Ice-cold rain sluiced down, soaking through the cotton in seconds, but I didn't care. The chill reminded me I still existed.
I wandered down the path toward the rose garden, my favorite place. The walls surrounding the rose garden offered privacy and made it seem like a safe space. The fact I'd had a moment with Ronan there, minutes before all hell broke loose, was not something I dwelled on.
Sweet floral perfume filled the air as I walked under the stone arch. Heavy blooms hung from every bush. Some white, some pink, and some blood red, the branches thick with vicious thorns.
I made my way to the stone bench in the center of the garden and plonked my fat ass down. OK, so not fat, but Anton's words still held prime real estate in my head. Go figure.
The rain fell harder, soaking through to my underwear, but I ignored the discomfort. I'd much rather be outside than stuck indoors.
Closing my eyes, I tilted my head skywards, enjoying the icy rain on my face. It took me back to that day on the beach, when I walked into the waves. Each stinging droplet of water reminded me I was still here, still breathing.
My phone continued to buzz in my pocket, signaling incoming messages, but I ignored it. I'd had enough of Anton's bullshit for one day. Yes, it could be Saoirse messaging, but I doubted it. She and I usually chatted in the evening, if she didn't have a date.
The sound of footsteps crunching on the gravel path signaled another's presence, ruining my peaceful moment.
"What the fuck are you doing out here?" Conal scowled down at me when I forced my eyes open.
Rain soaked through his white shirt, and tendrils of dark hair clung to his handsome face. The sight of him all wet and sexy-as-fuck reminded me of the movie where Colin Firth walked out of a lake and a million women swooned.
No lie. I swooned, too, like any red-blooded woman would have.
"Meditating?" It was the best I could come up with in a pinch. Conal did not need to know the truth. If he thought I was struggling with my mental health, he'd tell Declan, who would immediately ship me back to my sister.
Conal must have read something bleak in my face. His expression morphed from furious to sympathetic.
"Come on." He held out his hand.
"Why? I'm fine." I pouted like a sulky toddler.
"You're not fine. Now move before I throw you over my shoulder."
My jaw dropped. "You wouldn't…"
"Don't test me, sweetheart." From the way his jaw tightened, he definitely would.
For fuck's sake.
17
Conal
10 minutes earlier
Rain hit me in the face as I stood on the porch examining the security feeds. Even the guards stood huddled under trees and or in their huts. Not that I blamed them. I doubted the O'Rourkes would pop up today. They were too busy licking their wounds and counting the cost of their failed strike against us.
Thank fuck Declan had kept the story mostly out of the media. Everyone who came to the party had signed cast-iron NDAs, which prevented them from speaking to the press. There were a few rumors about the attack circulating on social media, but nothing concrete.
The few journalists whohadtried sniffing around got nowhere. Like always. Romy Fortescue, Declan’s PR woman, was like a pitbull. She’d shut down the red tops fast.
Declan paid people in high places a lot of money to keep our business private. The last thing we needed was a headline in the Daily Mail.
Liam O'Rourke had gone to ground since the attack, leaving Dubai for a unknown destination. Probably South America.
Good riddance to bad rubbish. I hoped the cartel chewed him up and spat out the remains. He was incapable of playing with the big boys. The idiot had zero common sense, which combined with his delusions of grandeur, had led to his current predicament.
An unexpected figure popped up on the screen, wandering toward the rose garden in the pouring rain. What the actual fuck was Verity up to?
Declan had politely suggested she stay indoors for a few days while we got a handle on the security situation. I'd not seen her since I walked in on her in the library with my brother, but from what Mrs. O'Mara had told me, Verity had been spending most of her time in her room.
