Between Love and Loyalty

by Shannyn Schroeder

  “Oh, my God. What happened?” Sarah reached for her and ushered her into the townhouse.

  Fiona sucked in a hitching breath and swiped her sleeves on her cheeks. “Everyone in my life is a liar except you.”

  “Wow. Uh… Let’s sit down and you can explain.”

  Fiona sat on the couch, curling her legs up and hugging them. “Connor wrote a book about my family. A publisher wants to buy it.”

  She looked at Sarah who took the seat on the opposite end of the couch. She saw the anger in her friend’s eyes.

  “That’s not even the worst of the lies. He’d known who I was from the very beginning. After my cousin’s wedding he told me about his past and why he thought our relationship couldn’t work. He was in a hit-and-run accident while driving drunk. Went to prison for it. He made me believe he thought we couldn’t be together because of his felony.”

  She took a slow calming breath before continuing. “He neglected to mention he and Aiden had been friends. More importantly, Aiden had not only been with him that night, but it had been Aiden who’d been driving. My father paid Connor to confess and go to prison for my brother.”

  “Oh, my…shit. I don’t even know what to say.”

  Fiona rested her cheek on her knee. “There’s not much to say. I don’t even know who I want to be most mad at. Connor lied about who he was and he had these ulterior motives the whole time we were together. The entire time I was falling in love with him because he allowed me to be myself and wanted nothing from me, he planned to ruin my dad.

  “But my father. Christ. He’s not the man I thought he was. I always, always believed in him. He’s a good man working hard for the city. I stood by him and defended him. I can’t believe he did that to Connor. And then kept it from me and lied to me about it. It makes me wonder what else he’s guilty of or capable of if he could do that to Aiden’s friend.”

  Sarah scooted closer and put an arm around her. Fiona would not cry anymore. These people didn’t deserve her tears.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m not sure. I need some distance from everyone. That’s why I came here.”

  Sarah rubbed a hand down Fiona’s back. “Hon, you can stay as long as you need.”

  “Thanks. I knew I could count on you.” Fiona straightened her legs and stretched. All the crying had exhausted her, emotionally and physically. “I hope I didn’t ruin your plans for today. If you need to go, I’ll be fine.”

  Sarah shrugged. “I’m meeting some friends for dinner later. You’re welcome to join us. They won’t mind. We’re a ragtag group who meets up for every holiday because we don’t have any local family.”

  Fiona shook her head. “I won’t be very good company. I think I’ll take a nap and develop a plan. My parents will look for me sooner or later. I need to have a response ready.”

  “Go take my bed. I have some work to do.”

  Fiona stood and Sarah followed. Fiona hugged her. “Thanks again.”

  Once settled under the covers, Fiona wasn’t sure she’d actually be able to sleep. She closed her eyes and focused on each individual emotion roaring through her. For now, she shoved aside the rage. Betrayal was a strong one, probably next in line behind the rage. Connor betrayed her trust, but having all of the pieces to the story created mitigating circumstances. Her family had wronged him in ways she couldn’t wrap her head around.

  It didn’t justify him lying to her and making her feel like they had a future together. God, how could he have gone so far as to invite her to move in with him? He knew she loved him. It was no secret.

  Lying there, warm beneath the covers, she heard his whisper. I love you, Fiona.

  And another tear fell.

  * * *

  The pounding in his head became louder, so Connor took another swig from the bottle, but it didn’t help. Then a faraway voice called, “Open up.”

  Connor pushed himself to sit up and realized the pounding was at the front door, not in his head. He shoved off the couch and stumbled to the door. It took a second to register that Aiden stood staring at him. All he had was a second before Aiden rushed at him swinging.

  Aiden’s fist connected with Connor’s jaw and the bottle of whiskey flew against the wall and shattered.

  “You son of a bitch,” Aiden growled.

  Connor felt himself weave, but put up his fists in defense. Aiden came at him again and instead of swinging a punch, Connor lowered himself and rammed into Aiden’s midsection, carrying them both into the wall. He felt the air whoosh from Aiden’s lungs and grim satisfaction filled Connor when he heard Aiden suck in a wheezing breath.

  He released Aiden and stumbled back. Aiden leaned over with his hands on his knees.

  “Come on,” Connor taunted, his voice slurring. “You wanted a fight. Come beat the fuck out of me.”

  Aiden swore and came at him again. The physical pain felt good. Better than the emotional onslaught he’d been hiding from all day. Connor let Aiden pummel him until Connor lost his balance and his knees hit the floor. His lip split, and he tasted blood. His cheekbone throbbed an incessant beat. “Just finish it.”

  “You look like shit,” Aiden said.

  “Feel like it.” He sank back until he sat on the floor.

  Aiden slid against the wall until he sat across from him. “What the hell were you thinking? Why would you do that to her?”

  “Do what?”

  “I heard about the book. I get that you want revenge or retribution. But why involve Fiona? You told me you loved her.”

  Connor felt tears burn his eyes and his throat tightened. “I do. That’s why I didn’t tell her anything. The book was before. Before her. Didn’t matter anymore.”

  “You fucked up good this time, Duffy.”

  Max howled at the back door. Connor flopped on his back and hit the floor hard. The room spun and he inhaled deeply to stave off nausea.

  “Is your dog gonna attack me if I let him in?”

  “Uh-uh.” Using his voice hurt. Footsteps vibrated the hardwood and a moment later Max’s nails click-clicked through the house as he rushed for Connor. The dog licked his face, but Connor swatted him away. Suddenly his dog’s tongue was replaced by a bag of ice. He squinted one eye open to see Aiden hovering over him.

  “Hitting you felt pretty damn good, but beating you isn’t going to fix anything. When’s the book going to come out?”

  Connor tried to shrug. He hadn’t even contacted the editor. He didn’t give a fuck about anything anymore except Fiona, and he’d lost her.

  “You should’ve just forgotten about the Cavanaghs.”

  “I fucking tried. Then she walked into a bar and ruined me.”

  “We have to figure out how to make this right for her.”

  Connor waved his arm. He had no way to make this right. Not for Fiona, not for him.

  Chapter 16

  Fiona climbed out of Sarah’s bed determined to improve the situation. She was done with the lies and she planned to let everyone know. The only way she could think to accomplish this mission, however, was to ask for Aiden’s help. She had no idea if he would agree, but she had to try. She scribbled a quick note to Sarah letting her know she’d be back later and she went to her brother’s house.

  Aiden answered the door and the strong stench of whiskey assaulted her nose. He’d been drinking? Then she looked up at his face where a nasty bruise covered his jaw. Worry bubbled up in her chest. “Oh, my God. Are you okay?”

  He pulled his face away from her searching fingers. “I’m fine. I didn’t expect to see you.”

  She narrowed her eyes and studied his face. He didn’t sound drunk.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “You smell like a distillery, but you don’t sound drunk.”

  “Shit. I didn’t drink. I went to see Connor. We got into a fight and I ended up wearing the whiskey he was drinking. I just got home and haven’t showered yet.” He turned and walked into his living room peeli
ng off his shirt as he went. A splotchy pattern of bruises marked his torso.

  “Must’ve been a heck of a fight.”

  He turned to face her again. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth. I didn’t know what to say. That entire portion of my life is an embarrassment. I did nothing right.”

  “Embarrassment?” Somehow the word didn’t seem nearly harsh enough.

  “I don’t need a lecture to make me feel guilty. I’ve lived with tremendous guilt for years.”

  “And your way of getting over the guilt was to get into a fight with Connor?”

  “No. I’m okay with whatever he does to me. The fight was because he hurt you.”

  She tried not to let the simple statement break the barrier around her that she clung to. She couldn’t trust her family, but she needed Aiden’s help. “I think I have a way to fix things. Maybe assuage your guilt and correct our father’s mistakes.”

  Aiden crossed his arms. “I’m listening.”

  “I want to find evidence against Dad. I know it must exist.”

  “You want to have Dad arrested?”

  “No. I want to find the information and give it to Connor. He can use it to detail everything that’s wrong with Brady Cavanagh and reclaim part of his life. Whatever happens after Connor exposes him isn’t my problem. I need to start a clean slate, to disentangle myself from all of it.” Nervous flutters bounced in her stomach. She’d never been totally alone before. “I need your help. I’m not sure where to look for the right information.”

  He nodded. “I do.”

  That’s what she’d figured. “So you’ll help then?”

  “Let me grab a shower so I don’t smell like a drunk and we’ll go to the house.”

  Her heartbeat raced. “Home? What are you going to do, ask Dad to give you something?”

  “It’s Thanksgiving. Dinner is over and they’ll be making their annual appearance at the homeless shelter. You know they’ll never miss an opportunity to look good. We should have a couple of hours to grab what you want.” He turned and walked away.

  Fiona breathed a sigh of relief. Aiden had changed from the rotten teenager he’d been. He’d turned out to be a decent brother. She didn’t know what would become of him once Connor’s book came out. Would he be arrested or was it too late? Would he lose his career?

  The same questions had probably raced through Aiden’s mind, but he didn’t seem concerned. His entire life might be turned upside down, but he was going to help her do what she needed to do to feel better. Even if it made his situation worse.

  More worry tugged at her. She didn’t want Aiden’s life to be destroyed any more than she’d want that for Connor.

  * * *

  Connor rolled over and his entire stomach wanted to leave his body. Max licked his face, which didn’t help the nausea. Every muscle ached and even breathing hurt. He swallowed back the bile, not wanting to taste anything a second time. His liquid diet from the previous day caused his head to pound an angry beat. He pushed up onto his knees. Christ, even they hurt.

  He stumbled to the kitchen and let Max out into the yard. He started a pot of coffee and tried convince himself that once he finished a shower, his stomach would be able to handle it. He sipped at a glass of water and wished he’d drunk more of that yesterday. At least then he might not be so dehydrated.

  Using the wall, and then the rail for guidance, he managed to make his way up the stairs and into the bathroom. Most of the previous day had been a blur. He’d only left the house once to walk to the liquor store for another bottle of booze.

  But he remembered Aiden showing up and hitting him. Had he seriously lost a fight to Aiden Cavanagh? He must’ve been really fucked-up. The hot spray of the shower beat down on his face and helped clear his head.

  Aiden had come to fight because of Fiona. He knew about the book, about Connor telling Fiona everything and hurting her. As the steam and water relaxed his muscles, more of the stilted conversation with Aiden returned. Aiden had told him they had to make it right. He couldn’t remember much else Aiden had said, but those were his parting words, at least as he recalled.

  How the fuck could he fix it?

  He stood under the water until it started to go cold. With a towel wrapped around his waist, he searched for his phone to call Fiona. She might not answer, but he could leave a message. When he got to the living room, the awful stench of stale whiskey burned his nostrils and made him feel weak again. Taking shallow breaths through his mouth, he searched the couch cushions for the phone with no luck.

  Then he caught sight of it sticking out from under the table. He picked it up only to find the battery dead. Before leaving the room to charge his phone, he opened the front door and the windows to air out the space. In front of the door, he stepped in a puddle that he hoped to God wasn’t piss. Then he saw the shattered glass and remembered the bottle smashing.

  The sunlight burned his eyes and he shuffled back to the kitchen for coffee. He should probably eat, but the thought of food made his stomach jump. He plugged the phone in and waited. What would he say to Fiona?

  He’d lied to her, even when he knew she couldn’t handle any more secrets. As soon as the phone had enough juice to turn on, he called Fiona.

  She pushed it to voicemail. He listened to her message and enjoyed the friendliness of her voice. After the beep, he croaked, “Hey, Fiona, it’s me. I know you don’t want to talk, but I’d like a chance to explain. You’ll get total honesty from me this time, and then you can decide what you want to do.”

  Then he quickly checked his emails. If nothing else, he needed to respond to the editor and let her know the book was no longer available. He opened the message and read:

  Dear Mr. Duffy,

  After careful consideration, we would like to acquire your book, THE CAVANAGH CONSPIRACY. The writing itself needs some work, so I want to talk to you about working with a ghostwriter. Please call me at your earliest convenience.

  So his writing wasn’t up to standard, as he’d suspected. When the first rejections had come in, he thought it was his writing, but Dermott had convinced him otherwise. He shot off a quick response letting her know thanks, but no thanks.

  He disconnected and went upstairs to bed. A nap would give him the fuel he’d need for the day. He knew Fiona wouldn’t call back, so he had time to formulate a plan.

  An hour and a much-too-brief nap later, Max scrambled for the front door. Connor’s feet clomped down the stairs as he still fought off the raging hangover headache. When he opened the door, his heart stopped. Fiona stood on his porch, hair blowing wildly in the wind, skin sickly pale except for the red splotches left from crying.

  His lungs seized knowing he did this to her. “Fiona,” he croaked.

  Her eyes widened in concern when she looked at his face. Aiden had definitely left is mark last night, but it looked worse than it felt. He swung the door wider to invite her in.

  She edged inside the door enough for him to close it, but didn’t walk to the living room. “Here.” She thrust a packed accordion folder at him.

  “What’s this?”

  “The proof you need against my father. It should be enough for you to reclaim your life. I’m sorry for what my family did to you.” She fumbled for the doorknob.

  His head screamed at her to stop, but all that left his lips was a whispered, “Wait.”

  “I can’t.” She faced the door, but it was as if she’d forgotten how it worked.

  “I’m sorry, Fiona. I never meant to hurt you. I wanted to hurt your father. I can’t deny that. But you were a game changer. You made me want a different life.”

  She hiccupped and then yanked the door open. The blast of cold air smacked him, and he had to watch her walk away from him again. It wasn’t any easier the second time. He closed the door quietly and studied the folder in his hand. What had she been thinking?

  Was this some kind of test? He sat on the stairs, tugged the elastic and flipped the top open. Inside, he found ph
otocopies of a ledger and email correspondence between what looked like her father and various construction companies.

  The information he held in his hand proved the allegations of Cavanagh using ward employees for campaign work would be the least of his worries. Someone else knew about this. The question was what was he going to do with it? Fiona obviously wanted to offer some kind of restitution as if she’d been the guilty party.

  Never in a million years did he think she would go against her father, her family. This information could bring down the entire Cavanagh name. He read through the file and the enormity of her decision hit him. She was cutting herself loose.

  But he wasn’t ready to let her go.

  * * *

  Connor spent the entire day studying the file Fiona had given him. He wondered how she managed to get her hands on it. She had known little of her father’s dealings. She must’ve had help. If he used this information, what would it do to Fiona and Aiden?

  Everything he read pointed to Brady being corrupt almost from the beginning. If this fell into the right hands, Brady would probably go to prison. Is that what Fiona wanted? He couldn’t imagine her wanting that no matter how angry or hurt she was. She couldn’t have been thinking clearly.

  At this point, he couldn’t think straight either. He tucked the files into his desk and walked down the block to talk to Dermott. At the bar, he settled on a stool, and when Dermott went to pour him a beer, Connor waved it off. He was done with alcohol for a while.

  “What the hell happened to you?” Dermott asked.

  “Fiona knows everything.”

  Dermott laughed. “She did this?”

  “No. That was Aiden, after he found out I told Fiona.” Connor shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. She left me.”

  “I told you the truth would come out.”

  “I was afraid of hurting her. But she came back and gave me everything I could ever want on her father. An entire file of incriminating information.”