My wife actuallyflinches.
"But he was alive when I left him." Panic sets in as Ciara slips further out of reach. "Sure, he was banged up and bruised, but he was breathing.”
Ciara laughs, but there’s no humor in it. Only bitterness. "He was lying on the ground, unconscious! He didn’t come to for five minutes, and when he did, he was still too out of it to defend himself against the guys who killed him. But you knew that already, didn’t you?”
I’ve known what it’s like to have Ciara pissed at me, but this is something else. There’s a cold hatred in her eyes as she looks at me, as if being in my presence makes her physically ill.
“Ciara…” I hold out my hands once again, though I make no move to close the distance between us despite the fact my body is screaming at me to go to her. “Max was shot in the head, and that hit was always only going to end one way."
Her eyes well with tears as she glares at me.
"You made damn sure of it.”
I grind my teeth. “I didn’t kill him.”
“No, but you might as well have.” She storms past me out of the room.
I let her go.
But two seconds after she leaves the room, I freeze.
Wait.
No one else knows about what happened, not even my brothers. So, how the hell did she know I was the one who beat Max up?
My heart races.
"Ciara!"
She doesn't answer, so I sprint out of the room as her door slams shut upstairs, taking the stairs two at a time as my heartbeat pounds in my ears.
“Ciara!” I bang my fist on the door.
She doesn’t answer, so I try the handle, but of course, it’s locked.
“If you don’t open this fucking door, I’ll break it down!”
A second later, the lock clicks, and the door flies open, revealing a wild-eyed Ciara.
“I didn’t realize I’d married such aneanderthal!”
“How did you know?” I brace my hand on the door so she can’t slam it in my face.
Ciara says nothing, just folds her arms across her chest.
“Tell me, or so help me, Ciara, I’ll?—”
She throws her arms out. “You’ll what? You’llwhat, Ronan? Beat me like you beat Max?”
I stagger backward, and for a moment, we just stare at each other, both of our breathing ragged.
“Do you really think I would hurt you?” There is a sickening ache in my chest.
Ciara bites her lip as she fights back tears, but then she bows her head. “No. But you hurt Max, and that hurtme.”
I flinch at her words. “Ciara…”
I want nothing more than to get on my knees and beg for her forgiveness, but I also need to know how the hell she learned about the attack. “I need to know how you know.”
