“Mam was ticklin’ me to get me to smile for the picture.”
“I see that! She’s beautiful, Cian.” She sniffed. “And your Da was so handsome. Just like you.”
“I’ve been told we coulda been twins.”
“Yes!” She lifted the picture again. “Can I frame this and hang it up in the house?”
Could she? I didn’t know if I could take seein’ it day in and day out. I rarely looked at the three I had.
“It’s okay. Maybe someday.” She ran into the room, holding the picture to her heart, and used one hand to dig in a bag that Pauric had brought her in Ireland. She always wanted to keep it close. After she removed somethin’, she ran back and handed it to me.
It was a picture of Pauric, a woman that was the twin to my wife, and my wife. I’d know those eyes anywhere. They were hypnotizin’, even as a wee babe.
“You know my dad, and of course me,” she said with a smile. “But that’s my mom. Caitlin.”
“Caitlin,” I repeated. “My wife’s twin.”
She nodded, almost eager. “I love the way you say her name. You say it like it’s supposed to be pronounced.”
I took her hand and led her into the closet. I’d showed her where all the gold was, but I felt like this might mean more to her. I was almost impatient to give her this. I removed the shoebox with my other two pictures—one of my parents on their weddin’ day and the fuzzy picture of my brother or sister—and all the knickknacks I’d saved as a kid.
Unique shaped rocks, a yo-yo that had been my Da’s, a picture I’d drawn of the hobbits, or whatever the fuck I’d dreamed of on those hills, and a little toy buck my Mam had also saved. She was goin’ to give it to the new babe. It’d been mine.
As an adult…the figurines Maeve had given to me. The Beast and his Beauty.
Tears fell down my wife’s cheeks in a rush as she started to go through it. “Cian,” she breathed, holding the little buck. “This is everything that means something to you.”
“Yours,” I said. “To do with what you’d like.”
She looked up at me, then put the picture of her with her parents into the box. She closed the top and pressed it to her chest. “How about we keep them all together?”
I used my thumb to dry her tears, and she inhaled softly. She turned and found the spot it had been in and placed it there.
A knock came at our bedroom door.
Our eyes met through the murky darkness.
She breathed out. “Cash brought his wife.”
“I trusted him enough to be close to mine. It was a show of good faith, you could say.”
“So now he’s trusting you with his?” Her throat was tight. Her voice reflected it.
“Somethin’ like that.”
“Can I meet her? What’s her name?”
“We’ll see. Keely.”
She repeated the name to herself as we left the closet and met Keenan at our bedroom door.
“Ready, lad?” he asked.
He knew the answer to that already.
I kissed my wife, leavin’ her by the window to gaze out while I met Cash outside. Keenan went to make sure all was good with the money for the weapons. Cash would bring a trunk full, then the Russians would bring the rest later to an agreed-upon site. Even though Cash was blood, it didn’t matter when it came to business.
All the women’s eyes landed on me when I stepped outside. Cash’s wife’s eyes were especially sharp as she looked me over. Probably tryin’ to find the resemblance. The other woman looked at me guardedly. Maybe she saw what everyone but my wife did.
