Page 101 of Dirty Legacy

Sinead is sitting on a bench off to the side. She’s alone, legs crossed, watching everyone warily. When she spots me, her back stiffens and her face hardens.

There’s no friendship here. No softness, no love, no joy, no kindness, and I don’t blame her. I’ve done nothing but hurt this woman. I left her at the altar, started a war, killed her brother. And through it, she’s been holding everyone together.

“I’m glad you showed.” She gestures for me to sit. “Did anyone follow you?”

“No, and I’m alone.”

“I wasn’t going to ask.”

We lapse into silence. I try to picture what life with her could’ve been. But that’s so deeply overshadowed by my love for Angie and the way it sings in my chest. The heat that drives me.

“How do we end this?” I ask after a time. “I assume you didn’t call me here for nothing.”

Sinead’s jaw works. She keeps her eyes off me, like if she turned her head and caught my eye, she’d lose her mind.

“My father has been declining for years.” She says it like this is a fact everyone knows, but it sends a jolt down my spine. “You must’ve noticed he hasn’t been around much.”

“I was wondering.”

“Padraig Gallagher was once a strong and clever man, but he’s a shadow of himself now. Liver cancer spread to his bones. It’s a slow and ugly way to die.”

“I’m sorry.”

“We’ve come to grips with it already. Except my brothers don’t agree on who should succeed when my father inevitably dies. Fergus believed he had the right of it, and he was already making plans.”

“Did those plans involve buying my cousin?”

“I suspect so. I also suspect our arrangement was partially his doing. I believe he was going to use our marriage to usurp you via your cousin.”

I stretch my legs and look at the sunlight slanting through the trees. “Deck was cheap. That’s what keeps bothering me. I would’ve paid him more if that’s what he wanted.”

“You’ll have to talk to your cousin about his motivations. I truly don’t know, and it doesn’t matter. Fergus is dead because he schemed and went behind all our backs. Lorcan and Cillian are understandably upset, but losing Fergus creates a vacuum.”

Understanding falls over my shoulders. “You plan on filling it.”

“Someone has to take over when my father goes. This is what I propose.” She turns toward me and folds her hands in her lap. “My father is allowed to retire and die in peace. My brother is given a good funeral. Lorcan and Cillian are allowed to continue on in the Gallagher organization. You will bring me Deck and we will hang all this blood on him. We’ll spin a story about his betrayal. Declan Whelan will find me a new Whelan match. Do you follow?”

I scrape a hand down my chin. “You take control of your family. You marry into the Whelans. That’s a lot of power.”

“Are you going to complain?”

“Not in the slightest.”

“Find me your cousin. Bring me his body. Alive or dead, it doesn’t matter. And convince Declan Whelan to honor our original deal.”

“I’ll do what I can.”

“You deserve worse, you know.” She stands abruptly. Sinead Gallagher is tall and beautiful. She’s a queen, and I am deeply impressed. “If I were a spiteful woman, I’d burn you to ashes.”

“But you don’t want to risk losing another brother, and you know we’d only end up killing each other. Neither of us walks away from this stronger if we let it play out.”

“Mutually assured destruction. That’s what they say, isn’t it?”

“I’ve heard the phrase.”

“Know this.” Her hateful gaze meets mine. “We will never be friends. We will never be colleagues. We will coexist and that will be enough. Do you understand?”

“I understand. For what it’s worth, you’ll make a good boss.”