A Waltz With Wolves (Book II in The Harrison Inc. Series) | ✓

Chapter Thirty-Two: Celtic Charm

**

I'm tired of fighting.

My father would be ashamed of me if he heard these words coming out of my mouth. "Leslie," I can imagine him scolding me. "Don't you ever quit fighting. My girls are fighters; they never quit."

I suppose if my dear father understood the circumstances that currently plague me, he would have a change of heart. I should have talked to him before going to Venetia; he probably knew the extent of Ramona's 'fury.' Now that I think about it, talking to him should have been the priority. I could have asked him about what happened between him and Genina and about Ramona - my grandmother. But I didn't. I was too eager to meet her, and now I'm left not empty handed, but with a threat in my palm. Ramona had apparently guided my life this entire time, and I didn't even know.

To put it simply again, I'm tired- my boyfriend is in another country, our only contact being a burner phone. Sebastian and I are slowly drifting apart and I'm sure it's mostly my fault. My Grandmother has pushed me away from my maternal mother, and I'm confused. I'm tired, and I'm confused.

As you would imagine, I left Venetia the moment Ramona left me and booked the first flight to Glasgow, Scotland. I'm waiting to call Alejandro again but I'm not sure what I'm going to say. Our last call, he told me that he loved me. But what hurts me is that I don't know if I'm brave enough to say it back yet. It's just three simple words: I love you. He said them, but I can't. I feel like a coward, running away from everything. I suppose this is why I decided to visit my grandmother instead of attending Sebastian's event. I landed in Glasgow and got into a cab, instructing him to drive to Glencoe. I texted Sarah that I was stuck in traffic and wouldn't be able to make day one, but day two and three of the festivities, I would be there. Surprisingly, she wasn't too upset.

"It's fine. Just make it to the hotel safe, alright?"

I nodded, even though I was headed in the other direction. "Yes, of course."

I turned off my phone and opened my purse, only to find the burner phone inside - the one I need to contact Alejandro. I want to call him. I want to call him and say those three words back to him, but my fear and anxiety prevent me from doing it; the phone is covered in Ramona and Garrett's influence. So, my judgment is telling me to breathe, stop my tears and focus on the journey ahead.

The drive to Glencoe - my father's home village in the Highlands - is very quiet. An hour in, we're forced into a dirt road towards the village. Rolling hills and high scaling green mountains surround me, consuming me. It's empty and isolated out here, and I take advantage of the Scottish beauty; I want to forget my responsibilities. Just for a moment. Scotland is the part of me that I know; I want to forget Venetia. It doesn't want me.

Once we get to Glencoe village, it starts raining heavily; the cabbie finds it hard to even see out of the windshield.

"Do you know the address, darling?" he asks me.

"It's actually half a mile on the other side of town - a lonely farm house."

He nods and continues driving through the rain until we arrive. I haven't visited my grandmother in a few years; I remember running around the plains with my father and uncle, playing tag when I was little. She has no idea I'm here, and frankly, I have no idea how she'll react. Since my father isn't with me, she'll grow a little curious.

When we arrive, a loud crack of thunder sounds off, startling both the cabbie and I. I open my umbrella, cursing myself for wearing the wrong shoes; it's freezing, the wind blowing relentlessly enough to make even the miles of green grass obey its command. One great thing about getting out of the car after two and a half hours of driving is the fresh air and the ability to stretch my legs. In the distance, I see my grandmother's farm animals hiding out in the barn, an old man helping them inside.