I stare at the ceiling.
Sean interjects, "Fiona married Kirill, and everyone's okay with him, now. You'll see that Valentina is a good person, too."
"Don't you dare try to act like this is okay! You're in the doghouse as much as Brax!" Liam booms.
Sean breathes through his nose.
Liam's voice sharpens. "You both have vanished. And you don't get to vanish. Not when you hold responsibilities that affect this entire family."
Sean argues, "We weren't trying to disrespect anyone."
Liam lifts a hand. "Stop. I don't want a speech. I want the truth. What the fuck is going on? And don't give me your 'I can't tell you' story. I'm sick of hearing it. I know you're somehow wrapped up in whatever shit your father started. I want to know the truth and now!"
Sean closes his mouth.
I meet Liam's stare head-on. "We can't tell you anything. Not yet."
Liam's jaw ticks with quiet fury. "Not yet? You two don't get to decide what this family deserves to know. If you've stepped into something dangerous, the family should be prepared."
Sean carefully states, "We aren't dragging you into it. We're trying to protect you."
Liam snarls, "Protect us? By disappearing? By dodging calls?"
We stay quiet.
He turns toward me, adding, "By letting Finn believe you were dead in a ditch? By letting Brenna panic?"
More guilt eats me. I glance at Finn. He wears the same hardened expression as when I came in. It only makes me feel worse. I quietly say, "I'm sorry."
He doesn't flinch.
Liam steps closer and lowers his voice. "I've run this family for years. And I do not run it blind."
I try, "Liam, we're not betraying you."
"We would never," Sean reiterates.
His voice cuts sharp as glass. "Then show me. Because until you do, neither of you is stepping foot into O'Malley operations."
Sean stiffens. "What does that mean?"
"It means you're suspended."
"You can't do that," Sean argues.
Liam grunts. "I just did. No pay for six months. No privileges. No access to O'Malley resources. You will handle nothing related to family operations until I trust your judgment again."
Anger rises beneath my ribs, but I clamp it down. "You're cutting us off?"
He shakes his head. "No. I'm giving you consequences. You don't get to choose loyalty only when it's convenient."
"We aren't choosing convenience," Sean says quietly.
"I'll never be disloyal to the O'Malleys," I vow, feeling like my world's being stripped away from me.
Liam's stare doesn't waver. "Then you won't mind the next part. You're both on grave duty."
Nolan shifts in his seat. Declan smirks like he's already planning the rotation schedule. Killian cracks his knuckles. Finn just sits there, not moving.
