I press my palm flat against my chest, trying to slow my breathing. If it came down to it, would Cormac give up his hunt for Lorcan to save me?
A week ago, I would have said no, not because he didn’t care, but because his family comes first. But now? I think he would burn the whole world down if it meant getting me out alive, and I love him too much to force him to make that choice.
But what if I’m wrong? What if I’ve misread everything, and I’m just a convenient scapegoat?
The thought makes my throat close.
“No,” I hiss through my teeth. “Don’t spiral, Fiona. Not now.”
I check the envelope of fake evidence on the passenger seat for the tenth time.
Cormac did well to make it look convincing enough for Lorcan to buy the lie. I just have to hope it’s enough to bait a monster out of hiding.
The back of my neck is damp with sweat by the time a black SUV rolls slowly into the lot. It doesn’t park right away. It cruises past my car a little too slowly.
The windows are tinted dark, so I can’t see who is behind the wheel, but I know. I can feel Lorcan’s presence like a shadow passing over me.
I sit frozen, watching as it continues past and pulls into a spot three rows ahead of me.
My throat burns with bile.
I’ve barely eaten all day from nerves, but somehow, I still feel the urge to empty my stomach as I watch the driver's door open, and Lorcan steps out.
He scans the lot before he turns and looks directly at me.
Even from a distance, he makes my skin crawl.
My heart is slamming so hard against my ribs that it’s painful to breathe.
Each step he takes toward me feels like a countdown.
He stops a few feet from my window and waits.
I know he’s testing me, wondering if I will stay hidden inside the safety of the car while Cormac and his brothers ambush him. How I wish that were the case, but no.
I need to play my part, which means getting out of the car and facing the man who might end up killing me.
I snatch up the envelope, tucking it under my arm, and push open the car door.
The cold air hits my face and cools the cold sweat on my skin. I force myself to take a step, then another, hoping Lorcan can’t see how much my legs are shaking.
“Lorcan.”
“Fiona.” His eyes sweep over me, cold and assessing, searching for any hint of betrayal. “You came alone.”
I pray my voice doesn’t shake. “So did you.”
A faint smile tugs at his mouth. “You don’t actually believe that.”
No. I don’t.
“Can we just get this over with?” I ask. “It was hard enough to get away as it is. I don’t want to be here any longer than necessary.”
“That makes two of us.” Lorcan’s gaze hardens as he spies the envelope tucked under my arm. “Show me what you’ve got.”
I hand Lorcan the envelope and watch as he opens it right there, his brows drawing together as he flips through the papers that Cormac carefully crafted with his brothers last night.
“How did you get this? Because this isn’t the kind of thing you stumble across.”
