“It… wasn’t an accident,” I wheezed through my choked cries. “I remember. I remember… everything.”
Killian pulled me into his lap, rocking me back and forth. I buried my face in his neck and let out an anguished wail.
His lips brushed against my temple and he was whispering comforting words to me, but I didn’t understand them. Blood roared between my ears and my brain stuttered.
“It wasn’t an accident,” I repeated. “Someone tried… to kill us.”
My father slammed his fist onto his desk and I flinched. “Why am I just learning about this now?” he roared. “Someone attempted to kill my daughter while she was on your island and you hid something so important from me?”
Last night, after I had woken from my nightmare – which turned out to be my real memory of the accident – Killian and I came to one conclusion.
Gracelynn and I weren’t drunk that night, but how did my hospital records show alcohol in my blood at the time of the accident?
Everything was slowly making sense now.
The accident was a planned murder.
And the maid who tried to kill me? That wasn’t a separate incident. The person who wanted Gracelynn and I dead that night, was still out there, hunting me.
I was a target and the maid was the second attempt at my life.
Gracelynn and I didn’t have any personal enemies… so whoever wanted us dead was either an enemy of my father or the Spencers.
In the morning, Killian and I left the island. Now, this was a truth we couldn’t hide from our fathers. Our first stop was the Spencer Manor and while William was shocked and deeply troubled, he reacted less angrily than my father.
My eyes darted to my husband, who was sitting beside me on the couch in my father’s office. Killian rubbed his thumb over his jaw, lazily. Not at all concerned about my father’s outburst. But me? I was practically shaking on the inside.
“Dad–”
My father’s eyes darted to me, furiously. “I didn’t expect this from you, Julianna. To hide such dangerous truth!”
He pushed away from his desk, pacing back and forth. “Killian obviously doesn’t care about the threat, but you – how could you be so irresponsible?” he accused, throwing his words at me, so carelessly. “Do you even realize that you could be carrying the Romano’s heir right now? How are you so reckless?”
When I flinched again, Killian’s chest rumbled with a threatening growl. “Watch your tone when you speak to my wife.”
“She’s my daughter,” my father hissed. “I already lost one and now I learn that Julianna’s life is also in danger? How do you think that makes me feel?”
Killian sat forward, dark eyes flaring with something dangerous. “Still, that doesn’t give you the right to raise your voice at Julianna when she’s also a victim. She wasn’t irresponsible, like you claimed. She was being a considerate and thoughtful daughter.”
“As if you care,” my father spat. “You hate Julianna and I’m sure you wouldn’t give a shit if she died. You’d probably think good riddance.”
I grimaced and bile rose in my throat, tasting bitter on my tongue.
“That’s rich coming from you, Bishop,” Killian said, his voice deep and gravelly. “You were aware of how much I loathed your daughter, yet I was the husband you chose for her. For your own personal gains. So, spare me the fucking speech.”
“Stop,” I whispered, wringing my hands together. “Please, stop arguing.”
Killian’s jaw snapped close. I could hear him grounding his molars together.
“Can we focus on what’s important right now?” I asked shakily. “Dad, do you know who would want me dead?”
My father rubbed a hand over his face, with a frustrated grunt. “I have way too many enemies, Julianna.”
“Are you doubtful of a specific person?” Killian questioned, brows furrowing.
Father nodded, letting out a weary sigh. “I have two people in mind. But it’s only a suspicion until we have further proof.”
“Send the details to me. I’ll have someone look into it,” my husband demanded.
“Whoever is responsible for this, I’ll fucking kill them myself,” my father spat, his dark eyes enraged.
Killian’s nostrils flared. “Not if I get to them first.”
Father’s fists clenched and he planted them on his desk. “I don’t trust you to take care of my daughter. She will stay here, with me, where I can protect her.”
Killian’s chest rumbled with a deep growl. “I took a bullet for my wife,” he snarled. “I’ve done everything to protect Julianna and to make sure she doesn’t get put in harm’s way.”
My husband stood up and stalked forward. He braced his hands over my father’s desk and leaned forward, locking eyes with his father-in-law. The air in the room felt heavy and thick with tension. The silent, unspoken threat crawled over my skin and I fought back a shiver.
Killian Spencer was confident in his own skin, in the way he walked and in the power he had. He knew who he was and he was never one to bow. People bent over backwards for him, but Killian was the most self-assured person I knew.