Page 64 of His Ruthless Queen

The blind faith in doing his dirty work comes with some fucked up sense of duty that mixes with the pride of loyalty. This life took my father, and it took Cara. I had been expected to come out of the Navy and work for the Murphy’s, and I never questioned it. Never wanted to leave my mother when I was all she had left. Callum pays me well, he makes sure Mom is taken care of. Everything he does for me, I owe him, and working for him is simple. Do what he asks, when he asks, no questions asked.

But now, I’m not just an employee. I’m in love with his sister, and she comes before all of this. I haven’t told him yet, and I don’t plan to. Not until Saoirse is ready.

“What’s going on,” Saoirse breathes. She closes her eyes for a brief second, then flashes them open, landing right on me. “Is that I never should have asked you to arrange a marriage between Corbin and me. I was using you to upset Jameson—I see now how immature that was. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry,” Cal repeats, as if saying it will help him process. “Saoirse, do you understand the damage this causes to Corbin’s reputation?”

“Don’t lecture her right now.” I stand, putting myself in front of him. “She’s been through enough for you, don’t you think?”

He snorts. “And you should sit the fuck down before I take you to the basement and carve the Southie symbol on your chest. Maybe then you’ll remember that you’re the property of the Murphy family, and what you’ve done with my sister is crossing a line.”

A chuckle escapes me, and I tug at the buttons holding my dress shirt together. A few of them pop as I tear apart the cotton material, enough to expose my bare chest. “Go right the fuck ahead. You can put ‘Property of Saoirse Murphy’ on me for all I give a fuck. She is the only person that owns me. Not you, not your stupid fucking gang, and certainly not the fucking code you live by.”

Callum’s jaw ticks, anger sloshing in his green-blue eyes. He’s ready to put a bullet in my head. He’s come close before, when Haley and I conspired without him. Cal sees that as a betrayal. But this, it makes him angry, but he’s not seeing it as an act of betrayal.

“You hid this from me,” he says. “Why?” He shrugs, looking past me and to his sister.

I turn, glancing over my shoulder to her. Her eyes are fueled with that resentment she holds like a barrier, the wheels spinning as she debates how she’ll answer.

She clears her throat. “It’s not your business.”

I stifle a shocked chuckle. That’s her response? To her brother, who set this entire thing up based on her reaction to my rejection.

“Itismy business, when you come directly to me, requesting my involvement, Saoirse.“ Callum drags a hand down his face, tugging at his beard. “You. Made it. My business.”

Her chin raises with defiance. “Youknewwhat you were doing. That Corbin was a decade older than me. And you can’t honestly say you had no clue? I was holed up in Jaime’s room when he was shot. All of the signs were there, Callum. You refused to see them.”

“Jesus,” Cal grumbles. “I need to go clean this up.”

“There’s nothing to clean up,” Saoirse sighs.

“The man in my living room would say otherwise. You know? My friend? The one I went to, asking for him to marry my sister.”

“I’m still going to marry Corbin,” Saoirse says, rolling her eyes. “This was all just a little hiccup.”

“Those lines on your hands say otherwise,” Callum snaps at the same time, I say, “Fuck no, you’re not.”

“Scotty was just trying to make me feel better about this whole thing,” she says, not looking at me while she speaks to her brother. “I was upset, and he promised me things. That’s all,” Saoirse says, not making eye contact with me.

My eyebrows shoot up to my hairline, wondering what the fuck she’s playing at. She squirms under my heated gaze, then swallows thickly. She still refuses to glance my way.

“The marriage contract is what matters. The business arrangement between you and Corbin still stands, Callum,” she continues.

“No, the fuck it doesn’t.” I can feel the heat settling through my body, the rage that she’s going back on all the things we’ve admitted to each other.

The way she felt when I took her, claimed her. She’s mine, and she’s not getting out of this. There is no going back. I won’t let her go.

Callum’s jaw ticks. “The blood oath supersedes that business arrangement, Saoirse. You’ll marry Scotty now.”

My chest deflates knowing that Callum is on my side with this.

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard,” Haley murmurs.

Callum shoots her a curious look. “You wouldn’t understand. You weren’t born into this lifestyle.”

She scrunches her nose in disgust. “You mean the one where medieval traditions outrank the law?” Her arms fold over her chest. “If you think I’m doing that at our wedding, you’re fucking high.”

“It’s more than that.” Callum’s line of sight snaps to me, a heated glare. “I’m making an example of my guard.”

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