Vengeful Union (The Burkes Mafia #4)

1. Lara

My feet are killing me from all the dancing with Sutton, Sarah, and Rose. Time to try and sit down for a bit.

I head to the bridal table, grabbing my flute from the table where I set it down a couple of minutes ago.

“Lara Burke.” A deep, nasally voice from behind me freezes me in my tracks. “As I live and breathe.”

I turn around, plastering a smile on my face, sipping on my champagne. I don’t know if this is flute number five or number nine. I lost count a while ago.

“Hey.” I have no idea whose eyes I’m looking into.

The man is relatively handsome, tall and with an almost beer belly, but he has kind enough eyes and a broad brow. He’s a little older than I like them, older than my brother Gray. Since this is his wedding, it’s probably a long-lost relative of some kind.

“You don’t remember me, do you?”

“I’m sorry.” I wince, but he’s smiling.

He shrugs. “It’s okay, you were about twelve the last time I saw you. I’m Rowan Grant, one of Gray’s friends.”

It slowly dawns on me that Rowan is the tall, lanky, bad boy older friend that Gray had in high school. The one I’d had an enormous crush on.

My face burns. “Oh. Rowan, of course!”

He grins, and the ghost of the boy I’d been so obsessed with washes all over his face.

“It’s good to see you,” he murmurs. “You’re all grown up.”

“So are you.” My cheeks are scorching now.

I’m not like my sister Paige, bubbly and flirty, and I’m not sure how to handle this.

Fortunately for me, Declan comes over and throws an arm around my shoulder.

My brother looks to be a little tipsy, but that’s fair enough. He hasn’t done much drinking since Bree got pregnant just out of respect for her.

My brothers are good guys.

“Rowan. Remember when Lara used to follow you around on dates like a little weirdo?”

I take it back. My brothers are terrible.

“Declan,” I hiss and pull him away while Rowan just laughs.

I tug him toward his heavily pregnant wife, and she shakes her head as she sees us.

“What’d he do now? I can’t let him out of my sight when there’s champagne around.” She shakes her head.

Despite my humiliation, I can’t help but chuckle as I refill my flute.

Who would have thought Niall Murphy’s daughter would end up being my sister-in-law and one of my best friends?

“It's okay, no real damage done.”

Declan grabs her around her considerable waist, pulling her close and kissing her.

Bree squeals against his mouth, but then she laughs, and something like despair washes over me.

I down half my new flute.

Will I ever have that?

I’ve practically been on lockdown since Da’s attack, and it feels like I’ll never meet anyone new.

The joke is on me, apparently, since I was the one catching the bride’s bouquet, but I don’t even have a prospect, let alone a significant other.

My eye keeps roving over to Rowan, but soon enough, he’s talking to some little redhead.

I roll my eyes, downing the rest of my champagne.

Men.

That must have been a faulty bouquet because it sure landed in the wrong hands if it is expected whoever catches it to be next to the altar. Either that or all the other single women here are just as doomed as me to be stuck alone.

A little bummed, I refill my flute yet again and walk over to where Da and Marisol are sitting at a table in the back.

My father looks handsome in his tux, but tired.

I perch on his knee.

“You doing okay, Da?”

“He’d be better if he ate something,” Marisol mutters, clearly frustrated with Da.

I don’t blame her. He’s a terrible patient.

“I just wish everyone would stop fussing over me,” he grunts. “It’s bad enough I have to have this chair?—”

“The chair is good for you, Da. At least it gave you the possibility to be here today.” I put my arms around his neck, hugging him.

“I know, I just don’t like needing it.” He smiles reluctantly, hugging me back.

“I’m sure you don’t. But you do need to eat. Do it for me. And Marisol.”

Marisol gets up to get Da a plate.

My father flushes slightly.

I’m pretty sure he and Marisol have something going on, or want to have something going on, although I don’t know if either of them will ever admit it. At least to us.

We love Marisol like a second mother, so I’m not sure why he’s so reluctant to share that part of his life with us, but I don’t push.

“Aye. For you, I’ll eat.”

I kiss his cheek. “Thank you.”

“How are you liking the reception?”

“It’s pretty fancy.” I look around at the beautifully decorated old, historical house in town that Sutton fell in love with.

I chuckle as I look at the dancefloor, watching Gray dance with his daughter, Ciara, standing on his feet. They started with the daddy daughter dance and haven’t stopped since. “Seems like Gray is having a good time.”

“He’s over the moon.”

“As well he should be.”

I like Sutton quite a lot, and she’s been really good for Gray, especially since he’s had to mostly take over for Da while he’s recovering.

My stomach rumbles when Marisol brings Da back a plate of appetizers, and I steal a cheese cube from his plate, popping it into my mouth before standing.

“Guess I should eat, too.”

I’ve been on a mostly liquid diet since this reception started, so I need to soak it all up. I load a plate up with crab cakes, chicken wings, and cheese and crackers before heading over to Paige and Kael who are sitting in the middle of the room.

Paige is watching the dancefloor longingly.

“How come you’re not dancing?” I sit down next to her.

She looks down at her plate, pushing things around on it without eating them. “Just feeling too heavy and too big right now.”

“Everything okay with the baby?”

Kael nods. “Baby’s fine. And so is Paige. She is just impatient for this pregnancy to be over with.”

Paige harrumphs. “I can’t wait to meet our baby, but I hate being pregnant.”

I chuckle. “Bree took to it like a duck to water, but not you, aye?”

“No. I feel like a stranded whale most of the times.” She pouts and pops a cocktail shrimp into her mouth.

I laugh. “Well, I’m sorry, little sister. But there’s only a couple months left. You’ll be back drowning in sushi and wine before you know it.”

She looks up at me with a smile. “Thanks, Lara.”

Kael rubs her back in comforting circles, and I start to feel a little down again.

Deflating, I stand up. “I think I’ll go find some single people to annoy.”

Paige frowns a bit, but I don’t stay long enough for her to ask me why I’m like this.

Anybody would be, right? Being stuck in the house for so long? All their siblings coupling out and popping babies, and you being the odd one out.

I’m nearing thirty, and I’ve never had a real boyfriend. Sure, there have been hookups in high school and college, but I’ve never dated anyone long term.

I’m almost desperate enough to go over to Rowan again when the reception starts to slow down. Rowan’s probably left already with the redhead.

It’s not like I’m still twelve with a crush on him, but it still sucks that my only possible option here met someone else.

The historical villa has bedrooms that we’re all staying in, except Da, Marisol, Declan, and Bree. The four of them, plus Sutton’s mom and Ciara, are leaving to go home as soon as the reception is over. Bree is about to pop and needs to be closer to her ob-gyn, and Da needs his rest where he will be most comfortable, and that is at home.

I walk over to Sutton and Gray to congratulate them, yet again.

From outside, a muffled yell and heated conversation reaches me. I turn to go check it out.

“Lara!” Sutton throws her arms around me.

She must have been hitting the champagne almost as hard as me, because she’s not really a touchy person.

I chuckle and hug her back, forgetting all about the noise. It’s probably nothing, anyway. Just a couple fighting, maybe some of Sutton’s family. Or hell, it could be our family, too. We’re all a bunch of hotheaded Irish people.

“The wedding was beautiful.” I kiss her cheek as she pulls away.

Gray puffs up with pride, watching Ciara sit on Da’s lap.

“You’re staying at the villa tonight, right?” Sutton pouts. “I want to see you before we leave. We might not get a honeymoon, but I plan on thoroughly enjoying our staycation in isolation with this guy.”

“Of course. There is no way I’d miss the chance to have one last hoorah before this little one pops out.” I pause, looking over at Gray. “Is everything arranged to take Da and Marisol home in a bit?”

Gray nods.

“Good.” I look at the bridal table.

Marisol’s looking at Da fondly as he plays with Ciara.

“Do you think they’ll ever admit they’re in love?” At first, I think Gray will tell me what he always does–that it’s not our business. But I guess today he’s feeling extra romantic.

“One day.”

I smile up at him, surprised.

“You really changed him, Sutton.”

“A long time ago.” Gray pulls her closer.

A sense of jealousy sweeps over me again, and I sigh, giving Gray a quick hug.

“I think I’ll head back to the room.”

“Are you sure? We could—” Sutton’s clearly a little concerned, but I wave her away dismissively, smiling.

“Been dancing and drinking and enjoying myself a little too much.” I lie. “I need a break.”

I’ve been feeling trapped while stuck in the house all the time.

A sound comes again from outside. A loud rustling, what sounds like muffled voices.

I look at my brother and sister-in-law, but they don’t seem to have heard it.

Is it just me hearing things?

God, how much did I drink?

I shake my head and say my goodbyes.

Time to go suck it up alone and not bring the mood down for everyone else.

As I leave the venue to head to where we’ll be sleeping, I frown.

Voices drift toward me.

Should I go back inside and call someone? What if I’m just being paranoid and it’s some family outside smoking a cigarette?

I decide to check it out before I make a fool of myself.

When I turn the corner, there is a group of men there. I don’t recognize any of them.

They are gathered around, talking.

I frown and try to eavesdrop. With everything going on with the Murphys, we can never be too careful.

It takes me a moment to figure out what they’re saying.

“Whoever's easier to get to,” someone says. “If it’s the pregnant one, so be it.”

Oh, God.

Knowing I’m paranoid or suffering from drunken hallucinations would have been a relief right about now.

I have to go back to the reception, warn Da, get Gray, something.

But I’m paralyzed, and I can’t quite get my legs to move for a moment.

When I finally can, I take a step back and a twig cracks.

Shit, shit, shit!

I turn to run.

Suddenly, the world goes dark around me, and I start suffocating as I’m being pulled back.

With what I assume is a bag over my head, all I can do is listen as a vehicle stops really close to us and I’m shoved inside.

Someone mutters something to the driver as the door slams shut with me inside.

“That was easy. She fell right into our laps.”

I recognize that voice. Oscar Murphy, one of Niall’s nephews.

I don’t let despair settle over me. I just keep listening, hoping they say something else, but it goes quiet in the van.

I’m pissed off, anger boiling in my blood, but more than even that, I’m afraid.

I’m now at the hands of our worst enemies.

I was just despairing over my future. But things are even worse now.

Because chances are I don’t have one.

I might not make it past tonight.

And as sad as it is, my biggest regret Is that I will die without ever having the chance to fall in love.