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“It’s not your fault,” I offer. “None of this is your fault.”
“I can’t help but feel somewhat responsible. Victoria killed her own brother. How could she do something like that?” he asks, confused like the rest of us.
Tyler sucks in a deep breath and exhales. “Love sometimes makes you do stupid things. Victoria wasn’t exactly stable; look what she put you through. But I guess that means it’s over now, Liam. You’re finally free.”
Liam frowns, shrugging. “But at what cost?” He looks down at his bandaged leg and bruised knuckles. “At what cost?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
LIAM
It’s been two weeks since the fight, and I’m recovering as expected. I was released from the hospital with a pair of crutches but stopped using them yesterday with hopes to find my normal again. Plus, I hated using the damn things.
There have been good and bad days since the fight, and I’m still moving slow, but at least the pain is becoming more bearable. One doctor told me that if I’d been stabbed one inch to the right, I would’ve died before I made it to the emergency room. It’s something that still haunts me. I think about all that’s happened over the past year, and my head is still spinning at the shit I went through. It all started with a poker game and ended with a murder.
I’m still in shock that JJ is dead. I hated the guy, but I didn’t want him killed. Though I’m relieved that I can finally move on and not worry about any of the O’Learys.
I never thought Victoria was capable of killing her brother, but I should’ve known better. She made her own rules in life, and JJ pushed her to the limit by orchestrating one of the dirtiest fights in mob history, hoping I’d kill Mickey DeFranco for him or that he’d end up injured trying to kill me. The rumor is he found out his sister’s babies were DeFranco bastards and lost his mind trying to get his ultimate revenge. He wanted DeFranco dead without causing a bigger war between the families so he planned the fight. I’d been blackmailed into doing his dirty work for everyone to witness and walked right into his trap. If I died, no one would’ve cared because I was just an O’Leary pawn. If I’d won, JJ’s problems were solved, and his enemy was taken care of. Ultimately, he took a risk, but there’s no way he could’ve envisioned Victoria ending it or rather him. She was always a vindictive bitch, though. Even I knew not to cross her at times.
Apparently, she was so enraged that JJ had set up a fight with Mickey that she loaded a gun, drove to the warehouse, and found him. Tyler told me the last thing she said to her brother before killing him was, “You gave me no choice.” After the shots were fired, mass hysteria broke out, and everyone scattered. Victoria won’t go down for murder. Considering she’s Daddy’s little mafia princess, I’m sure she made up some erroneous lie and completely buried the truth with her brother. Manipulation is her middle name.
As I roll out of bed, I can’t deny how happy I am to finally be free from it all. I wasn’t sure if it’d really happen, even if I won the fight. There are days when slivers of doubt randomly creep in, and I still can’t go out in public without looking over my shoulder, but I think it’s going to take time. Dealing with the O’Learys has made me more aware of my surroundings, and I learned a valuable lesson. I won’t be trusting anyone I don’t already know anytime soon.
After Maddie left for class this morning, I crawled back under the covers. I’ve been tired lately, and the doctors have told me to rest so I can fully recover. The fatigue comes and goes, but I’m eager to start working again and doing everyday tasks. The wound was deep, but it’s healing nicely.
Rubbing my hands over my face, I grab my phone from the side table and go to the kitchen where there’s still a half a pot of coffee from this morning and pour a cup. It’s cold, so I place it in the microwave and warm it up while I check my texts. A smile touches my lips when I see messages from Maddie.
Maddie: My last dance class was canceled today, so I’ll be home early!
I check the time and see she sent the message an hour ago. Before I can even return her text, the front door opens and closes. I walk to the doorway and see her drop her backpack on the floor, then walk toward me with a smile. Moments later, her arms are wrapped around my neck, and her mouth is gliding across mine.
