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21
Chapter 21
WILDER
“What are you doing here, Quinn?” I silently prayed that Anna had heeded my warning and went to John.
“Wilder, you’ve been stirring up some dangerous waters. Waters that should have remained undisturbed,” Quinn’s tone carried the warning he wanted me to hear.
“Do you know what happened the night Mom left, Quinn?” I took a seat opposite him, my eyes locked onto his. Maintain my power and control, show him that his visit did not bother me. I hadn’t pursued anything since I talked to Matthew. But someone had been talking about what I had been doing.
“I do. And now, poor Matthew McConnell, he has become a liability. We can’t allow people to meddle in matters that don’t concern them,” Quinn responded, his voice carrying a sinister edge, calm and cold.
My fists clenched, and I took deliberate breaths. “He didn’t kill Mom. She didn’t abandon us like he claimed. Matthew merely provided answers to the questions I sought. There’s no reason to harm him.”
“You should know better, Wilder. Matthew betrayed father by revealing the truth to you. That betrayal cannot go unanswered,” Quinn retorted, his demeanor unwavering, always the embodiment of calm control. “And as for mother, she was undermining the family. Her demise was necessary.”
“How can you be so sure? All we’ve ever known is father’s version of events,” I shouted, my voice trembling with frustration. Quinn relished in my unraveling, taking a calculated sip of his drink, knowing full well that I had lost control.
Quinn relished in my show of emotion and took a sip of his drink. He knew I wasn’t in control. This whole fucking night had been out of control for me.
“Do you know why father didn’t tell people that Mother was dead? Huh, little brother?” Quinn smiled. He enjoyed knowing more and being more important to my father than I was. “It’s because she comes from a powerful family back in Ireland. This was an arranged marriage to strengthen the business that both the Kavanaghs and the Kelly’s have. When father married mother, the Kelly’s in the US joined the Kavanaghs family.” He sat silently and waited for me to respond. I chose to remain silent. “Do you see now? If father had killed her, then we would be at war with the Kelly’s. The men here would no longer be loyal to us. If she had run off, then father looks like the innocent one. And the Kavanagh family would still be in power in the US.”
I was at a loss for words, my mind spun. Taking a sip from my drink, I tried to process the weight of Quinn’s revelations.
“Mother… she wanted to escape. She wanted to protect me from the life we were living,” I finally managed to say. The urge to understand gnawed at me and I couldn’t help but ask, “How do you know all of this?”
“Because I was there that night,” Quinn confessed, and a sinking feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. “I was hidden behind the desk and heard him talking to her about leaving.” I listened intently as he spoke, recounting the conversation between our parents. Mother’s desire to leave, to take me away from this life and back to Ireland, and Father’s refusal to let her tear the family apart.
Quinn rose from his seat, adjusting his suit jacket. “We belong to Father. He protects us,” he asserted, his voice filled with conviction.
Anger welled up within me, pushing back against Quinn’s attempts to sway me. “This isn’t about blind loyalty,” I shot back, my tone laced with defiance. “It’s about questioning, seeking the truth. I won’t stop just because it makes Father uncomfortable.”
“You will. This isn’t about comfort. It’s about the preservation of our power and the safety of our family. I came here because I genuinely care about you, little brother. I don’t want Father to hear about this; it would shatter his heart.” Quinn moved gracefully around the desk, his hand resting on my shoulder.
“You mean it will piss him off that I’m not blindly following him.” I retorted.
Quinn brushed off my words, disregarding my concerns. “I’ll handle the aftermath of your actions, while you continue to manage the business as usual. No one needs to know anything different from the story that’s been told.”
“If the Kellys gain control over the Kavanagh empire, you won’t inherit the family business when Father steps down, will you? This is about securing your own power, isn’t it?”
Quinn approached me, his face mere inches from mine, his tone dripping with a warning. “Little Brother, you’re skating on thin ice. You will obey my instructions. Leave it be.”
With a final sip of his drink, Quinn downed the last drop and made his exit through the door. His parting words lingered in the air, carrying a sense of ominous threat. “If I catch wind of you poking your nose where it doesn’t belong, I’ll be forced to employ more drastic measures to convince you.”
Pulling out my phone, I dialed Levi. “Levi. You need to get your dad out of town.” I yelled as soon as he answered.
“It’s too late, Wilder,” Levi’s voice came through, the grief was felt through the phone. “A couple of men came by about an hour ago. It was on the orders of your brother, his men stood down.”
The weight of guilt settled on my shoulders. “I’m so sorry, Levi,” I muttered, my voice heavy with regret. The silence stretched between us, neither of us knowing how to navigate this situation. I was responsible for the death of his father.
“What are you going to do now?” Levi finally broke the silence, his voice tinged with concern.
A sense of uncertainty hung in the air. “I don’t know,” I admitted, feeling the weight of the impossible choices before me. “I can’t simply take down my father; Quinn is right there, ready to seize control. He’s even more ruthless and power-hungry than my father ever was.”
Levi’s voice carried a warning. “Just be careful, Wilder. Quinn is vindictive and merciless. He only cares about his position in the family. Don’t let him drag you down along with him.”
I hung up and rushed out of the door. Quinn knew about Anna. I don’t think he knew exactly how important she was, but I couldn’t take the chance.
