Blindsided (CHANGING OF THE GUARDS #4)

Prologue

Declan MacGallan

I stood gripping a glass of champagne, my fingers tight around the stem as I watched Connor and Mia disappear through the door.

Envy coiled sharp and bitter in my gut; my brother’s carefree confidence had always come so naturally to him.

Now, Connor wore the clan captain’s mantle, but I felt sure everything would unravel – and that dread, thick and suffocating, was the real reason I stayed on as his partner.

I sighed as I scanned the room, listening to my wife, Wren, and my sister, Kat, talk animatedly about flowers.

My gaze landed on my cousin Kane, who stood across the dance floor, staring intently at Wren—his look so intense it was almost predatory.

Rory slid up beside me, took my champagne glass as I passed it to him, then glanced at Kane and muttered, “Sucks to be him.”

A surge of anger pushed me into the crowd. The pulse of the reception faded behind me as I closed in on Kane, seized his lapels, and snarled, “Keep your fucking eyes off my wife,” before slamming my fist into his face.

I shoved my way back through the crowd, forcing myself to focus as the chaos of the dance floor faded behind me. When I returned to Wren and Kat, Wren watched me curiously, her champagne flute paused in midair as she interrupted her conversation with Kat to look at me.

“Where'd you go?” Wren asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Handled something,” I said, flexing my hand.

Rory snorted, handing me my glass. “By 'something,' he means Kane's face. Nice right hook. Liked the head snap.”

“Jesus, Rory,” I muttered, hiding a smile as I sipped.

Wren’s eyes went wide. “You hit Kane?”

“He deserved it,” I said.

Rory cleared his throat and looked uneasy. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a cream-colored envelope. “Almost forgot. This was delivered for you earlier.”

I frowned, hands slick with sudden sweat as I set my glass on a table and tore open the envelope.

Inside was a sheet of paper, my father’s handwriting screaming from the page.

As I read, a chill gripped me—my fingers tightened involuntarily, and the world seemed to tilt, color draining from my vision.

“Is this a joke, Rory?”

“What? No. What is it?”

My hand trembled. “It’s… It’s from my father. Dated two years ago.”

“That was before his dementia, right?” Wren whispered, stepping closer.

“Yes, it was,” I said, looking at her. “Around the time we met at the nursing home.” My mind raced as I recalled that day—before I knew she’d become the most important person in my life.

I glanced around the reception hall, the celebration continuing around me, but suddenly I felt claustrophobic. The familiar faces of the ‘family’ were no longer so trusting. Pushing aside my unease, I turned to my immediate family. “Outside. Now.”

Kat and Rory exchanged concerned glances, then fell in line behind me as I nodded toward the doors.

Placing my hand gently on Wren’s back, I guided her through the crowd and out onto the veranda of the country club.

Behind us, the door closed, leaving us in sudden quiet as the cool night air settled on our skin and stars pierced the dark sky.

“Declan, what the hell is going on?” Wren asked, her voice tinged with worry.

I took a deep breath and unfolded the letter. “You, Kat, and Rory need to hear this.”

As they gathered around, I cleared my throat and began to read:

“Declan, if you’re reading this, I’ve passed on.

There are things I’ve kept from you—from all of you—that I can no longer bear to hide.

First, should something happen to me under unusual circumstances, I implore you to confirm that my body is in my grave.

And if you find I’m not there, then you must go to Ireland—specifically to our family’s ancestral home in County Clare.

There, in the castle, you’ll find a lockbox beneath the floorboards. ”

I paused, looking up to see the shocked expressions on their faces.

“What you discover there will explain everything. I’ve made enemies, dangerous ones who’ve been looking for me for decades. I’m sorry for the burden that this places on you, but you’re the only one I trust to handle what comes next.”

When I finished, my hands shook violently. My father’s words wrapped around me like a suffocating shroud, pressing on my chest until every breath felt heavy, edged with dread.

“Jesus Christ,” Rory muttered, running his hand through his hair. “You don’t think—”

I ran a trembling hand over my mouth. “I don’t know what to think,” I managed. “Dad was always paranoid, especially toward the end, but this... this was written before the darkness took his mind.”

Kat stepped forward. “You seriously want to dig up our father's grave?”

But as I looked at her, at all of them, I knew exactly what I had to do. “You’re fucking right, I am.”

Wren squeezed my hand. “Declan, think. This is extreme, even for you.”

“Extreme?” I let out a sharp, humorless laugh. The sound felt brittle even to my own ears. “My father just reached out from beyond the grave to tell me he might not actually be in it. How the hell am I supposed to react?”

Rory paced the length of the veranda, his shoes clicking against the stone. “It could be some sick joke. Someone messing with your head.”

“That's my father's handwriting,” I insisted, holding the letter up. “Nobody could fake it.”

Kat's arms crossed. “Even if it’s legit, you can’t just dig. Laws, permits—”

“Fuck permits,” I snapped, then immediately regretted it. “Sorry, but this isn’t exactly something I can take to the authorities. ‘Excuse me, officer, I’d like permission to exhume my father because a mysterious letter suggests he might not be dead.’ How do you think that would go?”

The muffled pulse of music from the reception seeped through the closed doors—a jarring reminder that life inside continued, oblivious, while my own world pitched violently off-kilter.

“I can help,” Wren said quietly. When I turned to her, she continued, “I have a contact at the hospital. A medical examiner who owes me a favor. We could... verify things, without necessarily disturbing the grave.”

I stared at her, gratitude prickling so fierce it almost hurt. This was why I loved Wren – she didn’t just see my chaos, she embraced it, never hesitating, never turning away. When my world spun out, she carved a path through the madness, anchoring me with nothing but her presence.

“As much as I appreciate that little goose. This can’t wait,” I said, loosening my tie.

“And if he’s not there?” Kat pressed.

“Then we book tickets to Ireland,” I answered firmly.

Rory stopped pacing, his expression hardening into something I recognized—the look he got before a dangerous job. “If someone did something to Tomas, they’ll answer for it.”

“First things first,” I said, folding the letter carefully and tucking it into my jacket. “We need to get through tonight without raising suspicions. Tomorrow, we will start digging—literally.”

Kat nodded reluctantly. “Connor can’t know about this. Not yet. He’s got enough on his plate with taking over and the honeymoon.”

“Agreed,” I said. “This stays between us until we know more.”

A sudden burst of light and sound from the reception shattered the tense moment outside. The doors flew open, and Kane appeared, a handkerchief pressed to his bloodied nose, his eyes narrowed with malice.

“What the fuck did you punch me for?” he slurred, clearly having found the bar after our encounter.

I moved forward, positioning myself between him and Wren. “Go sleep it off, Kane. Unless you want another loosened tooth.”

He laughed, a bitter sound that cut through the night air. “Always the protector, aren’t you, Declan? So concerned with your precious little family.” His gaze slid to the letter in my jacket pocket. “What’s that?”

“None of your business,” I growled, feeling my fist clench again.

Kane swayed slightly, pointing an unsteady finger at us. “That’s the problem with you. Always thinking you’re above the rest of us. Your father was the same way.”

I froze. “What do you know about my father?”

“More than you think,” he muttered, then seemed to catch himself. His eyes darted between the four of us, suddenly more alert despite his drunken state. “Nothing. Forget it.”

Wren moved with surprising speed, grabbing Kane by the tie and pulling him further onto the veranda, away from the reception doors. “What did you just say about Tomas?”

Kane’s face drained of color. “I didn’t say anything.”

“Like hell you parasite,” Kat hissed, stepping closer. “You know something.”

I placed a restraining hand on Kat as I started forward. She glanced at me; I saw her slight shake of the head and paused mid-stride. Interpreting her signal, I eased my stance but kept my eyes fixed on Kane, watching for his reaction.

“Kane,” Wren said, her voice gentle but firm, “if you know something about Declan’s father, now would be a good time to share it.”

He looked at her, then back at me, calculating in his bloodshot eyes. “What’s it worth to you?”

Before I could respond, Rory grabbed him by the collar. “How about your continued ability to breathe without a tube? Is that valuable enough?”

“Easy,” I murmured, though part of me wanted to let Rory continue. “Let’s hear him out.”

Kane straightened his jacket when Rory and Wren released him. “Three weeks before your father died, I saw him meeting with someone at the docks. Someone who wasn’t family.”

“How?” Kat scoffed. “Wherever he went, Connor went.”

“I never saw Connor,” Kane claimed. “But what I did see was this guy was… different,” Kane insisted.

“Foreign. They argued. Your father looked scared—I’d never seen him scared before.

” He swallowed hard. “The next day, I overheard my father talking on the phone to someone. Declan, it sounded like your dad saying, ‘they’ve found me’. ”

A chill crept over us, thicker than the night air. My eyes darted to Kat and Rory, finding the same shock, fear, and dread reflected in their faces.

“And you never thought to mention this?” I asked, my voice was dangerously quiet.

Kane shrugged. “By the time I figured it might be important, he was already gone. Besides, who’d believe me? I’m just the drunk of the family.”

“Brace yourself, because you’re about to experience detox the hard way,” I said, enjoying the look of terror on Kane’s face.

“Wha... what does that mean?”

“We’re going grave digging.”