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“Yes, and yes.”
Her chest expands with her intake of breath, finally falling when relief collapses her shoulders. Her teeth graze over her bottom lip. “Where is she?”
I keep it simple, not wanting her to know everything, not yet. “Killybegs.”
Her full moon eyes glaze over as anger and hurt rear their ugly heads. “She’s been here the whole time? Why didn’t she call me and let me know she was okay?”
“She’s fine. Missing you, but in order to put an end to all this, she had to stay away from you.”
Her frustration pushes her to her feet, and her hands fly to her head. “An end to what? What is she running from? Stop avoiding it, Rohan. Tell me what the fuck is going on.”
“There are some things I can’t tell you, Saoirse. Purely because I don’t have all the information.” I rise from the couch and place my hands on her shoulders, eyes searing into the window of her soul. “But for you to understand the bigger picture, I have to go back to the beginning.”
She nods before stepping out of my grasp and lowering herself back onto the couch, directing all her attention on me.
“The syndicate is a criminal organisation founded hundreds of years ago by the four High King families of the Emerald Isle — The Ryan, Reilly, Connelly, and Murphy clans — one King for each province of Ireland. Caolain Ryan was the original High King of the Leinster syndicate but over the years, crime changed and expanded beyond the reach of one person. Everything became more accessible — drugs, money, power. The High Kings knew they needed to extend their reach. That’s when they brought in more families, ones with enough connections to keep them at the top of the food chain.”
“And that’s when the Kings, Devereuxs, and Bradys became Leinster’s Killybegs Kings, right?” My gaze flicks towards her, wondering how she knew that. She answers my unspoken question with one word. “Beibhinn.”
I nod, lowering myself onto the couch, and taking a seat next to her. “I should have known she was feeding you snippets. Anyway, Caolain brought in our families to strengthen his reach. Then, with each new generation, the keys of the kingdom got passed down to the next heir in line. But first, they had to pass their trials and prove their loyalty. Your mam was the first female heir to step up and demand a seat. She was the oldest Ryan heir, but normally women didn’t initiate.” When she tips her chin with acknowledgement, I carry on.
“At first, the Kings didn’t want a woman leading any province, but after putting it to a vote, they agreed that if women could pass the same trials as the men, then why not?” Your mam cleared the way for all women. But some men weren’t happy about having a woman as their leader.”
Her tongue peeps out from her parted lips, trailing along the seam. I follow the movement with my gaze until she finally asks, “Beibhinn said my mam never finished her trials. Did something happen? Is that what made her run?”
“Yes…but that’s not my story to tell. It’s hers.”
Her eyes roll back, agitated by my response. “She’s had almost eighteen years to tell me, Rohan, and she hasn’t. What makes you think she will now?”
“She’s no choice, love. You’re in this now.”
“Can you take me to her?”
“Not yet. Especially after what Donnacha did tonight. That attack wasn’t a fluke, Saoirse. If I hadn’t realised you’d disappeared from the dancefloor, God knows what he would have done to you.”
She hesitates for a moment, dropping her gaze to the floor. It’s clear by her facial expression that the events of tonight are flashing through her mind. Finally, she peers back at me. “What do you mean when you say it wasn’t a fluke?”
Reaching over, I take her hand in mine and draw it on my lap. With my free hand, I draw lazy circles on her palm. “When your mam failed to complete her trials, the syndicate crowned my dad as King of Killybegs, but only until the next Ryan became of age and passed their trials. You’re my father’s biggest threat. Not your mam. You. You’re the only eligible Ryan heir. And with that title comes enemies. Ones that would do anything to remain in power. As far as I can tell, my father knew he was running on borrowed time, so he got his pet project to take care of the problem. But, thankfully, Aodhán and I stopped him before Donnacha could finish whatever it was he was going to do to you.”
She stiffens, and her eyes gloss over before she squeezes them tight and forces back the emotions she is feeling. Finally, after a few deep breaths, she continues, “So, what…your father told your half-brother to rape me?”
Deciding to brush past the fact she knows Donnacha is my brother — because that is a story for another day — I give her my thoughts on what happened tonight. “My guess is my dad sent Donnacha to get rid of you, but Donnacha got greedy and thought he’d have his way with you first.”
Her lips clamp down as she gulps her emotions back. Bringing a hand to her face, I cup her cheek, and she leans into my palm.
“I don’t have a good relationship with my dad, Saoirse. But I know he wants to remove you from the equation. No more Ryan heirs means he can continue his reign without interruption.”
“He’s the reason you came to my house that night?”
“Yes, and no. We knew he’d found out about you, and we had to act fast before he got to you.”
“Who is…we?”
I knew this question was coming, and honestly, I don’t think she’s ready to hear it. But I promised her I never lied to her, and I will not start now. “Your dad.”
