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“This one. About you and him.”
Closing my eyes, I snuggle into his chest. I don’t imagine I will ever understand Shane Ryan.
“He’s not the cold-hearted bastard you think he is, Angel,” Conor says as he brushes my hair behind my ear.
“I know that,” I say, because I don’t think he’s cold hearted at all. But he's as stubborn as a mule.
“He never wanted to come to New York, you know? He was happy back in Ireland.”
I look up at him again. “Really. So, why did he?”
“Because of our father.”
“Didn’t he and Shane get along?”
“They did once. Shane was always our dad’s favorite. In fact, he didn’t want any more kids. He barely tolerated me, but he plain despised Liam and Mikey, and he made no attempt at hiding it either.”
I sit up straighter again so I can look at his face. “Really?”
He nods. “Growing up, he was cruel and spiteful. Our mum tried to protect us as best she could, but she couldn’t even protect herself. He killed her when I was nine. The twins were only one.”
My hand flies to my mouth. I knew that there was a history with their father, but I had no idea it involved anything like this. “He killed her? Did he go to prison?”
Conor shakes his head and scowls. “Patrick Ryan rules Belfast, Jessie. He’s Teflon. Invincible, and completely fucking untouchable. He told everyone she fell and hit her head and no one dared to disagree with him. My mum had a sister, Em, and she tried to help. But she was no match for him. He drove her away just like he did his own brother. No matter what he ever did, he always walked away without a scratch.”
“Wow!” I blink at him. “What happened to you all after she died?”
“We stayed with him. He was our dad and, as far as he was concerned, we were his property. Shane was thirteen, and he became our protector after that. He did a good job most of the time. But our dad decided I needed to start taking care of myself. No son of Patrick Ryan was going to let other people fight his battles. So, he started me bare-knuckle boxing. I was a scrawny kid, believe it or not. Tall and skinny. I hated fighting. I came home every single week with a bloody nose or a broken bone, but he kept on sending me out there, fighting kids older and twice the size of me. He said it would build my character. And when I lost, he would give me a beating too, for being weak.”
“Conor,” I reach for him and take hold of his hand as my heart breaks for the little boy he was.
“Maybe he had a point because I sure as hell got good at winning pretty quick. I didn’t have much choice. Shane taught me the most effective ways to disable guys twice my size, and I started to win all of my fights. Shane always stuck up for me at home, but I tried to stay out of my dad’s way as much as possible. But then, the twins got older and, fuck, Shane spent almost every hour of every day having to look out for those poor little bastards.” Conor shakes his head. “I swear our dad would have killed the two of them if it wasn’t for Shane.”
I have to take a deep breath as I think about the four wonderful men I know and what they must have endured at the hands of the man who was supposed to protect them. “God. You must have all been terrified of him?”
He nods.
“So what made you come to New York, though? Did something happen?”
Conor nods. “My dad only got worse as he got older, and we got bigger and stronger. The less able he became to physically control us, the crueler and more vicious he got. Particularly me and Shane. By the time I was sixteen, we could both kick his ass, and he knew neither of us were scared of him. But as he’d already taken our mum, he used the twins to keep us in line instead.”
“Shit!”
“Yeah. He’s a piece of work,” Conor says as he looks beyond me and into the distance.
“He’s still alive?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Although not for much longer. He’s sick. Lung cancer. Apparently, he hasn’t got long left. But death is too merciful for that fucker. Shane almost killed him the night before we came to the States, but, well that’s Shane’s story to tell, Angel, not mine.”
“So you all came here to the States after that?”
“Yes, but not because Shane almost killed him. Because of why Shane tried to kill him.”
“And why was that?”
“Hmm? Well, that one is the twins’ story to tell,” he arches an eyebrow at me.
I place my hands on his face. “I’m sorry you went through all that.”
