why did you have to leave?” My head tipped to mom.

“Because of Oliver. My real father. Now Francois Xavier. He figured that I didn’t die, and perhaps, wanted to cut some loose ends.”

“By killing his son?” I asked, confused, terrified.

“Maybe. He’s a monster after all.”

“Why are you telling us about this? Why now?”

Suddenly, he faced me. “Because you thought I am dangerous when you found a gun under my pillow.”

I looked away, feeling my throat thickened. I was still horrified as I raised the gun I found. I’d never held a real gun in my entire life, and I couldn’t believe my first experience would be in his bed.

“It wasn’t mine. I don’t own a gun. I know to hold and shoot as precautions because I have to protect myself. I asked someone to run a fingerprint, and to whom it is registered.”

“And who is that someone? Davis? Morgan, the security guard? One of your underlings?”

“No. Alan knows someone in NYPD.”

“Of course. You probably get them on your payroll. And who’s Alan, really? Your errand boy?” My reply came out with sarcasm.

“Alan is our butler, but he had sworn an oath to my mother to protect me before he came with me to U.S. Father trusted him with our lives.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I get it. What I don’t get is why are you telling us now? And who owns the gun?”

“Unregistered. Meadow admitted that she placed it there. For what purpose? I don’t know. Since she and Mama were back in England, I didn’t talk to her anymore.”

“So, before that, you had contact with her, huh?”

He groaned and shut his eyes closed. “No. Even if I—”

“You what?”

“She works for me.”

My brow quickly raised. “Wow. Why am I not so surprised?”

“Megan, trust me. We were over before you and I become a thing.”

“A thing? That’s how you call it? A freaking thing!”

“My apology for my poor choice of words.” Wow! Who is this man?