Sean looks furious, listening carefully as I tell him about my father’s plan to lure Seamus and his crew there and take them out. When I finish, he eyes me thoughtfully.
“Is there anything else ye can remember?”
I hesitate. Yes. But I’d rather not have an audience.
“I’d like to talk to you, Seamus and Paddy alone, please,” I whisper. There is some protesting. Connor and Darragh, in particular, are refusing to leave.
Seamus lifts his head out of my hair. “Everyone get the feck out, right now!” he roars. Niall, Ronan, and Liam leave, shooting me reluctant glares. Connor lingers at the door, only sliding out with a mutinous look when Seamus jabs his finger at the door, his eyes promising violence.
“Darragh. Out.” Sean’s voice is as lethal as Seamus’s eyes. Darragh stiffly marches out of the room with a mutinous glare to match Connor’s, firmly closing the door behind him.
As the door clicks shut, Sean and Paddy turn their eyes on me, and Seamus shifts me, so he can see my face while I’m still sitting on his lap.
I grip Seamus’s hand tightly and focus on my breathing. One, my golden bracelet. Two, Seamus’s face, his dark brown eyes burning into mine. Three, our wedding rings. Four, I falter. Four. Seamus lifts our clasped hands, pressing my hand to his heart. Four, Seamus’s heartbeat. Five, I love him.
“Five?” he whispers, ignoring the others.
“Five,” I agree.
He smiles, nodding encouragingly at me. I turn my eyes from his to Paddy’s and grimace apologetically.
“Seamus told me what happened to his mother and your parents….”
My voice trails off, and I shrink back, waiting for Paddy to get angry that I know his private pain. He doesn’t, merely nodding and gesturing for me to continue.
“He told me your suspicions.” I pause again as Paddy’s face darkens, but he still doesn’t speak. “I asked my father about it. I wanted you all to have closure, one way or another.”
I can’t look at Paddy’s pain-filled eyes anymore, turning back to Seamus, who presses my hand against his lips, his breath warming my fingers.
“Ivan was the shooter. My father’s right hand.”
Seamus’s eyes flutter closed, and he nods. Across the room, Paddy makes a strangled noise.
“Ivan wasn’t at the warehouse,” he spits, cracking his knuckles.
Sean shakes himself out of his stupor of hearing who killed his wife, turning to Paddy and holding up a staying hand.
“Ye’ll have yer blood, Paddy. Ye and Niall can track Ivan down and take him out.”
I remember my father’s words at the warehouse and choke down more bile.
“There’s no need,” I whisper, hoping I’m going to be sick. All eyes turn back to me again.
“What’s the supposed to mean?” Paddy asks at last. I swallow the bile back, clearing my throat.
“There was so much blood at the house after I stabbed him,” I whisper, closing my eyes. I see the blood again, and they fly back open as my stomach roils. “Apparently, I hit the femoral artery. He bled out in the car on the way to the warehouse.”
I fall silent. I killed someone. Ivan is dead because I killed him. A choking sob rips out of my throat, and Seamus carefully cups my chin, turning my face gently so as not to jostle my shoulder as he presses kisses into my hair and murmurs comforting words.
My eyes meet Paddy’s across the room. He nods stiffly, shoving out of his chair and stalking out of the room.
SEAMUS
Tig is silent the whole drive home. My arm stays anchored around her. I need to get her home and safe. Ronan pulls the SUV up to the curb, and I lift Tig out, careful not to jostle her as we stride up the path and into the house.
She presses her face against my shoulder, not looking at the kitchen to our right. I don’t blame her. My eyes meet Liam’s, and I nod stiffly to the room. He wrinkles his nose but makes no argument as he walks in, opening the cabinet under the sink to pull out cleaning supplies. I don’t want a speck of blood left when we wake up tomorrow. Tig doesn’t need to see that.
Ronan and Niall peel off, walking into the parlor as I carry Tig upstairs. They’ll stay the night. Doyle’s crew dumped Albescu’s body on the doorstep of the pool hall the Romanians run in South End. That’s enough of a message for them to want to get revenge.