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Connor, on the other hand… I can see how raw that grief is in his eyes.
“So why Douglas?” I change the subject. “Why drag me into it?”
Connor and Arnie exchange a wry glance. Oh God. Not again.
“Douglas Jones was not who you thought he was. He worked with Jack Duffy, and if he was close to you, it wouldn’t have been a coincidence.”
“I feel that I may have let you down… and I wish to rectify that.”
“You could never let me down.”
“You don’t know what I’ve done yet.”
“Well I know I can forgive you for it.”
“You are too good for this world, Roisin.”
The blow to the chest almost feels numb. How much more of this can my body sustain before it gives out entirely.
Douglas was more than just a mentor to me. He was a friend. Was he going to tell me? That day I walked into his office, was he going to tell me that he was some kind of spy for the family that wanted me dead… or worse?
I guess I will never know.
“If I’d known what he meant to you,” Connor is saying. “I would have approached this differently. But all I had were the facts, and he was my strongest lead in finding you.”
“Well, you found me.” Venom laces every word. Enough to make Connor twitch.
“This is a lot to take in, but you’re here now and that’s what matters,” Connor insists. “I won’t let you out of my sight again.”
He can’t be serious. “What?”
“I’ll have someone get a room ready for you. If you let me know where you’ve been staying, I can have your things here by the time you wake up tomorrow.”
“I’m not staying here.”
“Yes, you are.”
“I came here for answers, not so you could coddle me into submission.”
“I’m not asking you, Roisin,” Connor says sternly. A memory of my father saying the same thing stirs from the splintering box in my head.
“I’m not staying here,” I bite back with more conviction.
“You’re not going back to campus where the Duffys could find you at any moment.”
“You think I want to go back there? Knowing what you did to Douglas?”
“Perhaps,” Arnie interjects by placing a hand on Connor’s chest, lowering him back into his seat. “What Roisin is saying is that she still needs some space–”
Connor opens his mouth.
“–before she feels comfortable enough to stay here with you, Connor,” Arnie continues before Connor can protest. “She’s been through a lot today, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Well, yes. But–”
“But I also understand there is a risk if she were to leave. So, may I offer my estate as a compromise? Roisin can stay under my protection–”
Connor opens his mouth again.
