“O-okay,” I know better, but the acceptance escapes me without regard for the memories beating against my eye sockets. Gulping down the dense lump in my throat, I turn my head again, and Cian allows it to lower his arm. Out of the corner of my eye, he rests his forearm over his face and sighs, crossing his ankles far down the bench. “W-what happened? To make you stop being shaken, I mean.”
“You can do the thinking for me. I mean, you got Marrin and a bunch of Byrne’s higher up men caught by the FBI singlehandedly, with no resources. What’s orchestrating the deaths of them all compared to that?” He replies nonchalantly, and I scowl in distaste. Once again, he chuffs a laugh that prickles up my sternum. “What about that don’t you like? You’re here to kill them, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, but . . . you could at least pretend you’re not using me.” I mutter, my voice wobbling dangerously, and I bite my bottom lip hard. He doesn’t reply, but he doesn’t get up and storm off, either. You’re wrong, Cian. You’re very dangerous.
Chapter Twelve
Cian
“Again?” Closing the door to my bedroom, I frown at Bella as she drapes herself at the end of my bed in some skimpy, black lingerie. She opens her mouth, but I hold up a hand to stop her. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I ignore her sour pout as it morphs into surprise when I sit next to her. “Why are you doing this, Bella? Denouncing your father was enough for you, you know that, right? You’re not responsible for what happened with Marrin. You don’t have to try so hard.”
It takes every ounce of self-control I have to remain cordial and not bite my words, and Bella’s breath hitches loudly. It’s not for nothing. Sorcha’s the one with the plan, I just have the power to enact it. She’s confident in how to go about this, and I just have to follow her lead. Honestly, it’s a nice change of pace.
Casting Bella a guarded look, I frown at the huge tears that gather on her thick lashes. She covers her face with her hands, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes.
“Stop this. It won’t work the way you think or want it to. All you’re doing is hurting yourself,” I conclude, and Bella crumples next to me like a wet piece of paper. Stiffening when she rests her cheek on my shoulder, I close my eyes briefly as my stomach flips dangerously. Clenching my hands into tight fists by my sides, I shove her off me, and her squawk of shock echoes shrilly off the ceiling. “Get the fuck off me. As a matter of fact, get out. I didn’t give you permission to be in here.”
“You heartless bastard,” Bella snarls, and my restraint snaps like a twig in the breeze. Her face pales ghostly white, and she flinches, holding up her hands in futile resistance. I grab her shoulder, and she cries out in pain when I push her to the carpeted floor. Snatching her wrists, I hold them above her head and take her face with my free hand. “L-let me go!”
I ignore Bella’s demand to shove my fingers down her throat, and she gags violently. Her body heaves under me, her knees colliding with my back. Anger tinges my vision red, disgust crawling up my arm as her saliva slickens my fingers. “This is what you want, Bella. You don’t get to stop me now.”
Shuddering at my sneer, Bella chokes on my fingers as I mercilessly delve deeper. Briefly, I debate whether this was the right way to go, but my conscience doesn’t dwell on it. All those times she threw herself at me, it was only fair I show her what would happen. She bucks, her neck straining noticeably, and I tear back my arm before she spews all over herself. Bile and what could’ve been milk stream down her face into her ears and hair, and I recoil in disgust.
“I’ve tried to be nice, Bella, but my patience has run dry,” I say hoarsely, palming her forehead to squeeze her temples. Her shriek pierces the air, and she struggles to free her hands. “Every time you try to pull this shit from now on, you’ll get what you want. You want me to fuck you? I will. But you’re not gonna like it, and it’s not gonna be pleasurable for either of us, we’ll never be anything but a business arrangement. You got it? They call me the callous king for a reason. Remember why.”
Bella blubbers unintelligibly before I stand up, and she half crawls, half drags herself to the door of my bedroom. Her lingerie is disheveled, her hair a mess, and my eyelid twitches in agitation. The urge to just shove my shoe up her toned ass shoots down my leg even as she clamors to her feet. She rushes out on knocking knees, and I immediately stalk to the bathroom to wash my hand.
“I have to get Kaitlyn to wash the carpet,” I mutter, flicking on the lights to my ensuite, and clench my jaw hard. “Maybe, I’ll make her clean every carpet in this house by hand.”
She did it to Sorcha, surely Kaitlyn can’t complain if I make her do the same thing. My anger subsides gradually as Sorcha’s image blossoms in my mind. Her golden hair shining brightly from the sun, her shirt sticking to her slender frame . . . Fuck.
It’s too bad Marrin got to her first. The forbidden envy I try to suppress roars in my ears as I wash my hands thoroughly. If only I’d known, caught even a single glimpse of her five years ago, Sorcha would’ve been mine. And wanting to fuck her wouldn’t feel disgusting.
I scoff at my own thoughts and shake my head, turning off the water and drying my hands before a knock on my door steals my attention. Crossing my room, I open the barrier to Sorcha standing on the other side, and my lips quirk up. “What? You miss me?”
“I went back to my room and,” She pauses, holding up the ball gag from my birthday party. It blinks and buzzes, and the smirk on my face vanishes instantly. I step back, and Sorcha glances over her shoulder before stepping inside my room. “It’s a morse code thing. A date and address downtown.”
“Okay. I know we didn’t get to it in the garden, but what, exactly, are you going to say?” I ask, and Sorcha tosses the gag onto the bed to hold either side of her head. Pacing back and forth, her steps are quiet on the carpet, and I rock back on my heels to stuff my hands into my pockets. Her long legs are bare except for the tiny shorts peeking out under her shirt, and I struggle to keep my eyes on her face. This isn’t the time to think about her ass. Fuck, I need to get it together.
“I’ll say I’ve made some progress with gaining your trust, but I need more time. I’ve gained respect from Kaitlyn for enduring her bullshit,” She pauses, bracing her furled arms around either side of her head to bluster a shaky sigh. Alarm rings in my skull, and I scan her shrewdly as she stops pacing. Sorcha thrums with anxiety, her lean muscles writhing down her legs and arms, and my blood curdles in my veins. “I’ll say I know there’s someone else in the house, and they need to back down or risk making me. If it is Bella, she’ll stop, but if it’s not, that means it’s someone else.”
“Hey,” Closing the distance between us, I reach to cup Sorcha’s cheeks with both my hands, and her jaw ticks nervously under my palms. Her crystal blue eyes shine brightly with unease, but she doesn’t pull away. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” But I feel her lie ripple down her neck, and I frown intently at Sorcha before she tears her eyes off me. “I . . . saw her.”
“She asked for it, very literally,” I declare, and Sorcha’s eyes fly to mine to widen in shock. Letting my palms fall from her soft skin, I sit on my bed as questions taint the thick quiet. Propping my elbows on my knees, I palm my face with both my hands and groan frustratedly. “Just now, Bella was in here. She dressed up, wants me to fuck her so she’ll have some sort of grappling point. Maybe, because she’s easy and willing, I’ll keep her around? It doesn’t matter, because the reality is that I find her repulsive, and I let her know it. I’ve been nice, but this is my home, and I will do whatever I want, however I want, to keep it safe.”
“B- but what about the contract?” She questions, and I shake my head.
“The advantageous thing about the contract is that I can break it after the terms are met. It’s not an uncommon practice, either, in my family’s history,” I start, glancing up at Sorcha as she stands over me, ready to soak in what I have to say. “I doubt even my cousins would care. Sure, we all want the contracts to be
met, but at the end of the day they’ll support me. Family goes above everything else. Desmond would honor my wishes and I have no doubt about it. My father on the other hand would be pissed, but it’s something he’d get over in no time. Now, they’re watching us a little closer, because anyone with half a brain can see that Byrne is doing something, regardless of how successful that might turn out in the end. Bella is his daughter, and no one is gonna care if she dies.”
“Does that mean you’d have another contract drawn up, with someone else?” She mutters more to herself than me, and I straighten to grab her hands. Sorcha jumps, her breath hitching and eyes wide as I draw her to me. My thoughtless action makes her all I can see, and she blinks furiously in surprise. I tug her abused wrists, refusing to drop her gaze as my heart beats viciously at the thought she voiced. Dropping to her knees between mine, she doesn’t breathe, doesn’t do anything, as I lean down to press my forehead against hers.
Sorcha gasps, electricity skittering down my nose and cheeks, and her distorted vision tinges pink. For a moment, no one exists but us as I hold her raw, healing fingertips to my lips.
“Does it bother you to think I’d share myself with someone else?” I ask, and her pretty face pales at the notion. Beating down my smirk, I mouth her fingertips and hold her big, blue eyes. “Do you worry if you can’t fuck me, I’d go to someone else? No, I’m gonna get you, no matter what it takes.”
Sorcha’s eyes boggle a little as I fling questions at her, but the spell that binds us snaps when she shoves her hands in my face. Releasing her sharply to jerk back, I suck in a sharp breath when she scuttles away. Her face distorts in pure, unadulterated fear, her breaths hoarse and short as she crawls to the door. My cheek twitches in agitation as she fumbles loudly with the knob, not taking her eyes off me as she makes her escape.
I fucked up. The silence rings shrilly in my ears, drowning out the soft click of the lock as Sorcha put barriers between us. Bitterness coats my tongue, and a self-depreciating, rueful smirk stretches my lips. Staring blankly at the place she’d just been, I take hollow breaths before throwing myself back onto my bed once again.
Groping blindly for the ball gag, I hold it above my face in a tingling palm. It doesn’t buzz or flash anymore, and I scowl nastily. I’ll annihilate that motherfucker and everyone related to him off the face of this fucking Earth.
Chapter Thirteen
Sorcha
“He doesn’t suspect anything?” The mumbled question shocks me, and I tense as the hairs on the back of my neck bristle. Behind me in line at a busy McDonalds, the woman rustles around, but I don’t try to look back. “What’s up?”
“I’m working on it. He’s not going to trust me that easy,” I reply softly, stuffing my hands into my jean pockets. Pulling out a few crumpled bills Cian had given me, I lick my lips heavily as I smooth them. “Whoever else is there . . . is making it difficult.”
“We’ll take care of it. Did he believe you when you confessed to being a spy, at least?” She asks, and I nod firmly before shuffling forward with the line. “Good. Everything’s going according to plan. What about Siobhan?”
“She’s easier to work. She comes to me on her own. I’m working on it, but Bella keeps getting in the way,” I pause to take a breath, the wonderful smell of chicken nuggets surging up to cloud my mind. Man, when was the last time I had chicken nuggets? I can’t even remember, and I sigh softly as I gaze up at the menu absently. “She’s frustrating him. It’s making him want me, but it’s not gonna happen fast enough. He knows she’s trying to trap him, so all he has to do is reject her.”
“Stupid bitch,” The woman grumbles frustratedly, and I can’t help but agree within the confines of my mind. “I’ll get to her. I’ll contact you again in a few months.”
Clutching my bag of food, I crack open my eyes to sigh shortly with regret. Even if I tell Cian the true depths of my plan, what would it accomplish? What would he be able to do that he isn’t already? No, there’s no point in confessing my lies.
He knew, though. Cian isn’t a fool, and he had an in with Byrne. He knows I’m lying, but keeping it from him, and he trusted me enough not to drag the truth out.
Glancing up at Cian’s large home, nestled deep in Wellesley, I shake my head of my thoughts and grab the shiny, brass door handle. The ornate metal is warm in my palm, and I enter his house to the sounds of angry shrieking. I wince, my peace shattering around me like glass, as I shut the door and lean against it. From the sofa, Siobhan casts me a little wave, and I walk over to her to sit and dig for my chicken nuggets.
“How’d it go?” She inquires, open curiosity coloring her tone.
“There’s someone, and it’s not Bella,” I mumble through the rustling of the paper bag, and Siobhan flings herself back on the sofa. Pulling out a huge box of chicken nuggets, I lick my lips heavily, and my mouth waters. “They believed me, though. That’s the important part. I told them you like me, and that Bella’s pushing Cian to me, but I need more time.”
“The best lies are the ones closest to the truth, eh,” She says warily, waving her hand in dismissal, and I pull out a gorgeous, perfect chicken nugget from the box. “Was it part of their plan that you tell Cian you were a spy, or do they not know about it?”
I freeze, and Siobhan casts me a knowing, small smile out of the corner of my eye. My shaky exhale was answer enough, but I nod tentatively. Apprehension washes down my back, and I hold my breath as loud shouting from upstairs creates a tense backdrop. How did she know that?
“I told you, Sorcha. Remember? Cian is the heir, but I’m the spare. I know things, have my own power that’s not part of my brother’s base. Most of all . . . I’m a woman, and I think you know by now that we’re very, very much alike,” Siobhan’s smile widens, and I stuff the entire chicken nugget into my mouth before she continues. The nugget is delicious, but . . . for some reason, it isn’t as good as I hoped it would be. “You didn’t count on actually liking my brother, did you, Sorcha? I bet you thought, since Byrne works for us, we were just as cruel and monstrous as him, if not more. But we’re just people. Of course, I like to think I’m more perceptive than Cian. He doesn’t consider himself your pawn, or that he’s moving exactly the way you want, does he?”
“No, he doesn’t,” I mutter around my mouthful, and I gulp down my half-chewed nugget harshly. Very carefully, I choose my next words and hide my mounting suspicion. “You can’t tell him, either. I know that Byrne probably had a skewed version of him, but he’s doing what I thought, and I need to keep that going.”
“I won’t. Your secret is safe with me, Sorcha. I can’t help but worry, though,” She pauses ominously, and I look over as thoughtfulness twists her mouth downward. My heart pounds, anxiety coiling in my gut and banishing my hunger. “You volunteered, and Byrne accepted it because you’re my brother’s type of woman. What are you going to do when these feelings he has for you manifest? He’s been enamored with you since he first saw you, and you, of all people, know that revenge is a slow burn. You’re not going to take down Byrne before Cian’s . . . fondness develops into something more.”
“I know,” I stave her question off with another chicken nugget, and I close my eyes as my mind runs ragged. What do I do? What can I do? There’s no point in lying to Siobhan, even if she does go running to Cian. Above us, Bella’s yelling intensified, floating down through the vents, but I can’t understand what she’s saying. “Bella’s making it worse. It’s already started, and I . . . am scared. When I went to him the other day, he . . . said some things, and I panicked. I shouldn’t have, but . . .”
“Is it, because you were raped?” Black spots assault the edges of my vision at her probing, and Siobhan smiles sympathetically as darkness flashes in her hazel eyes. “You shared a secret with me, so I’ll share one with you, Sorcha. One no one knows, not my boyfriend, or my brother, or my father. The reason I’m so lenient with you is because when I was in middle school, Marrin did the same thing to me that he eventually
did to you.”
Shock nearly stops my heart beating, and I stare openmouthed at Siobhan as she clenches her fists and shoves them between her thighs. Her little scoff follows closely behind her hair rustling as she shakes her head. Part of me desperately wants to believe she wouldn’t lie about something like this, but I have the distinct impression she was lying about something.
“He dragged me upstairs while our parents were having a party at my dad’s house. I don’t really remember what happened, exactly, but I do remember what he said. I remember, when it was over, he looked at me and said, ‘When your contract is up for bid, I’ll win, and this will be your life,’” She sniffles a bit, but there’s no other sign she was upset, and my heart throbs painfully. “I was eleven, and he was thirteen. Over the years, and especially once I met my boyfriend, it’s faded. The terror that Marrin implanted in me is gone, now . . . because of you, Sorcha. Even if you didn’t intend it, you saved me. If you hadn’t fucked Marrin’s deal, tipped off the FBI, and destroyed the Byrne family, what he promised would’ve actually happened. So, I understand full and well what you’re going through, and that’s why I can promise you . . . even if not by your own hand, revenge is revenge no matter who pulls the trigger in the end. Byrne does deserve to die, and I’ll help you make sure he doesn’t get the peace death would bring him.”
“Marrin is working on a probation plea,” I reveal, and this time, Siobhan stiffens with a displeased expression. Two could play at this game, knowing things we shouldn’t and using them against each other. Tearing my eyes off her, I scowl into my box of chicken nuggets at her horror and lack of surprise. “He’ll get it. One of his guys already confessed to the important parts of the deal, but the FBI is trying to pin anything on Marrin to keep him. Byrne is going to push a plea that’ll get him house arrest and probation.”
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