We’re never going to get out of here.
Their eyes snap up to us as we enter. My lungs constrict even further, and my head spins. “Breathe,” Aiden says in my ear. Or maybe I’m imagining it. More armed men file in to block the exits with guns at their ribs.
Cian gestures to the table to a seat at his right. Mary takes her place at his left. With a steady hand, Aiden leads me to a chair. I fall into it, grateful to be off my nerveless legs. I try to catch Mary’s eye, but she won’t look up from her ruined hands. The sweet, happy woman I’d met seems to have disappeared. More than anything, it makes me want to cry.
She deserves so much more than this.
Everyone sits but Cian, who strolls behind the chairs of everyone in attendance, calling out names I don’t remember. I stay unnaturally still as he circles, my senses tracking him like a prey animal scenting a predator. Aiden’s hand finds my thigh. The grounding touch provides a little comfort.
Cian stops behind me. “Life is full of surprises, isn’t it? And no one knows that more than Aiden.”
Muffled chuckles ripple around us, but not everyone laughs. Some men shift, their expressions tightening as they remember their own families, wives, children. It’s easy to forget that evil is at your door when it’s terrorizing someone else a continent away or a woman hidden behind closed doors.
“Speaking of, Mary, why don’t you pour us some wine so Aiden can see how well trained you’ve become. Almost as good of a dog as your son.” There’s a general shifting of the men at the table. A few laugh, but many less than before.
My muscles are solid stone as I imagine all the ways I’d kill this monster if I could.
Mary doesn’t seem to acknowledge Cian’s instructions at all. I wouldn’t even think she heard him because her face doesn’t lose its serene mask. Instead, she crosses to a sideboard where there are bottles of wine and glasses. She busies herself with her task, and I quickly peer up at Aiden to gauge his reaction.
Cian is doing the same as if anticipating Aiden to blow a fuse. He doesn’t. Cian falters for a moment. Then Mary returns with two glasses of wine. She hands one to Aiden and takes one for herself. Servants provide the rest, who shift uncomfortably.
“We’re gathered here to celebrate the marriage of Catriona Gallagher and Aiden O’Connor. With our blessing, they will join our organization, and their union will bless us for many years to come. If you’ll join me in a toast to the happy couple?”
Reluctantly, we raise our glasses. I hold mine to my lips, but I don’t drink. Aiden lifts his for a second before placing it back down. Some drink a sip, some more than one. Mary downs hers faster than anyone else at the table, and Cian isn’t far behind.
I glance at Aiden, who is watching his mother with a frown carved into his face.
“To the Clans!” Cian jeers, distracting me, and they chant it back to him.
“And now, for the evening’s entertainment,” he says, rounding the table to where Mary is clutching her wineglass like a lifeline. She stares into its emptiness like she’s going to divine her future. Cian’s hands settle on her shoulders, but she doesn’t move. She doesn’t seem to even realize he’s behind her. My blood is ice in my veins. Aiden is stone beside me.
“We have a special guest joining us tonight.”
My teeth grind together. The man sure has a penchant for theatrics, but I really wish he’d get on with it.
The room is silent now. A captive audience.
It’s so quiet I can hear heels clicking against the floor on the other side of the door.
It opens.
Devin walks in, and behind him…
Elizabeth?
I jerk hard enough to rattle the silverware on the table. My body tenses so hard, I’m afraid I’ll snap in half. “Bethie? What—what are you doing here?” I double blink, certain fear has me hallucinating, but no matter how much I try, the vision of them doesn’t go away.
“Come in, come in. Why don’t you have a seat?” Cian pulls out a couple of chairs next to Mary.
“What’s going on?” I look from Elizabeth to Devin as my brows draw together. “What are you doing here?”
“Like I said,” Cian interjects. “You got started on the family reunion before all of the family was here.”
“W-what?”
“Please. Quit the innocent act, Catriona. I’m so sick of it.” Elizabeth leans forward on the table. “You know, I used to be jealous of you. How close you and Mom were, how she would exclude me. I bet you didn’t even notice.”
“What? No, Mom loved you. Elizabeth, you’ve got it all wrong.”
