"He blames Ronan for her death.” Annie’s voice drops to a whisper. “He said Ronan broke her heart—that he married her and then emotionally abandoned her. That he hated her so much he didn’t pay attention to her, didn’t give her what she needed. That he drove her into another man’s arms and left her vulnerable. That it’s his fault she was with someone else, that Rocco was able to get to her and kill her.”
I suck in a breath, rage still coursing through my veins. From what I know, that’s fucking bullshit. Ronan and Siobhan’s marriage was bad, but it was bad because Siobhan iced him out. They didn’t love each other—didn’t even like each other. But Ronan tried, only for Siobhan to push him away at every turn.
But Desmond wouldn’t see it that way. If he hadn’t gone after Annie, I might even have been able to find some sympathy for his grief.
There’s none in me now. Not after everything he’s done.
"Desmond decided the perfect revenge would be to hurt Ronan the same way Ronan hurt him," Annie whispers. "Bytaking something precious from him. By destroying his innocent little sister."
My jaw tightens until my teeth grind together. "That's why he went after you."
"Yes.” She swallows hard, her voice thick. “He planned it all out. He got close to me, made me trust him. His original plan was to seduce me, take my virginity, and then tell Ronan about it. He thought that would break Ronan's heart—knowing his sister had been defiled by the brother of the woman he'd destroyed."
The casual way she says “defiled” makes my blood boil. "But you escaped before he could."
"Yes. And that's when he changed his plan." She pulls my jacket tighter around herself. "He said taking my virginity wasn't permanent enough. It would hurt Ronan in the moment, but then it would be done. But marriage—marriage is forever. If he forced me to marry him, I'd be his for the rest of my life. Ronan would have to live with the knowledge that his sister belonged to the man he hated most, and there would be nothing he could do about it."
"Except kill him."
"Desmond said he was prepared for that. He said he'd make sure the marriage was consummated immediately and that there would be documentation. If Ronan killed him, it would start a war. And he said I’d have to convince Ronan to stop it. Not to let men get killed over me, not to risk himself over me. He said he’d make me beg Ronan to let it go, or I’d regret it.” Her voice cracks, the words ending on a sob.
My hands are shaking, I’m so fucking angry. The level of calculation is sickening. He wanted to hurt Annie, to tear Ronan apart. To destroy the O’Malley family the way his was destroyed. But it wasn’t Ronan’s fault, and it definitely wasn’t fucking Annie’s.
"There's more," Annie says quietly. "He told me he'll never stop. That it doesn't matter how many times I run or who tries to protect me. He said he'll kill anyone who gets in his way—you, Ronan, anyone. He won't stop until I'm his. He told me to give in, or he’d make sure I had to watch all of you die. That I could stop it just by saying yes—" She lets out another shaky, shuddering sob.
My jaw clenches. “He isn’t going to do any of that. I’m going to fucking kill him first."
"What if you can't?" She turns to face me fully. "What if he keeps coming, keeps getting away? I can't live like this forever, Elio. I can't spend the rest of my life hiding and running and looking over my shoulder."
"You won't have to. I'm going to end this. I’m going to keep you safe, and we’re going to finish this. He’s not going to get away again."
"But when?" Her voice rises with frustration and fear. "Tomorrow? Next week? Next month?”’
“I’m going to do everything I can?—”
"That's not good enough!" She's getting agitated now, her hands shaking. "Don't you understand? Every minute Desmond is out there, I'm in danger. Every minute we keep lying to Ronan, this situation gets worse. We're running out of time."
"I know that?—"
"No, you don't know!" Tears are streaming down her face now. "You're not the one he's hunting. You're not the one he wants to force into marriage and—and—" She can't finish the sentence.
I take a deep breath, reaching out to touch her face. I brush her hair back, and she doesn’t flinch. She looks at me with wide, wet eyes, and it breaks my heart to see her like this. I’d do anything to make it better. Anything to fix what he’s done to her. "Annie, listen to me. I will not let him have you. Do youunderstand? I will die before I let Desmond Connelly lay another hand on you."
"You almost did die tonight." She wipes at her tears angrily. "What if next time you're not fast enough? What if next time he succeeds?"
"He won't."
"You can't promise that."
She's right, but I can't admit it. So instead I reach for her, pulling her into my lap. She comes willingly, burying her face in my neck and sobbing like her heart is breaking.
"I'm so scared," she whispers. "I'm so tired of being scared."
"I know,cuore mio. I know." I stroke her hair, her back, trying to calm her the only way I know how. "But you're safe now. You're with me, and I won't let anything happen to you."
"But for how long? How long can you protect me from someone who won't give up?"
I don't have an answer for that. So I just hold her while she cries, wishing I could take her fear away, wishing I could fix this impossible situation right now, before she has to go another minute feeling the way she does right now.
