“I’m afraid I don’t,” he said regretfully. “But I would love to learn.”
“I can show you,” she said quickly, reaching over for her flowers. “My Nan taught me how to do this when I was little.”
Uilleam wasn’t entirely sure why that remark hurt. Perhaps because to him, she was still very much a little one, but there also the very sobering fact that he had missed out on so much.
He tried to put that to the back of his mind as he watched her manipulate the flowers
With the frost and snow, most of the greenery had long since died away, not to return until the warmer months still some time away, but there were still a number of dainty flowers with white petals that had managed to survive the cold.
He plucked a few from the pile, spinning them around.
Compared to them, his hands seemed impossibly large—capable of knocking the petals from the stem or breaking them apart entirely—but he was careful as he twisted the stems together as she’d shown him.
For a while, they worked in silence with him occasionally glancing over to check on her progress, but he was also trying to find the right words to say.
Uilleam was careful, not wanting her to fear him or think she had done something wrong. “Is this where you’ve been staying?” he asked gently.
“No,” she said just as quickly, not meeting his gaze as she continued to manipulate the crown she was making. “I’ve never been here before.”
“Where were you living? I’d love to see it.”
Poppy froze for a moment, long enough for him to notice. “I’m not supposed to say.”
“That’s okay … but if you wanted, you could tell me and I promise not to say anything. It could be our little secret.”
At first, he thought she would decline—she didn’t seem all that comfortable around him, a fact that saddened him—but as he passed her the crown he’d finished, and was quite proud of actually, she chewed on her lip.
“Pinky promise,” she asked, holding out a dainty little finger in his direction.
As gently as he was possibly capable, he carefully wrapped his finger around hers, and in that moment of contact, some of the frost he kept around his own heart seemed to melt away.
“Promise.”
She told him about the little cottage where she had lived, and had she not sounded as if she’d had a decent life there, he might have considered making the woman who had cared for her all these years suffer in unimaginable ways.
But if he took nothing else away from what she described, she hadn’t suffered.
Asking about her home life, he realized, was the easy part. Now, he was the one u comfortable.
“Do you … d’you know who I am?”
A part of him wanted her to say no because that would be easier. Then, he could be whoever he needed to be and this would be his chance to have a fresh start with someone who didn’t know of his past.
“Yes,” she said quietly, dark eyes peering up at him.
He expected her to elaborate—to say the words he already knew—but she didn’t.
“I’m very happy to see you,” he said honestly—needing to say it because it was important she know.
He would tell her everyday if he had to.
“And your mum—”
Her eyes lit up in a way he hadn’t been expecting. She might not have been overly impressed with him, but she certainly seemed intrigued at the thought of Karina.
That might have wounded a lesser man, but Uilleam? It made his heart soar because he was a fixer by nature.
And this, for once, would be his easiest fix.
“Your mum would love to see you.”
“Do you truly think so?”
He nodded without question. “If you’d like, I’ll have her come meet us.”
He had never felt anything quite like this before—the closest he had ever come was during the early days of his relationship with Karina—but seeing her smile up at him with such hope and wonder made him feel indescribable.
“Do you truly believe she’ll come?” Poppy asked.
“I promise,” he said without hesitation.
Because in a way, he had been the reason she was taken from Karina in the first place, and now he would do everything in his power to bring them back together.
He owed them both that much.
24
Reunion
Something was off though Karina couldn’t put her finger on what it was.
The last twenty-four hours had been something of a whirlwind. And while she wanted to take a moment to process whatever it was that had come over Katherine suddenly, she was still trying to figure out the mystery behind Uilleam’s sudden disappearance.
It wasn’t completely out of character for him—she knew better than anyone how easily he could slip away unnoticed only to reappear when you least expected it—but this was different.
He didn’t usually go radio silent, and after they had come back together, there wasn’t a single time she could think of that he hadn’t answered when she called.
But it was important now more than ever because something was coming, and she wasn’t sure how they would be able to stop it.
Karina showered and switched her filthy clothes for something more decent, mindful of her bruises as she gingerly pulled the shirt down over her torso.
She still looked as if she had been run over by a truck and she doubted she would be moving without pain anytime soon, but that was a problem for another day.
The only thing she was concerned with now was finding Uilleam.
For what felt like the hundredth time that day, Karina retrieved the burner phone he’d given her, dialing his number and listened to it ring.
She desperately wished her heart wasn’t racing—that there was nothing to fear when she reached his voicemail again—but it was worse not knowing.
Because the ideas she could conjure in her mind ... surely they were worse than reality. She had to believe that.
If anything had happened to him, she wouldn’t know what to do with herself. She didn’t know if she would ever be able to forgive her for being the reason he was no longer walking this earth.
Her mobile chose that moment to ring, making her heart seize in her chest, as she quickly looked at the screen, both hoping and praying it would be Uilleam’s number reflected there.
Instead, her sister’s name flashed.
“Isla? What are—“
“Where have you been?” she demanded before Karina could get another word in.
“I’ll explain later, I promise. But for now, I need your help finding Uilleam He—“
“I’m with him.”
That ... was unexpected. “What do you mean? Why are—“
“Be angry with me later, but I’m tracking your phone and I’ve sent Zoran to your location.”
Zoran? “For what?”
“Because I trust him,” she said with such conviction, Karina was sure there was more to those words than she currently understood. “I need you to go with him and not ask questions. He’ll bring you to us.”
“Okay, but—“
“Get rid of this phone. Zoran will make sure you’re not followed.”
Isla chose that moment to end the call, leaving Karina standing in the middle of the floor puzzled, wondering just what I’m the hell was going on.
The odd conversation only managed to ratchet up her fear and confusion another degree. But, Karina did trust her sister, so despite her reservations, she removed the battery and SIM card from the phone, making sure to break the latter in half before she threw all the pieces in the trash.
She wasn’t sure how much longer it was before there was a knock at the door and she found Zoran waiting on the other side.
He spared her the briefest of glances before his eyes cut past her into the apartment, as if he were expecting someone to come around the corner.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, starting to think maybe she should be worried.
“Just a precaution,” he said easily, managing to apply just enough humor into his voice to make it sound as if it wasn’t all a big deal.
But she recognized the look in his eyes—she’d often seen it in Uilleam’s mercenaries.
Even if he, or his sister. Wouldn’t tell her, something was clearly very wrong.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said waving her forward. “They’re waiting for you.”
He didn’t give her an opportunity to protest before he was leading her out to his car and all but forced her into the passenger seat. The whole does were tinted enough that one wouldn’t be able to see within the car—a good thing considering the amount of weaponry in the backseat would have startled anyone.
Karina chanced a peek in his direction as he slid behind the wheel and they took off. She could certainly see why her sister was smitten with him, even if she wasn’t quite ready to admit as much out loud.
He might have usually worn a serious expression and seemed to be a man of few words, Karina rather liked him, if only because he seemed so good for her sister, but there was still something rather off about his behavior today.
Something was bothering him, even if he had yet to say what that was.
Though she wanted nothing more than to just ask what was happening and why everyone was acting so weird, Karina decided it would be better to wait and see rather than have him tell her. At least now, she would have a chance to prepare herself for whatever it was.
They rode in silence for a long while, heat blasting through the air vents, keeping the interior warm and comfortable against the onslaught of snow and bitter cold outside. She tried to keep up with the turns he made as he took them out of the city, but after a while, even she got confused and eventually settled in for the duration.
Considering she still had not talked to Uilleam—and the fact that she no longer had a mobile to call him on anyway—left her feeling even more antsy because it wasn’t like him to go so long without answering her calls.
Immediately, her mind flashed back to the day she learned he’d been shot by Jackal—how he had been forced to have life-saving surgery in the middle of a warehouse and she’d had to stand helpless outside, wondering and hoping and praying that he would be okay. Surely Isla would mention if something was wrong to that magnitude.
It would be cruel to keep her in the dark.
And the more that thought ran through her head, the more her anxiety worsened.
“Zoran ... Uilleam is okay, right? Katherine didn’t—“
He understood what she was hinting at without her having to finish, and though his expression had remained stoic during the entirety of their ride, it finally cracked as she spoke; a look of understanding crossing his face.
“He’s alive,” he said with a nod, in a way that said he wasn’t playing with semantics.
“Then what’s with all the secrecy?”
Now, he seemed at a loss for words, his eyes still out on the road ahead of them. “I don’t think I’m the person that should tell you.”
Tell her what?
* * *
Hours of travel, including on a plane passed before they finally turned off on an obscure exit and took a dirt road up through winding trees. Usually, Karina had a good idea of the locations of safe houses her sister kept, but this one was new.
Her hands were clammy with sweat as they finally reached the clearing at the top of the hill. The first thing she noticed was the sheer amount of mercenaries milling around the front. While she knew Uilleam had managed to salvage his Den—though his original set of mercenaries hadn’t rejoined the fold—she wasn’t used to this show of force from him.
His threat was always implied, never blatant like this—not even when his own life had been on the line.
Zoran stuck close to her as they exited the car, and though he was subtle about it, she was almost certain that he was attempting to use himself as a shield should anything happen.
Just what, or rather who, were they expecting?
Despite the rather somber exterior of the house, the interior smelled of sugar and cakes, a combination that made her mouth water despite her apprehension. She had only been standing in the living room a short time before Isla poked her head out of the kitchen before walking out entirely.
She tried to smile, but it broke somewhere in the middle as she wrapped Karina in the tightest hug she had ever given her. Isla had always been good at concealing her emotions—at putting on a brave face—but for whatever reason, she couldn’t now. Her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks splotchy with color, and the moment she embraced her, Karina could feel her trembling as she cried.
“Isla, what’s wrong?” She had to check her own impulse to cry because seeing her sister in this state wasn’t easy.
“I swear I didn’t know,” Isla whispered, her voice so painfully broken it was hard to understand what she was trying to say.
Was this about Katherine holding her temporarily captive? Of course she couldn’t have known. If there was one thing she had always been absolutely sure of, Isla wasn’t capable of the same things their mother was. To anyone else, she might have been, but their relationship had always been off-limits.
“Iz, whatever it is, it’s fine.”
Isla finally pulled away, swiping the tears away as she shook her head. “It’s not. Not this time.”
“Why—”
“Karina.”
Uilleam.
At least that was one less thing she needed to worry about.
Relief swept through her as she turned in time to watch Uilleam walk around the corner. A quick look over him told her he wasn’t harmed that she could see, nor did he have that look about him that said he’d been contemplating murder.
No, for once, he looked drained.
Lost, almost.
Unsure.
“Will someone just tell me what the hell is going on?” she demanded, looking at them each in turn, wondering just what the big secret was all about.
“She kept it a secret from all of us,” Isla said, moving to stand next to Zoran who didn’t hesitate in reaching for her hand. “If I had known, I would have told you. I need you to believe that.
“Known what?” Karina asked with a strained laugh. They were talking in circles and at this point, she wanted someone to just tell her already.
Before Isla could explain, Uilleam cradled Karina’s face, forcing her to turn and face him solely. It was as if they were the only two in the room. “My sister went to the hospital where you were taken the day Bishop shot you.”
She flinched, wanting to pull away though his hold prevented her from getting anywhere. She had gotten better at blocking that day out and only thinking about it when she absolutely had to. It wasn’t like Uilleam to just bring it up so casually.
But the more Uilleam talked, the more it felt as if she were walking through a tunnel, his voice growing more distant even as she heard every word he said.
She hadn’t known why Isla had grown so distant in the last couple of months, or why she hadn’t been accepting her calls. A part of her had thought it was because of her rekindled relationship with Uilleam, but now she knew better.
Now, she knew the truth.
“Isla wanted to be sure before involving you,” Uilleam said, his eyes so unbearably sad that it was breaking her heart.
Another time, she might have commented on the fact that this was the first time he had used her sister’s name—that he spoke of her as if they were family. Another time, she could have been happy about that.
Now, there was just an uncomfortable feeling settling in her chest, making it hard to breathe.
“What are you saying?” she asked, her voice hardly above a whisper. She was almost too afraid to ask the question at all.
“Your mother, she ... took her.”
This time, when she attempted to pull away from Uilleam, she didn’t allow herself to be held. Karina all but yanked herself free, staring at him with accusing eyes as she trie
d to make sense of what he was saying.
“That’s not true. The doctors—“
“Lied,” he said, cutting her off. “At her request.”
Why did that make her heart race? Why did it feel as if she were hyperventilating. “No, the trauma was too much,” Karina found herself saying, mentally transported back to that day. “I had to have an emergency c-section to save both of our lives, but it was too soon and she ... died.”
The word felt like a physical obstacle in her throat, but she forced herself to move past it. It was the only way to heal. She had to talk about it—accept it.
“I’ve ... made my peace with that. I know you’ve only just learned about it and you need your own time to work through that, but it’s the truth.”
“I’m afraid it’s not, poppet.”
“What are you saying?” she asked, wondering if her voice sounded as outraged to him as it did to her. “That my own mother faked my daughter’s death to what? Make me hate you? She’s done some deplorable things, yes, but she’s not that unhinged.”
Katherine wouldn’t put her through that trauma. Hell, she had been there from the very second Karina woke up after the surgery.
Karina looked over at Isla, expecting her to agree, if only with this point. No one knew their mother the way they did—and no one certainly knew her as well as Isla did.
Yet, she didn’t agree.
She would hardly make eye contact with her which only made this worse.
It all slowly started to sink in—the remote location where they were meeting; the fact that Isla had made it a point to ensure they weren’t followed when she was brought here. The fact that even now, there was a certain presence that she couldn’t immediately identify, not to mention the sheer amount of sweets resting on a platter in the kitchen behind them.
Karina dug her nails into the palm of her hands, trying desperately to ground herself in this moment—to make sure it was real and that her mind wasn’t playing tricks on her after the hellish few days she’d spent as Katherine’s captive.
Dark Horse: The Kingmaker Saga #5 Page 18
