I glance at Dante. This information isn’t new to us now, but how Dante reacts will be the key. We could stick with the alliance and work together to weed out the traitors, or… we could kick them to the dust and let the Russians mop them up. Dante shoots me a glance.
“How can we trust you?” Dante asks finally, his eyes landing back on Owen. “How can we trustanyof you?”
“Mymen are decent!” Owen exclaims, “aye, I trust them all with my life. Every single one I’ve personally brought on board. Some are desperate, I’ll give you that. Trust my word, I’ve never lied to you and I never will. These decisions were made without me running the joint. I’m just here to mop up the mess he and his daughter have created.”
“Cara?” My attention snaps to Owen in an instant, and he nods, open and honest.
“Aye. She did his books; she had to have known what he was up to.”
12
KILLIAN
Owen’s words tangle uncontrollably through my mind as Dante drives us through the city. His claims that Cara knew what Callahan was up to are bullshit, I’m sure of it, but that doesn’t calm the queasiness that churns in my stomach.
Only a drink can soothe that.
The moment those words came from his mouth, I nearly choked on a guttural urge to call him a liar. Iwantto defend Cara but doing so openly? I’m cautious. After Blair, trusting anyone makes me wary but particularly trusting someone on the path to my heart.
Is she on that path?
These feelings for Cara have risen so quickly and yet I feel protective of her. I believe her. Itrusther. She had an opportunity to tell me the truth, and doing so saved her own skin. It wouldn’t make sense to hide any details.
Perhaps it’s a grab for power? Making us doubt Cara so we call off the wedding and leave the path to Irish leadership free for him?
I sigh audibly, caught up in trying to unweave the truth, and it catches Dante’s attention.
“Do you think he’s telling the truth?” Dante asks.
I glance at him as we drive, then lift both my hands in an exaggerated shrug. Dante has decided to trust Owen when it comes to his own men, for now, but he will make the final decision with Sienna tonight. Questioning Cara, though? I can’t allow that.
“No. Even if he believes it, it’s not the truth,” I state firmly, and my heart skips a beat. She had been so open and honest when I confronted her in her room, swearing down to me that she had told me everything and that it was all a shock to her too. She’d definitely been shaken and even with the kidnapping and further revelation that her world was crumbling, she didn’t have any more information to offer. If she had anything further to give, surely she would have told me when it looked like the safety of her position through marriage was at risk?
“How can you be so sure?” Dante shoots me another glance, his eyes narrow at me.
“She didn’t know,” I say sharply, “all she knew was that her family needed protection. When she found out about the debt at the hospital after Callahan was blown up, she told me immediately. She had a lot to lose by doing that, but she was shaken that Callahan had lied. He’d kept her in the dark like the rest of us. Maybe even on purpose.” I scoff lightly. “Besides, I’d know if she was lying to me.”
Dante’s brow quirks in my direction as we pull up to a red light, and I shove back into my seat the neon signs of a liquor store pulse right outside my window. My mouth is dry, every breath is strained, and the thumping ache in the back of my skull rears its ugly head.
Ineeda drink.
“I think you like her more than you want to admit,” Dante comments with an irritating, knowing smile.
“What?” The cravings are strong enough to momentarily pull my focus, and I almost forget what we were talking about.
“Cara?” he prompts. “You’re all in on the wedding. You’re defending her even when it’s just us two. The way you talk about her as if you need to protect her. You like her, don’t you?”
I fix my stare on him to try to distract myself from the growing urge to hop out of the car and sprint into the store.
“Maybe…” My ability to cover up how I truly feel wavers when all I can think about is a drink. Thinking about Cara, though, does ease that a fraction. “She’s under my skin; what can I say?”
“They do that, don’t they,” Dante smiles knowingly.
Sweat beads my hairline, and I wipe it away with a subtle rake of my fingers through my hair. If only he knew she’d cemented her way under my skin the moment I’d fucked her open on the kitchen counter.
She trusts me to keep that secret, though, and I will.
By the time we reach the safe house, I’m shifting restlessly in my seat. I want to see her. Ineedto see her, to make sure she’s okay.