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“Sloane, I’m going to need to be darker, more reckless,” I told her. “I need you to really think about that and decide if that’s a life you can live with and if it’s not, I will set you up somewhere, maybe overseas, where they can’t find you.”
I could see the wheels turning in her head, the decision wasn’t a light one, and I knew that. My phone dinged, and I saw Conor’s name pop up on my screen.
“Conor needs me,” I told her. “But take a few days, think about everything. I promise, I will be okay with whatever you choose.”
I leant over and kissed her forehead before I found the willpower to walk back to the window and slide through it, heading down the hall before I changed my mind.
The ball was in her court now.
Where it should have been, this entire time.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
SLOANE
Teeghan was quiet, as we sat at the cafe, sipping her latte. I could see she was going to make me do the talking, at least be the first one to speak.
“Glad to have Conor back?” I asked, hoping to stall. Teeghan was too smart for that, and I could see it in the way she stayed silent. “Fine, Killian gave me an out.”
“And?”
“And I don’t know why he did that,” I admitted. “I’m a little hurt that he doesn’t want to fight for me.”
Teeghan finally put her mug down on the table and leaned forward. “Sloane, it’s not that he doesn’t want to fight for you. He dropped everything to go and find you, and I know he always will, I think he’s trying to protect you. After all, you didn’t want a part of this life for years. It’s up to you to choose him, which means choosing this life, or choosing freedom.”
“I don’t want freedom,” I said quickly and to my surprise, I meant it. “I want…him. I think I always have.”
Teeghan nodded. “I know, but choosing Killian comes with a price, just like me choosing Conor. My father was killed because I fell in love with him. I had to deal with that on top of loving someone I clearly shouldn’t. Instead of blaming him, because we both know it wasn’t his fault it happened, I chose to stand beside him, and help him get rid of those who tried to mess with the family.”
“You chose Conor.”
“I did, and I don’t regret it one bit.”
“Doesn’t it scare you?” I asked her. “Them going off and facing off with these assholes.”
“Of course, I’d be a fool if I didn’t think when I said goodbye to him, it may be the last time but even if we didn’t fall in love with them, and we fell for normal guys. How do we know when we kiss them goodbye, that won’t be the last time?”
She was right.
“That’s true,” I said, leaning back in my chair. “I mean, I never thought that day would be the last time I saw Sean. One freak accident later, and he’s gone.”
Teeghan frowned but tried to hide it behind her latte.
“What?”
“Sean didn’t die in a freak accident, Sloane. He died in a car accident after he was being chased by loan sharks.”
I felt as if my mind was about to implode.
“What?”
“Everyone was lied to, but a few months ago, I found out the truth. Sean had gotten into some serious debt and he needed an out. Instead of going to the O’Farrell’s, who could have easily helped him, he got in deeper and deeper.”
“Wait…Tee…this doesn’t make sense. If he had debt, it would have passed to me, and I got nothing.”
“Because it was paid before you found out,” Teeghan said. “Look, Sean hated Killian, and he had every right to because he knew you were still in love with him. Killian chose to stay away, because he knew seeing you happy with someone else would kill him inside but he would have helped Sean in a heartbeat if it meant keeping you happy. Sean was just too proud to ask for help from him and it got him killed.”
My mind was rushing about, trying to process the news that the caring and loving husband I thought had been an angel had been addicted to gambling to the point he’d been killed for it.
