Finn’s lips pull up into a smile as he looks between me and Lorcan.
“What I know is that you’re all scrambling now because Sean is ten steps ahead.” He looks at me directly. “You really think dragging in old ghosts is going to make me crack? Because I can tell you one thing. I stopped giving a shit about your uncle the moment I realized he wasn’t coming to save me.”
Lorcan flinches, and I catch a flicker of pain in his eyes as I glance at him.
I feel sorry for the guy.
“This is bigger than the past, Finn. This is about family?—”
“Family? Youburiedme.”
“I mourned you. You weren’t just some kid I happened to raise for a few years. You were family,myfamily, and I grieved like I’d lost a son.”
Finn’s jaw tightens, but he says nothing.
“But you’re alive, which means we get another shot at fixing this.”
Silence stretches between them until finally, Finn speaks, his voice low and laced with bitterness.
“You’re wasting your time, so you might as well just kill me because I’m not giving you a damn thing. I don’t owe any of youshit.”
Lorcan is hurting, so I grip him by the shoulder and jerk my head toward the exit.
My uncle hesitates, giving Finn one last look before turning and stalking from the cell without another word.
Out in the hall, Lorcan lets out a long, shaky breath as he rubs his jaw.
“He’s gone. The kid I knew…he’s not in there anymore.”
“He’s broken. And he’s useless.”
Lorcan's expression is one of pure devastation, and it kills me, but we need to take care of the situation.
This is business, and if Finn is now considered a liability rather than an asset, I need to let Ronan know.
I pull out my phone and give my brother a call as Lorcan and I walk back outside to where our cars are waiting.
“He’s not talking,” I say the second Ronan answers. “Lorcan tried. The kid is just too far gone, so I think it’s time.”
“Don’t kill him,” Ronan says sharply.
“Seriously? Why not? He’s a dead end.”
“I’ve got one more thing I want to try, so just hold off from blowing his brains out just yet.”
“You wanted me to step up, and I have. But the second I want to make a call, you shut me down. What the hell do you want from me, Ronan?”
“I’m not shutting you down. But timing matters, Kieran.”
I bite down my frustration as the familiar surge of resentment rears its ugly head.
“I’ll call you tomorrow.” I end the call and look over at Lorcan, who hovers beside his Jaguar. “I suggest you go home. Ronan will call you later with his plan.”
Climbing into my car, I start it and drive away, leaving him standing in the cloud of dust.
We’re running out of time, and I don’t want to waste any more of it arguing with Ronan. Not when I need to make things right with Riley.
I refuse to spend another night without Riley in my bed, especially when I don’t know how many nights we have left together.
