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“Ireland? I went to Ireland following a lead, but I couldn’t find you. Nobody would answer my questions.”
“I know,” she says quietly. “Darragh couldn’t understand how you got the tip off in the first place, but he made sure you didn’t get anything else once you arrived.”
“Son of a fucking bitch! Did you know I was in Ireland?”
“Yes,” she states bluntly and raising her chin a touch. “We were at The Borstal Boy when you arrived.” I frown at the name, and it takes a minute for me to realise that’s the name of the pub I stayed at in the small village outside Limerick.
“Shit! You were right there, and you…” I trail off as it becomes clear she was hidden from me. An even more devastating thought begins to form, but Star cuts it off before it fully forms.
“It wasn’t like that, Roxy. I didn’t know it was you at first, and when I found out, Aiden and I had a blazing row over it.”
“I don’t fucking understand, Star. Why…hang on, what do you mean you didn’t know it was me at first, who else would it have been?”
“I think that’s enough questions for tonight.” Comes a firm order from the doorway. My gaze snaps to Kavanagh leaning against the door, arms clasped behind his back and one foot crossed in front of the other.
“And I don’t think there’s been nearly enough,” I snap, placing the phone on the arm of the chair to prevent me from throwing it at his head. Star shifts beside me, climbing to her feet, and I see how tired she is. “But perhaps you’re right and we should leave it for tonight.” I glance to Kavanagh and let him know I have no intention of leaving it.
We say goodnight, hugging each other tight. I find it incredibly difficult to let her go. Scared that if I do, she’ll disappear again.
As she strolls from the room, she stops to kiss Aiden on the cheek. Whatever this strange relationship is between Kavanagh and Star, now is not the time to test the boundaries against my own.
I hear a door downstairs close, and this is my chance to get some answers.
“Talk, Kavanagh. I don’t give a shit who you are, you don’t have any right to keep information about my sister from me.”
He steps inside the room, gently pushing the door closed behind him. My pulse kicks up a notch, but it’s more out of anticipation of answers than fear. I’m not afraid of him. He might not be the same man I met in the warehouse, he might be wearing a sharp suit with an air of elegant arrogance about him that demands respect, but his whole demeanour screams fear me. Don’t be fooled by the outer shell because what hides beneath is far from pretty.
I watch as he strides confidently toward me, and it reminds me of Zak. Not just the juxtaposition of the clothes against tattooed skin and how he makes a living but the devil in disguise vibe that is always present with Zak.
I push thoughts of the Lawlers aside for now as I don’t have room to deal with that just now.
“We’ll agree to disagree on the matter of rights when it comes to Star, but I’m prepared to give you some answers.” He takes a seat in the chair beside the window, resting his hands in his lap and crossing his legs. “What do you want to know,” he asks.
“That’s a loaded question, but you can start by telling me how my sister ended up in Ireland with your family?”
“I don’t need to explain Rogers’ particular proclivities to you. He took Star the night he murdered your mother and auctioned her off. The man that bought her, Stanley Taylor, did so on our behalf as part of a deal we made with him.”
Stanley Taylor. The name sounds familiar, but I can’t think from where, and Kavanagh continues before it comes to me.
“When he died about 4 years ago, Rogers started poking around and asking questions about Anastasia. To keep him from finding her, we orchestrated a rumour that she was dead and made sure it got back to him. Unfortunately for us, and them, someone blabbed she was alive.
“After that, the only way to ensure he stayed away and didn’t get suspicious was to get on board with his plan to take down the Lawlers. Keep your friends—”
“Close and your enemies closer, yeah, we all know that. And what about Rogers, did you know he was planning to kill is own father?”
“Not initially, no. When I discovered what he was planning I tried to warn Theo, but it was too late.”
“You think Theo knew?”
“Yes, I’m almost certain he did.”
“So why the fuck didn’t he do something to stop him? Fuck! I should have done something more ten fucking years ago when he threatened me.” I slam my fist into the sofa, jolting the phone.
“To answer your first question, Theo didn’t do anything to stop his own death because he was already dying. He had cancer, Roxy. And as for Rogers, there is nothing you could have done then. That boy was a bad apple from the start.” He shakes his head, and I sense a deep sadness about that. I don’t understand why because Rogers is a sick fucking pervert.
“So, Theo just thought he’d let someone else deal with his fuck-up of a son? That’s fucking honourable,” I huff out.
“Yes, well, whatever his reasoning, complaining about it now won’t change anything, Roxy.”
