by Jane Henry
At that, I actually smile. No, I grin.
“Come at me, then, motherfucker,” I say, getting to my feet. “Care to remind me?”
Nolan grins back. “I’d kick your arse and you know it.”
I bounce a bit on my feet and crack my neck. “Oh really?” I look to Lachlan and Boner. “You two want to place bets?”
Even Keenan grins. “My money’s on Carson.”
“Hey!” Nolan looks at him with mock effrontery.
“Eh, Nolan’s a bit more nimble now that he’s off the drink,” Cormac says thoughtfully.
“’Tis true,” Keenan says. Nolan and I settle down, and honest to God, my heart’s at rest. These men are my brothers, no matter what’s happened in the past.
Keenan looks back at me. “I’ll say it one more time, once and for all, Carson.” He pauses, his words slow and deliberate, each enunciated clearly like he’s speaking to a small child. “You. Are. McCarthy. Family.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “Aye,” I say, my voice a little husky. “Thank you, brother.”
Father Finn sits quietly, watching all. “Keenan,” he says, when the room has quieted.
Keenan looks at him and nods. “Aye?”
“You might speak to your mother about this.”
Keenan’s brow furrows. “Come again, Father?”
“Your mam,” he says. “I believe you might find she sheds light on this that might change things.”
Again, the bloody priest and his cryptic messages.
“Nothing you can’t tell us, then, Father?” I ask, my voice tight with anger. If he has something to say, he can bloody well say it.
But he shakes his head. “It isn’t my story to tell, Carson,” he says placidly, closing his eyes while he brings his fingertips together, the picture of peace. “And I don’t want to speak out of turn.” He opens his eyes. “In this particular instance, I don’t have facts to share so much as I have a few suspicions, based on rumor and hearsay. But I think it worth pursuing.”
Keenan nods. “Will do, Father. Thank you.” The firm tone of his voice silences me. “And now,” Keenan begins. “Where does this leave us? Carson, summarize what you have to tell us.”
“I suspected Eve’s death was no accident,” I tell them. I pause and look to Keenan. “What will you have me tell them?”
Keenan nods. “Everything.”
And so I do. I tell them how I’ve been spying on the O’Gregors for months, trying to see who was behind Eve’s death. How the O’Gregors have come to trust me, the steps I’ve taken, how my steps are flawless. That they don’t know where I am. And how it all adds up now.
“They killed my woman,” I tell them. I let the words settle like nightfall before I continue. “And by Clan law, that affords me retaliation. In addition, we know that they’re coming for us in retaliation of the death a few weeks back.”
“Right,” Cormac says. “So, we go to war.”
We haven’t been at war with a rival clan in years. In fact, much of our interaction with rivals in recent years has been with the express intention of avoiding war. When Clans war, lives are lost. And despite who we are and what we do, we avoid Clan war because it’s so out of our control, with the almost certain loss of the lives of our own.
We form our plan, where we’ll go, how we’ll station ourselves. It’ll be bloody messy, and I watch as Keenan paces the room.
Will we lose anyone? Who will die in clan war?
And then I realize, I’ve brought all of this on us. If I hadn’t killed the man in Stone City, the O’Gregors never would’ve wanted retaliation.
If Eve hadn’t spied on us… if I hadn’t been the fucking bastard son of O’Gregor…
Thank Christ Megan is safe. When this is all over… when the dust has settled… I will set things to right.
So I listen to their plans, but I know. This is my battle to fight.
Chapter 16
Megan
Fiona comes when I call her, though she looks as if she’s going to lose her lunch at the mere suggestion that she help me sidetrack my guard. But Jesus, I’m not a captive, I’m not a child, and if I want to go as I please, I will.
When I tell her what’s happening, her eyes grow impossibly wider, and she puts her hand over her mouth. “Mother of God, Megan,” she says. “Are you out of your mind, woman?”
“Is it that ridiculous to want to be able to leave my own fucking bedroom?” I ask her.
She shrugs. “When you’re told by one of the brothers to stay here? And they put a guard on you? Yes.”
I grit my teeth. “You owe me, Fiona.”
“Aye, I do,” she says earnestly. “But if they find out you’ve escaped…” her voice trails off. “If they find out I helped…”
“What will they do? I’m not the wife to any of them,” I say with a toss of my head. “And neither are you.” I know I’m putting unfair pressure on her, though, and I feel guilty about it.
“I may not be a wife, but you know Lachlan keeps a close eye on me, don’t you?” she asks. She bites her lip and her cheeks flush a bit when she says this, as if it’s the first time she’s admitted this out loud. Aw, hell, it probably is.
“I do.”
“I daresay he’s the strictest of the lot,” she says with a sigh. “Loses his mind if I drive too fast, don’t buckle my seatbelt. I mean he damn near cuts my food up on my plate for me into tiny bites so I don’t choke.” She rolls her eyes, though she isn’t fooling me. She loves the attention, and I know it. Plus, she’s being a little melodramatic. I don’t mind, though. I was the same at her age.
“Alright,” she says. “So just distract them so you can get out, then?”
“Aye.”
We come up with our plan.
A moment later, she’s outside my door. “Gentlemen, please help me,” she says. Some of them eye her curiously. She’s absolutely gorgeous, with her flaming red hair and wide eyes, framed with thick black lashes. She wears a little sundress that shows off her curves, and I swear she’s tugged the front down a little to get their attention.
But they don’t fall easily.
“You’re Lachlan’s lass,” one of them says.
“I am no one’s lass,” she says. And she’s right. He may protect her and like to tell her what to do as the men of the Clan are wont, but she’s still a minor and Lachlan hasn’t touched her.
“You will be,” one mutters, looking away. Fiona flushes a little.
“Well,” she says, flustered. “We shall see about that. Now, I’m afraid I saw something down the hall that needs your attention.”
Really, Fiona? That’s the best you can come up with? I groan.
Still, it works, and they follow her down the hall. Their backs are to me. Now’s my chance. I grab my bag and phone, head out the door, and run in the other direction, to the back set of stairs that leads to the kitchen.
I pause in the kitchen, out of breath, when I hear a few of the men talking. I flatten my back against the wall and peer around the corner. Keenan’s standing in the hallway with Nolan.
“Where’d he go?” he asks. “Bloody hell, I knew he was going to do this.”
My heart skips in my chest, as if I know before he says it who he’s talking about.
“How’d you know that?”
“Because of his fucking sense of loyalty,” he mutters. “Now that he knows he’s brought trouble here, he’ll want to right it himself.”
I close my eyes and listen, hardly daring to breathe.
“Fucking Carson,” Nolan mutters.
No no no no.
“Where do you think he’s gone?”
“Stone City, of course. He’ll want to confront them head on, won’t he?”
“But he can’t,” Nolan says. “Can’t take on those fucking pricks without backup, now, can he?”
“Suppose he can. We’ll have to go after him. But first, we need to ensure he is where we think he is.”
They retreat down the hall. W
hat does this mean? What will Carson do? Will he really put his life on the line?
If he’s a spy...wouldn’t he go straight to Stone City?
I want to see where Carson’s gone, and I want to find the damn diary, and I will not let them keep me locked up here like a damsel in distress.
I walk into the kitchen, and a few of the staff see me and wave. It smells like freshly baked bread and roasting chicken. “Looks amazing,” I say, acting as nonchalant as I can. “Mind if I nick some?” There’s a plate of ginger biscuits on the center of the table, decorated with swirls of white icing.
“Aye, of course.” The head chef beams at me. I stay a moment longer and rave about how delicious the biscuits are, before I head out. I don’t want anyone to suspect I’m up to anything at all. Just sidling though the kitchen, nicking biscuits as I do from time to time, and not going out after Carson and trying to prevent Clan war. Ah, nothing like that at all.
I get to the garage with thankfully no one trailing me at all. Wherever the men of the Clan are, there’s none to be seen here. Getting past the guards at the gate should go as planned, if Fiona’s followed her plan.
My car’s on the very end, but I’m not quite ready to drive out yet. I need to scan the garden and front entrance to be sure I won’t be seen.
I walk out the little door in the garage that leads to the greenhouse, when I feel someone grab me from behind and tug me back into the garage. I try to scream, but there’s a hand over my mouth, and the arms around me are large, muscled, and powerful.
But then I recognize his scent and relax when his voice comes to my ear. “Easy, love. It’s just me. I could see you were heading this way.” Carson takes his hand off my mouth, spins me around to him, and kisses me, full on the lips.
I kiss him back, and when we pull away, I glare at him.
“You scared me half to death,” I hiss. “And why are we whispering?”
“Have to,” he whispers back. “I don’t want any of them to know where I’m going.”
My mind teems with questions.
“Wait, how did you know I was heading toward you?” I ask curiously.
“Tracking software,” he says. “I installed it on your phone.”
“Oh, that isn’t stalkerish at all,” I mutter.
He shrugs. “It’s nothing out of the ordinary for the Clan, you know that.”
Alright then.
“And what exactly are you planning?” I heard what Nolan and Keenan said inside.
“I’ve got some matters to set to rights,” he says with a sigh. “The Stone City mob is responsible for Eve’s death. I know that now.”
My stomach clenches, and it feels as if someone’s glued my mouth together. I try to open it to speak, but no words come out. Tears blur my vision.
“And there’s… more to the story as well,” he says. “But you need to know something, Megan. I can’t put you in harm’s way anymore, lass. Do you know that, love?”
I shake my head slowly from side to side. Is this a prelude to a break-up?
He continues, cupping my jaw in his large, strong hand, holding my gaze with his. “I want you to know that I love you. No matter what happens, I love you. Never forget that.” He leans in to kiss me again, silencing the questions that play on my lips. “Stay here. Stay safe.”
He opens the exit door to the garden, shoves me through, then shuts the door. I hear a lock click. I try the knob, but it won’t budge. He’s locked me out of the garage.
Oh my God. Where is he going? What’s he going to do?
I hear a car start and the garage door open, but by the time I run to the exit, he’s already gone, tearing down the driveway.
My phone.
I dial Nolan with shaking fingers, but there’s no answer. Keenan next, and it also goes to voicemail. I shake my head from side to side, trying to clear my brain. I call Lachlan next. Thank God, he answers.
“Megan? Y’alright, lass?”
“No,” I tell him, my voice trembling. “It’s Carson.” I tell him everything.
Moments later, Lachlan, Boner, and Tully meet me at the exit to the garage driving one of the Clan’s quiet cars. “Get in,” Lachlan says. He sighs and raises a hand when the others protest. “We’ve not time to secure her, will have to keep her safe.” His jaw firms. “And let’s be honest. Carson will cooperate if she’s with us.”
I slide in. I can tell by the way they’re dressed they’ve got harnesses with fully-loaded weapons tucked under their clothing.
“Tell me everything,” Lachlan says. I tell him what Carson said to me. The men look at each other and nod.
“Where are the rest of the men?” I ask.
“Tracking down Maeve. We haven’t been able to get in touch with her, and she’s watching wee Breena.”
Oh no. Oh no.
“Are you… are you serious?” I ask lamely. I don’t know what to say or what to think.
Lachlan nods his head grimly. “Aye,” he says with a sigh. “Wish I wasn’t. Carson would be the one who’d know, but with him MIA as well…” Then his eyes narrow, and his brows draw together.
“What the fuck is Fiona doing out by the gate?”
Shite.
No.
“Oh, probably just saying hello,” I say with a nervous giggle. Lachlan’s stern, serious eyes swing to mine.
“Just saying hello,” he repeats, and his eyes are narrow on me as he drives toward the gate. Ah, crap. He for sure knows I’m somehow involved in this now. “The hell she is.”
But by the time he gets to the guard at the gate, Fiona trots away.
“What business did Fiona have here?” Lachlan asks.
“Ah, nothing, sir,” one of the men says, not looking at me. “Just misplaced something is all, thought she’d check with us.” He shifts uncomfortably, as if he’s just made every word up.
“Right,” Lachlan says. It seems he hasn’t made the connection between the looks that could kill and the way everyone clams up around him quite yet. He really ought to tone it down, I think to myself, when I remember where we’re going and how imperative it is we get there.
“Lachlan, can we leave this for later?” I ask. “Carson’s got a few minutes head start on us, you know.”
He nods with reluctance. “Aye,” he says. “I’ll track her down when we get back.”
We drive faster than I’ve ever driven before, until we hit a bump in the road. The car spirals wildly out of control and slams into a telephone pole to the right. Lachlan curses, and Tully mutters under his breath.
“Y’alright?” he asks everyone.
We’re all fine, but the car isn’t.
“Fucking hell,” Lachlan says. “I can’t believe I just fucking did that.”
“Not your fault,” I say with a sigh.
The men get out, and Tully nods. “Need to fix the flat,” he says. “Out you come, Megan.”
I want to scream and shake my fists in the air, but I keep myself under control.
“We need backup,” Lachlan mutters. He makes a few calls and we wait. Every minute that ticks by seems like an eternity. What’s happening in Stone City? Finally, a backup car arrives, and we drive into the city, but by now Carson’s at least thirty minutes ahead of us.
“Fucking hate this city,” Lachlan says. “If I never set foot in here again, I’ll be totally fucking fine with that.”
“I didn’t think you had anything to do with it, though, did you?” I ask. He grew up in our finishing school, I know that much, but I thought he hailed from south of the country.
“I didn’t,” he says tightly.
Boner gives me a look that tells me to shut up. I shrug my shoulders at him, but he only rolls his eyes and sighs.
Ahhh. That’s when I remember. Lachlan may not have hailed from Stone City, but Fiona did. Well, that makes sense.
A pang hits my chest so hard and fast I can hardly contain it. What I wouldn’t give for someone who sought to protect me with the same fierce loyalty Lachlan
does Fiona, or Nolan does Sheena, or any of the of them of the Clan do for their significant other. And for a time, I thought I could be that woman for Carson. The one he fought for. The one he came home to, to lay his head to rest.
But instead he broke up with me.
To protect me, he said.
But a part of me wonders. Is it me he’s protecting, or is it his own wounded heart?
“What will we do when we get there?” I ask Tully.
He nods. “Whatever we fucking have to.”
“Shouldn’t have fucking brought her,” Lachlan says.
“Hey!”
He doesn’t even acknowledge my existence. “If she gets hurt, it’s on us.”
“Aye,” Tully says. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t get harmed.”
But I don’t want his protection. I don’t want any of them thinking of me as their charge.
I know then that they’re not planning on being gentle.
“Give me a gun, then,” I say. Boner’s brows shoot up so high he looks like a mime.
“Come again, lass?” he asks, his voice laced with incredulity.
“Give. Me. A. Gun,” I repeat, as if he’s hard of hearing.
“You know how to shoot, Megan?” Lachlan asks.
“Aye,” I tell him. “Carson taught me. Said I was a fucking good shot, too.”
“’Course y’are,” Lachlan says with a grin. “You’ve been raised with the feckin’ McCarthys. You may not have McCarthy blood in your veins, but you’ve learned from the best, lass.”
I grin, my chest swelling with pride.
Why yes, I have.
“Now come off it and give me a fucking weapon,” I tell them. “I know you all are packing half a dozen each yourselves.”
“Not half a dozen,” Tully mutters. “But I’ve got a few spare.” He reaches into his harness and tugs out a handgun, exactly like the one Carson taught me with.
“Ah, a glock. Perfect. It’s what I learned with.”
Boner shakes his head. “If Keenan finds out…”
“He’ll be fucking proud,” Lachlan says.
We pull up outside of a seedy-looking bar, not too far from where I came before with Carson. My stomach tightens into knots at the memory, of that fateful day when Carson ended my assailant’s life. And I know. I have a choice.
