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“Probably not,” she muttered. “Knowing Uncle Aidan, I mean, anything could be behind that door.”
I slid my hand into hers. “We’ll face it together, though, won’t we? No need to be frightened. Not when you’re with me.”
Her eyes caught mine and she smiled again. “Together.”
I winked andtogether, we walked toward her insane uncle, and only the fuck knew what would happen once we were behind that door.
32
MARYCAT
I was lucky.
Uncle Aidan could have done only God knew what to me in retaliation, but even as I’d pushed the gun into his stomach, I knew I was safe.
The O’Donnellys didn’t hurt women. If anything, women were their weakness—I knew that.
Everyoneknew that.
That didn’t mean he’d appreciated being held at gunpoint…
But whatever amnesty women were under, Digger wasnot.So I’d had to protect him. I’d had to.
And now, I had more certainty about us than ten minutes ago, and we were walking toward my uncle and whatever he considered me to be old enough to handle.
My lip was raw from biting it as we entered the room, and I groaned under my breath as I bit down harder than ever, blood dripping into my mouth from where my tooth punctured the tender flesh when my gaze collided with my father’s.
Seated behind a board table, the moment he caught sight of me, he jumped to his feet, snarling, “Mary Catherine! Where the fuck have you—”
“Sit. Down,” Uncle Aidan barked.
But I was deaf to that.
All I could see was the loathing on his face.
The absolute hatred.
Whenhad that happened?
Whyhad it?
I just didn’t understand how someone could turn so totally against their child because that child’s mother was Jezebel reborn.
Digger’s hand tightened around mine. It made me jump but it enabled me to break the chokehold Father had on me and let me look at my husband.
His gaze was calm even if his expression was stony.
I tried to allow that calm to filter through me too.
Then, I noticed he was breathing differently and I started to follow him—deep inhalations through the nose and long exhalations through the mouth.
The motion was soothing.
That was when I realized everyone was watching me.
Even Uncle Aidan.
Blushing, I turned to the other men and frowned when I saw Anthony, Sarah’s husband, as well as Bill Murphy sitting there.
