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“You will get through this and come back for your boy,” she said. “I know you will.”
I squeezed her hand in return and gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile. “I'll see you soon, Charlotte,” I said. “And thank you. For everything.”
She nodded. “Go handle your business.”
“On my way.”
~ooo000ooo~
After being patted down by his men, they led me to the basement of the pub where Killian was waiting for me. There were boxes and other supplies needed to run the bar stacked all around, but my eyes immediately fell upon Kara, who was tied to a chair, her eyes burning with hatred. When she saw me though, her face softened, and I could see her fighting back the tears. She wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry. That's my girl. A core of steel.
In that moment, I wished I felt half as strong as she looked. My plan was hopefully coming together, but there were so many variables and moving parts, I wasn't sure if it was going to come to fruition the way I'd hoped. Inevitability something always got fucked up and that old saying about man planning and the gods laughing, flashed through my mind. But, I'd had no other choice. I'd had to roll the dice and now, I was stuck hoping for the best possible outcome.
“The prodigal son returns,” Killian said with a chuckle. “Welcome home, brother.”
I looked around the room. Including the one who'd escorted me down, he had four big goons standing around, all of them eyeballing me with clear hostility in their eyes. Rory was sitting on a table near the corner just behind Killian, a wide, shit-eating grin on his face.
“Kara, you okay?” I asked.
She nodded. “I'm fine.”
Rory chuckled to himself, a dry, grating sound that made me want to punch him. Not that I didn't have a shortage of reasons for wanting to punch him.
“Something funny, Rory?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Nothin' really,” he said. “I was just thinkin' I can see why you got yourself so wrapped up in this bitch. She's fine.”
I took a step forward, my fists clenching at my sides. Killian's goons all stepped up, all of them glaring at me, daring me to do something. Killian looked at me for a long moment and nodded. He turned and moved so fast, it took me a minute to process what had just happened. The crack of Killian's hand meeting Rory's face was loud and echoed around the concrete room. Rory tumbled off the table, a thin rivulet of blood running from the corner of his mouth. He scrambled to his feet, holding his hand over his bloody mouth, glaring balefully at Killian.
Killian stepped forward, looming over Rory. “I told you that you were not to lay a single hand on her,” he said. “Were my instructions in any way unclear?”
Rory looked away and shook his head but said nothing.
“We'll discuss this further later, Rory,” he said. “Right now, there is business at hand. Leave us.”
Rory looked at Killian like he'd slapped him again. Killian just glared at him, and Rory backed down, of course. His head hanging low, obviously pissed about being excluded, he marched out of the room, casting dark, hateful looks at me the whole way. He slammed the door dramatically behind him, leaving me trapped in a room with Killian and his men.
Killian turned to Kara, giving her a small smile. “I apologize for the coarse treatment my brother inflicted upon you,” he said. “I was very clear that – ”
“Fuck off,” Kara snapped at him.
A dark look crossed Killian's face and there was a brief moment where I thought he might hit her. I didn't know what I'd do if I did, but I wouldn't let it stand. Thankfully though, he quickly composed himself and turned away from her, facing me.
“Where is Jack?” he asked. “I recall specifically telling you to bring the child.”
“Yeah, I changed that plan,” I said.
“That wasn't smart, Declan.”
I shrugged. “You spent most of my life telling me I was an idiot,” I said. “Guess I just proved you right.”
A smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Declan, you're making it very hard for me to trust you,” he said. “And if I can't trust you, I can't have you be a part of this family.”
“That's fine,” I said. “Just give me Kara and we'll leave you be. I didn't want to be part of this family anyway.”
“But, you are part of this family,” he said. “You can't simply just walk away from it like that.”
“Yeah, I know,” I said softly. “I know that now.”
