22. Cormac
Chapter Twenty-Two
CORMAC
Fiona is the most animated I’ve seen her in a long time on the drive over to see her nieces. That is, until I park across the street and kill the engine.
She suddenly falls quiet, and I can see the nerves kick in from the way she twists her sleeve around her fingers and glances anxiously out of the window.
“Are you ready?” Though I sound calm, I feel anything but.
This Joe guy is a complete scumbag. And from the sounds of it, a bit of a live wire.
If I had it my way, I would storm into that house and take Amber and Skye home with us, but I’m not sure Fiona would be up for a kidnapping mission.
At least not today.
Fiona swallows as she glances out of the window at the house.
It’s pretty nondescript, with bay windows on either side of the pale blue front door and a minivan parked in the driveway.
It’s exactly the sort of place I would imagine a small family to live in, but considering Joe is harboring millions of dollars in secret bank accounts, I was expecting something a little more upmarket.
“Let’s do this,” Fiona finally says.
I reach for her seatbelt, and in the process, lean in to press a quick kiss to the corner of her mouth.
“I’m right here,” I murmur.
She nods again, offering me a small smile.
I climb out of the car, taking a moment to survey the surroundings before opening Fiona’s door.
The air is crisp, but the winter sun is in full force, causing us both to squint as we cross the street.
Fiona slides her hand into mine and squeezes it hard, and I squeeze back, letting her know I’m going to be right beside her the entire time.
She adjusts the bag on her arm, which contains a multitude of sweet treats that Elena made. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous.”
We walk hand in hand down the path toward the blue front door. “You’ve got this. Amber and Skye are going to be thrilled to see you.”
Her shoulders relax slightly, and I see the first flicker of confidence on her face since we left Washington Heights.
Fiona takes a step forward, then pauses before quickly glancing back at me.
I give her a small nod, letting her know I’m not going anywhere, and she smiles.
I stand back, watching as she sucks in a breath before knocking.
The sound of tiny feet pounding down the hall can be heard almost immediately, and then the front door swings open, and two blonde-haired girls launch themselves at Fiona.
“AUNTIE FI!”
Fiona’s legs buckle, and she drops to her knees in a desperate attempt to catch the girls.
My heart stops, and I throw myself forward to try to help, but then I realize it’s useless because all three girls break out into a fit of laughter as they go tumbling to the floor.
“You came! You came!” the younger girl, Skye, cries at the top of her voice.
Fiona hugs her niece. “I told you I would.”
“We missed you!” the older girl, Amber, cries.
“Oh, I missed you too! You guys have gotten so big, you’re almost as tall as me!”
Skye places her hands on her hips. “I’m the tallest in my class.”
“I bet you are. So, where’s your dad?” Fiona glances down the hall.
Skye pouts. “He’s in the kitchen.”
Amber shrugs. “He has work to do.”
Fiona glances over her shoulder at me, and I roll my eyes, letting her know exactly how I feel about that.
The asshole is that much of a coward that he’s hiding out in the kitchen because he’s not man enough to come and face us.
I want to be mad, but honestly, I think it’s for the best. I don’t want Fiona’s time with Amber and Skye to become clouded by his presence.
Amber narrows her eyes at me. “Who are you?”
I have to bite back a laugh.
It’s like looking at Fiona, but in a child’s form. She has the same shining blue eyes and blonde hair, and her mouth even pulls down at the edges when she’s frowning.
I have to admit, it’s adorable.
“Uh…” I start, looking to Fiona for help.
Suddenly, I feel incredibly uncomfortable in my own skin.
I shift my weight between my feet and tuck my hands into my pockets as Amber refuses to break her stare.
Apparently, I can walk into a shootout no problem, but being stared down by a six-year-old girl in a princess dress is enough to make me want to bolt.
“This is Cormac.” Fiona grins at me.
I know she can sense my discomfort, but that only seems to add to her amusement.
“Cormac…” Skye frowns as she peers around Fiona to get a better look at me. “That’s a funny name.”
I shrug. “It is a bit. It’s not as cool as your name.”
“Or mine,” Amber announces.
“We can collectively agree that Cormac is not cool,” Fiona teases, and I shoot her a look that tells her she will be paying for that comment later. “He doesn’t know anything about K-Pop Demon Hunters.”
“Not this again.”
Both Amber and Skye look completely outraged.
Amber suddenly grabs hold of my hand and pulls me into the house. “Let me show you my Rumi costume that Auntie Fi made me!”
I look to Fiona for help, but she only laughs.
Skye throws her arms in the air. “We’re going to have so much fun!”
I’m handed doll after doll as Skye and Amber talk at me at a hundred miles an hour.
“Who knew there were so many different princesses?” I mutter.
Fiona hasn’t stopped laughing since we walked through the door, and it’s only made worse when Skye insists on putting a tiara on my head.
Fiona wipes tears from her eyes. “Please let me take a photo.”
“You can, but there will be severe consequences.”
“Honestly, it would be worth it just to show Brennan.”
Amber starts clipping butterflies into Fiona’s hair. “Who’s Brennan?”
“He’s my little brother,” I say.
“Is he annoying?” Skye asks.
“He’s the most annoying.”
“I think having a little brother would be fun,” Amber says.
“You’re welcome to take Brennan. I’m sure my other brothers would be very grateful.”
“How many brothers do you have?” Skye asks.
“Too many,” I mutter, and Fiona laughs.
After an hour or so, I step back for a moment to give Fiona some time alone with the girls. From the look on her face, I can tell she’s completely in her element.
Her smile is wide and completely unguarded as Amber wraps her arms around Fiona’s neck and Skye clings to her side, their voices overlapping as they both race to fill her in on everything she’s missed.
Fiona laughs as she pulls Skye onto her lap and wraps her arm around Amber, holding both of the girls as close as possible.
The way she looks at them… It’s the same way she looks at Scout.
At this moment, all my doubts, all my anger from the past few weeks, fade to nothing as I realize there is no denying that she loves not just her nieces and Scout, but me as well.
I let myself linger in the doorway of their playroom, my eyes drinking in every detail, from the faint crease of worry on Fiona’s brow when Skye nearly trips over her own laces to the way she comforts Amber when she tells Fiona how much she’s missed her.
When Fiona finally looks up, her eyes meet mine for a fraction of a second, and I see nothing but gratitude in them.
I offer the smallest nod in return, grateful to be able to be a part of such a special moment. I hope she can have a thousand more like it, and in order to do so, I decide to stalk down the hall toward the kitchen to have a little word with Joe.
I find him sitting at the table, hunched over piles of paperwork with an empty pot of coffee perched on one of them and what looks like an empty rocks glass beside him.
“Need a refill?”
His head snaps up, and the moment he locks eyes with me, his lips pull back from his teeth in an ugly sneer.
He looks older than I imagined, his dark hair streaked with gray and deep purple bruising beneath his eyes.
“Get the fuck out of my house,” he snarls.
I tuck my hands into my pockets. “You’re looking a bit stressed, Joe. If I were a better guest, I would have brought a bottle of the good stuff. Then again, you can afford a decent bottle of liquor. Or so I’ve been told.”
Joe is on his feet in an instant, but I hold up a hand.
“I’d stop right there if I were you.”
“Or what? Gonna call your dogs on me, Sullivan?”
“I could. But your daughters probably still see you as a hero. And while I think you’re more worthless than dog shit, I believe in protecting a child’s innocence as long as possible.”
“Don’t you dare talk about my kids.”
“That’s out of my hands when you decided to choose money over their childhood.”
“Fuck you, Sullivan.”
I take a step closer and let the mask slip just enough for him to realize who he’s dealing with. “You’re lucky to have someone like Fiona in your daughters’ lives.”
The sound of Skye and Amber’s laughter trickles down the hall, stealing Joe’s attention for a split second, so I take the opportunity to grab him by the neck.
“I’d be careful how you talk to her. Or me, for that matter. She’s a hell of a lot more forgiving than I am.”
His hands grip my wrists as he struggles to choke down air. “Sure about that?” he gasps. “After what she—”
“You and I both know mistakes happen.”
“This isn’t just any mistake.”
I squeeze his neck a little harder. “Do we really want to talk about mistakes?”
His eyes widen a fraction as I step closer, letting him see just how easy it would be for me to end his life with my bare hands.
He reaks of stale cigarettes and beer, and I swallow the bile that burns my throat.
Those girls deserve a hell of a lot better than him.
“Fiona is the most loving and loyal woman I’ve ever met, and you would be a fucking fool to keep clinging on to this grudge you have against her.
You would do well to remember the cost of betraying someone under my protection.
And that protection extends to your daughters,” I add before releasing my hold on him.
Joe staggers backward as he clutches his neck, spit spraying everywhere as he tries to catch his breath.
“I don’t need to remind you what I could do if anyone endangered them or tried to manipulate them.
I can make someone vanish into nothing. That’s not a threat.
That’s a fact. So, I suggest that you let the past go and let Fiona back into Amber and Skye’s lives. For your girls’ sake, if nothing else.”
The silence stretches between us as Joe considers my warning.
The unspoken implication is clear. If he crosses me, there will be consequences.
Joe exhales sharply before dropping into his chair.
Gritting his teeth, he runs his hands over his face. “I see your point. Maybe I’ve been too harsh. I just… I wanted to protect them.”
“Fiona is part of that protection, not a threat to it. She’s been through a lot, just like you have. She’s not here to take anything from anyone. She’s here to give those girls the love they need.”
Joe looks up at me, and for a beat, I see the worn-out father beneath the layers of anger, the one who lost his wife and is trying to keep his children’s world from crumbling.
I know that man because I was him. I know what it means to fight for your family until you have nothing left. And Fiona does too.
She sacrificed her own happiness to protect those girls, and Joe’s too deep in his grief to recognize it.
Hell, I was too. But I see it now.
And I won’t let anyone, including him, stand in the way of it ever again.