Read Redemption: A British Stepbrother Romance for Free Online

a free country,” I continued, “means you are also free to put down your drinks and leave. Hypothetically.”
    One of the boys had the balls to finish his pint in one gulp, but the others just placed their glasses down on the bar and left as quickly as they could without actually running.
    “Sorry about that, Craig,” I said. “I’ll pay for the drinks they would have bought.”
    “Don’t worry about it,” Craig said. “I don’t want their sort in here anyway, and when word gets round that you popped by again I’ll get a load more business.”
    I went back to the table and saw Maisie still tucking into her food. Michelle looked at me and nodded with the slightest hint of a smile on her face. I returned the nod and went back to eating my dinner, hoping Maisie hadn’t noticed what happened.
    “You didn’t need to do that,” Maisie said, between mouthfuls.
    “Do what?” I said innocently.
    “You can’t threaten everyone who laughs at my face. It would be a full-time job. I’m fine with it, so you should be as well.”
    “I didn’t do anything,” I lied.
    “Okay, well hypothetically , if you did then you don’t need to.”
    “Do you ever think that girl is too smart for her own good?” I asked Michelle.
    “All the damn time,” she replied. “But then I see her grades.”
    “Hey,” Maisie exclaimed.
    “You told me you were doing well at school,” I said.
    “It’s not my fault,” she insisted. “All the kids pick on me because of my face, so I can’t concentrate in class.” She laid on some obviously fake tears, but then gave up when she saw Michelle and I weren’t buying it. “Can’t blame a girl for trying.”
    I laughed and looked back to Michelle who was already staring at me. She mouthed the words “thank you” and then went back to eating.
    I had no idea how many brownie points I needed to earn to cancel out my past transgressions, but that was my first and I intended to keep working until I had enough to be a part of her life again.
    Maisie meant the world to me, but our relationship was that of a little sister and big brother. Michelle had never been a sister in my eyes and I hoped I wasn’t a brother to her. That wasn’t the role I intended to play in her life. Not even close.

Chapter Five
Michelle
    C ould he really have changed ? It had been eight years; in that time I’d changed from a timid, nervous young girl into a tough woman who taught other women to kick ass when required.
    It’s certainly possible that he’d changed from being a self-centered jerk who blamed me for his mistakes and pushed me out of his life.
    One thing was certain; he cared about Maisie almost as much as I did. I knew they’d talked online over the past year or so, but I hadn’t realized how much he respected her. I’d desperately wanted to confront that evil group of boys in the bar when they’d been laughing at her, but Maisie hated it when I made a scene. Oliver had handled it without even raising his voice.
    It helped that he was built like a brick shithouse and famous for playing a sport that involved slamming your body into another’s and dragging them down to the floor, but I still appreciated what he’d done.
    I couldn’t protect Maisie in the way I wanted to. I hadn’t been able to eight years ago when those men had appeared from the shadows and thrown acid over us, and I couldn’t do anything about it today, either.
    Learning self-defense and then teaching it to others went some way to making me feel better, but it never scratched the itch that tormented me at night and every time I looked at the burn mark on Maisie’s face or the one on my upper arm. The one I always kept hidden.
    Oliver dropped us off at the hotel, and I walked Maisie to her room which was just a few doors down from mine. We were both on the top floor and the rooms were so large there were only about five on the entire floor. I’d be close enough to keep an eye on her, but would also have my own privacy.