“He’s our brother.”
I down the whiskey in one gulp, hissing as it burns my throat. “What do we say to Brennan?”
“We say nothing until I have the statements analyzed.”
I turn around. “You seriously want to keep this from him? He’s our brother too. He deserves to know if Cormac has betrayed us.”
Ronan shakes his head. “No. I don’t want Brennan distracted.”
I huff a laugh and pour another drink. “It’s always about what you want.”
“That’s not true, and you know it.” Ronan gets to his feet.
“Isn’t it?” I turn back around to face him. “How do you think he’s going to feel when he realizes it was Cormac behind all of this, and that we knew and didn’t tell him? This will divide our family, Ronan.”
“I’ll handle it.”
“Bullshit!”
For a second, Ronan and I glare at each other, our chests heaving as we both fight to keep a hold on our anger.
My fingers tighten around the glass in my hand, but before I can launch it at Ronan’s head, I slam it back down on the cart and head for the door.
“I’ve heard enough. Keep believing Cormac’s a saint, but don’t be surprised if you end up in the ground like our father.”
“Kieran.”
I stop, my hand on the knob. My temper is a living thing in my chest, urging me to keep walking. But something in Ronan’s voice makes me glance back. “What?”
“I need you to do me a favor.”
“A favor? Are you kidding me?”
“I want you to stay at the house. With Ciara this close to her due date, I’d feel a lot better if you and Riley stayed here until the twins are born. I want her safe, and I trust you to help me with that.”
“You really think it’s a good idea for all of us to be living under one roof?”
A ghost of a smile tugs at the corners of Ronan’s mouth. “I think I’m going to need Riley around, just to stop you from killing me.”
“You might be right about that.”
Ronan laughs under his breath as he glances back toward the door. “I think it would be good for Ciara and Riley to keep each other company too, to have some sense of normalcy among the chaos.”
As much as I don’t want to say yes, I know Ronan makes a good point.
This isn’t just about what I want anymore; it’s about what is best for Riley.
“Fine. I’ll do whatever I can to help. But just know it’s not for you. I’m doing it for Riley. And for Ciara.”
Ronan nods, tucking his hands into his pockets. The faraway look in his eye as he stares down at the floor is unnerving. For the first time in my life, I can see a vulnerability in Ronan that I’ve never seen before. Whether it was always there, buried beneath the layers of armor that he built growing up under our father’s hand, or if it’s something he’s learned from Ciara, I’m not sure.
I’ve seen him walk straight into a gunfight without so much as flinching. I’ve seen him dismember bodies with a smile on his face. But ever since he learned that Ciara was pregnant, I’ve noticed he’s lost some of that arrogance that made him appear unstoppable.
“How is Ciara?” I ask.
Ronan’s mouth twists, the faintest ghost of a smile tugging at the corners. “She’s tired and sick of being pregnant, but she’s hanging in there. I think she’s just ready to give birth and finally meet the tiny humans who have been kicking her in the ribs for months.”
“She might regret that once those babies are screaming at two a.m. every night.”
