Justice Mine: a Base Branch Novel Read Online Free PDF Page A

me.”
    A tear rolled down Willow’s impassive face. She batted it away with excessive force, clearing a swath of red with the moisture. Her flushed cheek and smooth skin peeked out from beneath. “Didn’t they?”
    “No,” Magdalena bit. “I did that all on my own.”
    Willow’s jaw worked. “I don’t need you or anyone else.”
    “Yes, you do, and I’m here for you. No matter how much you try to push me away.”
    The unflappable exterior broke and Willow buried her face in her hands. Sobs wrestled from Willow’s chest, saturating the air with desperation. She sank to the floor, a ship taking on water.
    Magdalena needed backup. Crouching, she sought Will’s gaze. “It’ll be okay, Willow. You don’t have to be afraid of that ass. Your dad could ruin his life with a few well-placed calls, if he didn’t take the bastard out at the kneecaps instead.”
    At the mention of her father, Will’s head reared. Her reddened skin paled despite the blood. “No,” she shrieked.
    “You don’t have to tell him the whole story. He wouldn’t ask questions. He’d protect you, Will. He’s a powerful man who loves you more than life, more than Parli—"
    “I think it’s time you found your own place, Magdalena.”
    The last words Mags ever expected to hear from her friend cut deep. It didn’t matter the reason for the extrication had nothing to do with Magdalena, personally, and everything to do with the intimate drama unfolding in Willow’s life.
    “Hold the fucking ringer! What did you just say?”
    That deceptively strong chin shot up again and Willow’s eyes cleared slightly with renewed authority. “I’ll give you a week to clear out your belongings.”
    A gleam sparked in Willow’s eyes and all the fight left Magdalena in a rush. Her hands wrapped around her middle in an effort to ward off the ocean trying to drown her and force her to create a new life for herself.
    “You’ve gone bloody mad, Willow.”

4
    “ N o . Thank you,” Magdalena said with a stalling shake of her head. “I’ve got it. Really.”
    The middle-aged cabbie pinched the brim of his woolen flat cap, closed the trunk, and shuffled toward the hackney’s open driver door. “You take care now. A lass like you has no business being about at this time of night. Mornin’, really.”
    “Thank you,” Mags repeated. She tried to keep the huff out of her tone, but she already had a dad who’d be none too happy with her early morning arrival. Especially since she had to turn around and head back to campus in a few hours. Plus, it’s not like she would have been out at this time, if she could have helped it.
    She’d stewed in her room for an hour without a hint of sleep in her future and knew from the butter-thick tension in the air she’d have better luck heading back to London for the night. Mags waved the paunch driver off as he exited the gravel drive of Baine’s estate, and then contemplated sitting on her ass in the pokey rocks and using her luggage as a pillow. That’s how damn tired she was.
    The main house loomed over her like a sleeping giant. All the windows gleamed onyx from the darkness, inside and out. Hell, the full moon even hid behind the ever-present thicket of clouds that hung in the English sky, despite the present heat of summer. Mags heaved a lung full of soggy air, swept the beads of perspiration off her upper lip, and then hefted her bags.
    Her father’s house, the one of her fondest and most adverse childhood memories, sat tucked in a nest of hazel trees. The vibrant green leaves, thick trunks, and the side yard garden all helped give the place a magical feel. She headed toward the cottage and the front room lamp always lighting the way home.
    Instead of knocking, Mags fished her keys out of the depths of her tote and let herself inside. Maybe she could sneak in like old times and avoid a proper dressing down. She slipped through the door and fastened it behind her. She turned to tiptoe through the warmly