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It’s dark in the room, with only a faint glimmer of light, but I can tell she’s still sleeping. Her red hair’s all tumbled about her, and the blanket’s fallen off her shoulder. Gorgeous and peaceful in sleep.
I wonder what makes her tick. Up until last night, I’d allowed myself to only demonize her in my mind. A bitch on a mission to destroy my family. But after seeing those children in that disaster of a house, after seeing how she came apart and dropped her defenses when she was near them, I know there’s more to her than meets the eye.
If I’m honest, I’ve known that for a while. Hell, it may be the very thing that draws me to her.
Today, I’ll dig deeper. First, I’ve got to cover my arse and act proactively.
I shoot Cormac a message.
You up?
A reply comes back almost at once.
Cormac: Aye.
Need to talk.
Cormac: Right now?
Yeah.
Cormac: Phone, house, privacy?
Privacy.
Cormac. Meet me by the cliffs in ten. Bring tea. Bonus points for food.
I smile to myself. He eats all damn day.
I toss off the covers, and pull on the trousers and t-shirt I left on the floor. I lock the door behind me and head to the kitchen downstairs, grab two cups of hot tea, and nick a plateful of scones. When I reach the cliffs, Cormac’s already staring out at the sea, waiting.
I hand him the tea and scones, and we sit in silence. He doesn’t like to talk unless he’s got at least one cup of tea in him.
Like Keenan, Cormac didn’t have much faith in me when I was younger, when I’d taken to drink and fucked up everything. But he’s got a softer heart than Keenan. He’s the peacemaker in our family. He was the first to come to me when I needed him, and I know he’s got my back faster and more reliably than any other brother in The Clan.
I stare out at the sea. It’s cool this morning, a brisk, salty breeze coming off the water. I inhale deeply. It’s fucking mesmerizing, a balm to my soul.
“Right, then,” he says, after he’s polished off his tea and three scones. “This have anything to do with you boys rolling in last night after you’d taken the girl?”
I nod. “Aye.”
I fill him in. When I get to the part of entering Stone City and the beating I gave the arsehole, he groans. When I tell him about taking the children back home, he smacks his head. By the time I’m finished, he’s cursing under his breath.
“Haven’t talked to Keenan, then, yet, have you?”
I groan. “No.”
“Have any answers from the lass?”
“Also no.”
He curses. “So all you’ve done, then, is manage to bring trouble here.”
“Don’t forget, I also did a right good job of dirtying up Stone city.”
“Oh, right,” he says with a groan. “Well that makes things better.”
“Tell me about it.”
“So you know what you have to do today, then, don’t you?”
“Aye. I do.”
He lifts his brows questioningly.
“Get the answers I need.”
“Aye. You’ve a plan for that?”
I tell him what I did the night before, how I plan on getting answers from her, and he nods. “Seems about right.” He takes another scone. “You let me handle Keenan, alright?”
I appreciate the gesture, but shake my head. “No, I’ll handle him myself.”
Cormac grins and smacks my shoulder. “Good lad. Aye, you can. Now best get up to her and see what you can get before breakfast.”
“I’ll use this to my advantage,” I tell him. “She’s indebted to me with her family here.”
Cormac stands and brushes crumbs off him, looking out at the sea. “Aye,” he says. “If Keenan lets them stay.”
Christ, I didn’t think about that.
Seems I’ve got two jobs today.
I glance at the feed on my phone and see she’s still fast asleep. Cormac looks over.
“Jesus, she’s a sight, eh?” he mutters.
“Aye,” I say, not quite sure why there’s a note of pride in my voice. “Fucking gorgeous.”
“I mean she isn’t as pretty as Aileen, but she’s passable,” he says. I punch his arm, and he laughs, rubbing out the sting. We walk together back up to the house.
“For what it’s worth, Nolan, I think you did the right thing.”
I look at him sharply. “Do you?”
“Aye.” His voice thickens a little. “Maybe even what dad would’ve done. I mean, he was ruthless. I saw things at a young age I’ll take with me to my death. He had a heavy hand, but he didn’t have a heart of stone.”
“Aye.” My throat is clogged myself. I didn’t realize until he said this how much I needed to hear it.
My father never knew me as an adult sober.
Maybe it isn’t Keenan I need to prove myself to.
When we reach the garden, I’m surprised to see mam out front, bent over, holding the hand of the littlest one. He’s toddling around the garden and speaking in gibberish, pointing to one thing and then the next. Jesus, he’s cute.
