“You were at a nightclub?” Cormac asks. “Why did you go there? It’s dangerous.”
“Because I just wanted a night of fun,” I snap. “I’ve had my life dictated by the two of you forever and I just wanted a moment to myself. I ran into Marco at the club and those two men attacked him. They also came at me. Marco stopped them.”
Cormac goes quiet, which is unusual for him. He’s always running his mouth off whenever he feels like it.
“Let’s just get you home,” Dad sighs. “You’re safe. That’s all that matters. But you’re not leaving my sight until the day of the wedding. Not until you’re married to Marco. Is that understood?”
With no other choice, I nod. I know I won’t get anywhere with him.
Dad turns to Marco and shakes his hand. “Thank you for protecting my daughter.”
“She got cut,” Cormac growls. “I don’t think he did a good job at protecting her.”
“Cormac, enough,” Dad warns. “We’re leaving. Come along, Ciara.”
“Cormac, a word,” Marco says. “Before you leave.”
“I would rather eat paint than talk with you,” he spits.
“I think we should talk. You’ll want to hear what I have to say. Trust me.”
“You two talk,” Dad says. “Ciara and I will go.”
I want to know what Marco has to say to my brother but judging by the anger on Marco’s face, it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. Does he think my brother was behind this?
But surely not. Cormac wouldn’t put me in danger. Someone else attacked Marco and I’m scared to find out who.
I have no idea who my future husband is and what kind of enemies he has. I’m even more scared to find out that I don’t have all the answers.
Marco
Once Ciara and Patrick are gone, I turn to Cormac. “You sent those men after me, didn’t you?”
“You’re fucking crazy. I didn’t do anything. I would never put my sister in danger.”
I cross my arms. “You see, I thought so too. You’re clearly protective of her. But I saw your reaction when she told you about what had happened. You sent those men after me which means you have people watching where I go. How else could you have known I was at that club? But what you couldn’t predict was your sister being there. I didn’t even know she would be there. It was just a coincidence running into her. Those men didn’t know she was your sister. You must have told them to kill me at all costs, no matter whogot in the way. You just didn’t expect it to be Ciara. I saw the guilt on your face, Cormac. I know it’s you who poisoned me. I know it’s you who sent those men after me.”
He grabs my shirt and pulls me towards him. As a younger man, he has more strength than I possess but I work out myself. I grab his own shirt and shove him back.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Cormac growls. “Stay away from my sister.”
“I protected her from those men. I will be married to her. Your dad wants this. You don’t have any say, Cormac.”
“If you’re dead, you can’t marry her.”
“Is that a threat?”
“You don’t have any proof it was me.”
“I don’t need proof to know it was you. I will marry Ciara and you’re going to have to fucking deal with it.” Seeing Ciara in danger tonight brought out a protectiveness I haven’t felt in a long time. I will not lose her now, especially because of her asshole brother.
Cormac storms away. He knows I’m right and there’s no hiding who he is. I now know what and who I’m dealing with.
If Cormac tries to come for me again, I won’t hesitate to kill him. The only problem is: it will ruin my alliance with Patrick. I have to be smart about this.
But if it’s my life or his, I will choose myself any day of the week.
As for Ciara… something shifted between us tonight. She is just a means to an end to get the alliance I want. Nothing more. And yet, I didn’t hesitate to protect her. I wanted to.
