Page 47 of Niall

CHAPTER TWELVE

ANNA

Sitting beside Niall with a group of his friends, I felt euphoric. He hadn’t said the words, but I felt his love. It was the way he looked at me. The warmth of his arm around my back. The way his fingers played with the ends of my hair. The intense way he watched me.

Looking around the table, I realized it was the same for all the men. Their wives beside them, the adoring glances. The possessive glares they gave anyone glancing toward their spouses too long. I had to laugh to myself when I realized it was the same for the women. Vi’s glare could pierce armor. It obviously amused Aldo, who teased her often, pulling her close for a kiss.

I leaned back into Niall’s warmth, feeling something I had never experienced before. A sensation of belonging. To him. With these people.

I knew his life was dangerous. I also knew, without his world, I would be elsewhere, locked in pain and misery—if I were still breathing.

Their world didn’t frighten me as much as the evil that existed outside of it. I had no doubt Niall would keep me safe. That he would do whatever it took to make me safe.

I glanced down at my bracelet, running my fingertip over the pretty diamonds. I had never owned a piece of jewelry so expensive. My mom’s and dad’s wedding bands were thin, and my dad’s had a crack in it. They were up north in the small storage locker where I’d left some items I couldn’t bear to part with when I’d sold the campground and the small house I’d grown up in. I had planned on shipping them to Toronto once I was settled. I frowned as I wondered what Niall would think of the odd pieces of furniture and the pictures I wanted to keep.

He leaned close, his voice low in my ear. “Whatever you’re thinking of that is making you so sad, stop. We’ll figure it out.” He squeezed my shoulder. “Just enjoy the night, mo mhuirnín.”

Una’s voice was spectacular. I had heard her sing—soft and low on occasion. But hearing her, seeing her, in the small spotlight, I got goose bumps. She reached high notes I couldn’t fathom as she sang Celtic songs, her voice filling the room with a power and emotion that packed a punch. She was applauded and cheered, no one as loudly as Finn. His eyes shone with proud tears as he watched her.

She spoke little, bowing at the praise. It was during her last song that the tears came for me, unbidden and hot. It was the one she’d sung to her brother as he lay dying in her arms. The poignancy of that moment hit me fully, and I had to grasp Niall’s hand. He tightened his arm around me. Finn leaned forward, anxious and emotional as she drew to a close, tears running down her cheeks. She seemed to falter a little, and he was out of his seat in an instant, springing up on stage and wrapping an arm around her waist, guiding her off amid the applause.

The lights brightened, and I looked around the table, seeing the same emotion reflected on everyone’s faces. You could feel her pain as she sang, and the sensation brought out hidden hurts deep from your soul.

Effie wiped her eyes. “She was simply brilliant.”

Roman tucked her close, pressing a kiss to her head but not saying a word.

Vi sniffled. “That was intense.”

Aldo only nodded.

“She sang that to her brother as he passed,” I whispered, my voice feeling thick in my throat.

“Oh God,” Effie replied. “What a brave soul she is.”

“She’s braver than anyone knows,” I said.

Effie smiled at me. “Except you.”

Niall’s grip on me tightened, and he pulled me so close I had to pat his hand to relax him enough to breathe. He hated thinking about what Una and I went through.

“We were brave together.”

Roman lifted a glass. “To the brave women in our life.”

The room emptied out except our group. Una was only singing one set tonight, and Finn had arranged for dinner to be served to us here in private after he’d had some alone time with Una.

A short while later, Una and Finn appeared. Una was smiling and calm. Finn beamed in happiness. She accepted all the hugs and accolades with grace, then sat next to me.

Our eyes met, and a silent conversation happened. Everyone around the table was quiet, and I knew I had to help break the ice.

“I dunno, Una. If I were your backup singer, we’d be a hit, I think.”

Her lips quirked.

“I mean, I could liven up the numbers.” I waggled my fingers. “Jazz hands included.”

She began to smile.