Knowing roughly how long the entire footage is, I wait until it’s done before turning back to my brother. “Con I have two more things to tell you.”
He faces me and I see the tiny flicker of hope in his eyes, fingers crossed he has a reason to hope.
“Marco has a flight out of Chicago tomorrow morning, direct to Naples.”
“FUCK,” he yells into the room, he’s starting to unravel, but the moment he turns back to me, I give him my best shit-eating grin.
“I did something sneaky…as long as she has that chain around her neck, we’ll know where she is.”
The room suddenly becomes silent. “I put a tracker in it.”
He shakes his head, and he doesn’t seem as pleased as I thought he would.
“Are you fucking serious? Why the fuck are you just telling us this now!?”
I can see why he’d be pissed, but he has no idea how long it took to activate. I’m surprised it even did to be fair, the tech isn’t new, but it’s new to me so I’ve had a lot of learning to do, a lot quicker than I originally planned. I get he’s mad, but I’m still pleased with myself. I shake my head and smile up at him. “I wasn’t sure it was active until a few minutes ago.”
* * *
Finn and I had stayed in New York while Connor, Killian and Ronan had travelled to Italy to go get her back. I sent them there with enough devices and knowledge to scope out a place and get a read on where people were located in a building. I didn’t have time to do any recon worth its salt, so I ran through everything I could think of with Ronan.
It didn’t take them long to locate her and bring her home, but it was too late to make sure she got out unharmed. I don’t know the full extent of what she went through, I don’t want to know, but I’ve seen the injuries, I know she was beaten and raped. But it’s the eyes, she can’t hide the pain in her eyes. And it fucking guts me to my core, that I was so slow finding her.
I know it’s not on me, but she’s one of us, she’s family, when one hurts, we all hurt. It’ll take time, but I know she’ll be alright, she’s tough, besides—she has an entire family of O’Farrell’s at her back.
Chapter 8
I look around Finn’s front room, surrounded by my family. My brothers clinging onto their women, Ma on the sofa with the baby in her lap, Seamus on the floor next to my sister, maybe a little too fucking close for comfort, although Niamh seems ok with it as she sits and colours with Maddie.
While we each have our own individual letters, Halliwell mentioned that Rory had told him it would be our choice if we shared them with the others, but he said Rory believed that there have too many secrets over the years, and without even realising it those secrets have almost torn us apart.
I’m inclined to agree with him, I know my brothers would too. I steal a glance at my woman, leaning into her just a little, I feel confused, hurt, frustrated and angry. She gives my hand a small squeeze, silencing the noise in my head and effectively grounding me.
Looking into her eyes, a small smile, and a slight nod from her answers the unspoken questions between us.
Taking a deep breath, I reach for the envelope with my name on, a small flash drive lands in my lap as I pull out the handwritten letter.
I give it a quick scan, then look to Lex, she nods again, confirming I should go ahead. Knowing she’s ok with my choice, I read the letter out loud.
Connor,
Growing up, you were the brother that I wanted to be like the most.
Your fire, determination and compassion were faultless, no matter what happened, no matter what kind of shit we got into, or the trouble we caused, you were there smoothing it over. You were always so calm and collected, I admired that about you. Your ability to bring a sense of calm over any situation.
But you were always so guarded, so closed off to feelings, even from your family. Sure, you’d let us in, we were close, damn we were as thick as thieves, but you never let us all the way in, you always kept us just on the edge, the only one of us that got close enough to see your feelings was Killian, and that was only because he could read you, that weird motherfucker can read us all.
We all had our fair share of relationships growing up. But you would never let anyone get that close to you, I mean you weren’t exactly a saint, but the moment a woman looked like she was getting just a little too close, you’d cut her loose. I honestly believed you would forever be a bachelor Until her… I saw it, that night in the club, as I walked to her table, I’d seen the way you looked at her, and it was then that I knew, you’d found her, the other half of your soul!
I hate what she’s been through, what our blood has done to her. She told you, what happened to her, you heard it, but I witnessed it.
They made sure to video the things they did to your woman, (and others) the torment, the pain they inflicted.
I didn’t watch it all, I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I’d vomited within the first fifteen minutes of the footage.
The flash drive in the envelope contains the only remaining copies of those videos. I’ve destroyed everything else, and was about to destroy this, but I believe your woman should be the one to do it. She deserves the closure that I think it will bring her.
She is remarkable, and the strongest person I have ever met, give her the world Con, she deserves it, you both do.
