“Are they mad at Daddy?”
Cormac reaches out to stroke his hair. “I think that might be an understatement, buddy.”
The three of us head downstairs, and the moment we’re outside, Cormac moves past us, running toward the chaos at the end of the driveway.
Brennan follows, his hands raised. “It’s fine! It’s just a casual misunderstanding. Nothing to see here.”
Ronan finally speaks, but it’s clear he’s holding back his anger as he takes in the sight of the mangled gates. “Want to tell me what the hell happened?”
Before Cormac can answer, Ciara steps out of the car to survey the damage.
“Get back in the car,” Ronan orders, but Ciara ignores him.
She looks around. “I take it someone decided to turn up without an invitation?”
“It’s handled,” Cormac replies.
Kieran seethes. “Is it? My gates are fucking wrecked.”
“Gates are overrated,” Brennan chimes in, which earns him a warning look from all three of his brothers.
“How did you let this happen?” Kieran demands.
Cormac’s jaw tightens. “Lower your voice.”
“Oh, don’t start with me. You don’t get to tell me to calm down when I walk into a war zone.”
Ronan steps forward, placing a hand on Kieran’s shoulder. “Enough.”
But Kieran shakes him off, his anger already starting to simmer as he rakes a hand through his hair. “Someone breachedour perimeter, and you’re standing here acting like this wasn’t an attempted kidnapping mission!”
Scout instantly stiffens in my arms.
“Is he coming back? Is he going to take me again?” he asks, his voice shaking, as he looks to Cormac for reassurance.
Everyone goes utterly still.
I glance at Cormac and see his face slowly drain of color.
Cormac crosses the distance between us in two strides. “No. No one is taking you anywhere. Ever.”
Scout’s breath hitches as his lower lip starts to tremble. “Y-you promised…last time.”
Cormac swallows hard as he takes his son’s face in his hands. “And I’m keeping it.”
“I suggest we move this inside,” Ronan orders. “It seems Cormac has a lot to fill us in on.”
Kieran scoffs. “Yeah, no shit.”
Scout burrows his head against my shoulder again, and I can tell he’s starting to panic again by the way his breathing speeds up.
“It’s okay, Scout. Nothing’s going to happen to you,” I whisper.
The tension doesn’t dissipate once the front doors are shut. If anything, it sharpens.
Riley and Ciara have the right idea by disappearing upstairs with the children, but when I try to do the same, Scout lets out a cry of protest, insisting on staying with both me and Cormac, so I join the brothers in the living room.
Kieran is the first one to lose his patience as he paces around, looking like he wants nothing more than to put his fist through a window.
