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“Enough!” I shout, tears streaming down my face. “This is my life, my decision! You lost the right to have a say when you faked your deaths and walked away from me!”
Everything falls silent, thick with tension and unsaid words. My father and Ronny exchange a pained look, but neither of them says anything more. They know they’ve lost this battle, and no amount of pleading or warnings will change my mind.
“Goodbye,” I say softly, turning away from them. “Don’t come back. And tell that woman who doesn’t deserve to be called a mother to never try to come to me.” Slamming the door, I swallow back the lump in my throat before I choke on an ugly sob and drop to my knees in agony at this revelation.
“Something big is coming, and you’ll be caught in the crossfire if you stay,” Dad says through the door.
I clench my fists in my lap. “Go away!”
I’m still reeling from my father’s sudden appearance and his ominous warning when the front door swings open only a few minutes later. Ciarán and Cathal stride into the apartment, their faces serious and focused as they scan the apartment.
“Summer, who was here?” Ciarán asks immediately, his ice-blue eyes narrowing in concern as he takes in my tear-streaked face.
“My dad, or at least the man I thought was dead. And Ronny, too.”
Cathal’s dark brows furrow, and he exchanges a worried look with his brother. “Ronny? That fucker.”
“Something big is coming,” I say, repeating the words that have been haunting me. “They didn’t give me any details, but they warned me I need to be careful. They’re afraid I’ll get caught in the crossfire.”
“Fuck,” Ciarán curses under his breath, running a hand through his dark hair in frustration. “I’m going to fucking kill Ronny, that traitorous douchebag. Where are they?”
“They just left.”
“I mean, where are they hiding out?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know.”
Ciarán curses and stalks off to check the cameras. He will hear everything, but I don’t care.
“Whatever it is,” Cathal adds, his voice hard and determined, “we’ll protect you, Summerbell. That’s a promise.”
“I know,” I whisper, touched by their unwavering commitment to my safety. But deep down, my heart is breaking. Why didn’t my mother come to see me? Why didn’t she risk everything to see my face and talk to me like my dad did? I wonder if I’ll ever get the answers I need. And I wonder even more if I’ll ever be able to forgive the people who abandoned me.
29
SUMMER
The revelation that my father, my parents, are alive leaves my mind reeling. All these years thinking they were dead, only to find out it was all a ruse as part of their undercover operation to take down the mafia hundreds of miles away from where we lived.
It’s sick and twisted and I don’t understand, nor do I want to.
Curled up on a chair next to the window, my forehead pressed against the cool glass, I watch the city lights blink on against the darkening sky. My emotions churn like stormy seas. I’m keeping a secret and while I’m convinced they aren’t telling me everything, I feel that this is too big to hold on to. I know without a doubt I can’t keep this from them forever. The tangled web connecting all of us grows more complex by the day. I’m caught in the middle, pulled in multiple directions by loyalty, love, and longing for the childhood I missed out on.
With a weary sigh, I rise from my perch and prepare for bed, moving through the comforting routine mechanically. Sleep evades me most nights, anxiety and unanswered questions haunting my restless mind.
I’ve barely crawled under the covers when my phone rings, the sudden buzz piercing the quiet. Heart leaping into my throat, I fumble to answer it as Cathal comes barreling into the room. That man has the hearing of a fucking dog. The number is blocked.
“Don’t answer that,” he commands.
Too late.
“Hello?” My voice comes out high and breathless as I place the phone to my ear while he grimaces.
“Summer? It’s Ruby.” Hearing her voice does nothing to calm my racing pulse.
“Ruby, hey!” I sit up straighter, exchanging a stare with Cathal.
“Speaker!” he whispers.
