I whirl around to face him. “Figure what out? That my entire life has been a lie? That you’re not my cousin but my brother? That somewhere out there, I have a sister I never knew about?”
“Yes,” he says, his face set in that determined expression I’ve always both admired and resented. “All of that.”
“Why would he hide this?” I demand. “Why let me grow up thinking I was just some distant relation you all tolerated?”
“I don’t know,” Declan admits. “Maybe the same reason why I never knew Kat was my half sister. Whatever it is, that riddle is the key to finding him—and your sister.”
“Our sister,” Kat corrects gently, coming to stand beside Declan. The family resemblance between them is suddenly painful to look at. Do I share those same features?
I notice Kori hanging back, clearly uncomfortable with the family drama unfolding before her. This isn’t what she signed up for.
“You should go,” I tell her, my voice rough. “This isn’t your problem.”
She hesitates, tucking a strand of her choppy hairbehind her ear. “Are you sure? I mean, I know we just met, but...”
“I’m sure,” I say more firmly. “Rory can take you back to your cottage.”
Something flickers across her face—disappointment? Relief? I can’t tell, and honestly, I don’t have the emotional bandwidth to care right now.
“I’ll take her,” Wren offers. “You boys need to work this out, and I can come back after.”
“Wren is right,” Kat nodded. “You boys need to work this out. I’ll go with her to take Kori home.”
Declan nods his agreement, and Wren gives him a quick kiss before leading Kori toward one of the rental cars. As the three women walk away, Kori glances back at me, her expression unreadable.
Once they’re gone, I turn back to Declan and Rory. “So, what now? We solve Daddy Dearest’s little puzzle and find the sister I never knew I had?”
“And your father,” Rory adds. “If he’s alive, we need to find him before the Russians do.”
“Why the hell did Tomas steal her?” I demanded.
“I don’t know,” Declan says. “But thirty-three years is a long time to hold a grudge. For whatever reason, it must have been important.”
Rory puts his hands on his hips, the riddle still clenched in one. “The ancient throne could refer tothe Hill of Tara. That was the seat of the High Kings of Ireland.”
“Seven steps east, three to the north,” I recite, the words already burned into my memory. “Sounds like we’re going on a treasure hunt.”
I look at him—really look at him—trying to see if there’s any resemblance between us. His short hair is nothing like my dark waves, but there’s something about the set of his jaw, the shape of his eyes...
“This is so fucked up,” I mutter, running a hand through my hair.
“Welcome to the MacGallans,” he says dryly. “Where family secrets come with their own treasure maps.”
Despite everything, I feel a reluctant smile tug at my lips. “I need a drink before we do this.”
“No,” Declan says firmly. “You need to be sober. For once in your life, Kane, I need you sharp.”
I want to argue, to tell him he doesn’t get to order me around just because we suddenly share a father. But the truth is, he’s right. If there’s ever been a time when I needed a clear head, it’s now.
“Fine,” I concede. “But when this is over, I’m drinking Ireland dry.”
“I’ll help you,” he says. “Now, let’s figure out this riddle.”
As we head back to the cars, I find myselfwondering what Kori is thinking right now. Is she grateful to be escaping the MacGallan family drama? Or is she, like me, caught up in the mystery of it all, curious despite herself?
Not that it matters. After today, I’ll probably never see her again. And that’s for the best. The last thing she needs is to get tangled up with me.
But as we drive away from the castle, heading toward whatever destination Tomas’s riddle will lead us to, I can’t help but glance at my arm where I wrote my number on hers. Part of me hopes she’ll use it. The other part hopes she’s smart enough not to.
