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“We’ll never let anyone kill us, Enzo,” Kat reassured him. “That’s not the O’Donnelly way, is it?”
He blinked but he agreed, “No, it’s not.”
“Your mom is untouchable anyway,” Cin quipped.
I stared in the distance, seeking out my aunt, and found her soothing Minnie on her hip, Uncle Conor was making faces at the baby, and as much as it always was with the two of them, hell, my parents and aunts and uncles as well, it was like the world didn’t exist when they were together.
Everyone else faded into nothingness.
Maybe not their kids, but that level of connection, the unity, the love, it was something I’d been raised with and something I craved.
Nervously, I studied Kat and saw a wistful expression on her face as well.
Did she feel it too?
“Come on, troubles,” Cin chirped, breaking into the moment. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Kat surprised me by slipping her hand into mine and squeezing it tight. As our fingers knotted, she peered at me. “Good to go?”
My heart stuttered. “Good to go.”
As if the last twenty minutes hadn’t happened, the O’Donnelly brood strolled down a short path that led to a stage where over five hundred people were seated, most of them press which explained why they hadn’t run off—they were covering the event. Cameras were broadcasting it around the world and tomorrow’s papers would be plastered with it too.
As a clan, we made it onto the stage, moving into pre-arranged positions. In the middle, Star’s parents, Lorelei and Dagger Daniels, stood pride of place.
For the first time, I wasn’t with Kat but had to return to my parents’ and siblings’ sides.
That didn’t mean I wasn’t looking at her.
Maybe Niall wasn't the only one who’d noticed my crush on Kat… I knew Uncle Conor had helped arrange the security for the stage and had worked with Cin to ensure our safety. He was probably why I could stare straight at her instead of being out in the cold.
Did that mean he didn’t mind?
To a round of applause, Star walked toward a podium once some boring diplomat introduced her to the crowd.
Christ, I needed to focus. Not think about Kat. And whether her overprotective father might approve of me having feelings for her…
“It’s taken nine years of striving, of fighting, of international cooperation, of governments uniting together with sanctions to fight the toxicity that has infected this world for over four hundred years, but here we are, still standing.
“Even today, they tried to stop us but this is the proof we needed to show you that our fight isn’t over. It will never truly be over.
“Today, however, isn’t about the New World Sparrows or the United Brotherhood.” She waved a hand and more people climbed onto the stage: Aaron Goldstein as well as the Satans’ Sinners’ MC’s Old Ladies who worked with Star on her foundation. “It’s about remembrance.”
Behind us, the odd black wall that had blocked the audience from seeing behind us cascaded to the floor, revealing a labyrinthine path forged from walls that were inscribed with names.
Millions of them.
“Today, we celebrate the lives of those who didn’t make it. We beg forgiveness for failing them, and we promise them we’ll never allow their deaths to have been in vain.
“May this monument stand forever as a global apology to the women, men, and children who endured and who found peace in death.
“May this monument stand as a thank you to the people who served on the side of justice and died in the act of duty.
“May this monument prove that we stand united against authoritarianism, that democracy is as Abraham Lincoln himself said, ‘A government of the people, by the people, and for the people.’”
At the second massive round of applause in less than ten minutes, Uncle Conor moved behind her, Minnie on his hip—as always, presenting a united front.
While the audience opened up for questions that peppered Aunt Star about her new role as a UN ambassador, I zoned out, more curious over Kat’s pained expression as she angled herself so she was looking back at the monument.
