Chapter 20
SAOIRSE
“Do I look okay?” The day of Rocky’s wedding dawns and of course, we’re running late because Cian decided yesterday would be a great day for us to visit Ma and getting back in time has been such a rush.
“You look fine.” Cian laughs. “Cormac and Evie are already inside and are saving us seats. Once the music starts, we can sneak in and look like we’re part of the wedding party and no one will be any the wiser.”
“You’re such a dick,” I mutter, stumbling out of the badly parked car and fighting to adjust my dress. “I told you it was a bad idea to leave too late but just had to take a forty minute shit.”
“What can I say, Ma’s pies are heavy on my gut these days.”
“Idiot.” I lean against the car and slip into my strappy heels, then check my phone. Bruno hasn’t replied to me since yesterday. I hope everything’s alright. The last I knew, he was going to see Mary about her dress choices. Maybe he also got caught up in sibling drama like I have.
“Fix your tie,” I hiss as we hurry up the steps toward the hotel. “And smooth out the— just let me.” Grabbing Cian by the arm, I jerk him backward and smooth down some strands of hair sticking up in all directions while he adjusts his tie.
“You’d think I was the one getting married,” he mutters while I fuss around him.
“Be thankful you’re not,” I mutter. “Ma would kill you for wearing a suit like this.”
“What’s wrong with it?” Cian scowls. “It’s black.”
“It’s not fitted, dumbass. Where did you even get it?”
“Cormac’s closet.”
“Ugh.” A final pat of his hair and I lightly shove him up the stairs. “How can you be so clean at killing and so messy at everything else?”
“It’s the law of nature,” Cian chuckles, hurrying up the steps. “Besides, I can’t be completely perfect because—”
“Halt.” One of the doormen cuts Cian off and blocks his entry to the hotel with a hand on his chest.
Cian immediately tenses and frowns, brushing the man’s hand off. “We’re invited.”
“No.”
“We are,” I say, leaning around Cian while digging in my purse. “We’re just late because!”
My words fail as the doors to the hotel burst open and Cormac comes stumbling out with his arm around Evelyn, followed by Rocky and it seems they’re in the midst of an explosive argument.
“Get out!” Rocky yells. “This is supposed to be the best day of my life. I wanted to be surrounded by family and friends and instead I learn I’ve invited snakes into the garden.”
“Rocky.” Cormac’s anger is thinly veiled. “You’re not thinking clearly and I promise you, whatever you think is happening is not true!”
“So you haven’t been investigating me and my people?
” Rocky yells. “You haven’t been daring to tarnish my family's struggling reputation with disgusting accusations about having our hands in the skin trade? After everything I’ve done for you, after everything we’ve done for each other, I thought you would have treated me better than this. ”
Cormac shoots me a furious glare but continues to try and calm Rocky down.
My heart rate increases painfully. Skin trade?
Rocky knows what I’ve been up to? But surely he knows that I’ve been trying to help him, not accuse him?
I’ve been careful not to point fingers at anyone specific, even in our own family.
Unless he’s taking the Italian involvement personally but that can’t be denied.
Just behind Rocky and Cormac’s explosive argument stands Domenico Del Prete. He takes up the entire doorway and seems completely unfazed by the argument until Cian surges forward and grabs Cormac’s arm as if he fears fists are about to fly.
“Rocky, please.” Evelyn attempts to defuse the argument. “Can’t we talk about this? You know us. There has to be some misunderstanding here.”
“Are you calling me a liar?” he yells. “Have you not been investigating my family, huh?”
There’s a beat of silence. Will Cormac lie?
“We have,” Cormac admits. “But it’s not what you think.”
“Bullshit!” Rocky throws his hands in the air. “I trusted you, Cormac. I fucking trusted you. Why wouldn’t you just come and talk to me if you had any sort of suspicion? After everything we’ve been through, have I not earned that?”
“Listen to yourself,” Cormac snaps. “Coming to you with a rumor is a waste of both our time. I took steps to solidify the truth before alerting anyone although your reaction is making it feel like you’re pretty fucking guilty about something!”
“You son of a bitch!” Rocky surges forward but he’s stopped by one of his guards. “You take that back!”
“Rocky, it’s my fault!” I hurry up a few steps and try to redirect his anger. “I was the one with the information and I was trying to be delicate because this is… this—”
Words fail me when Bruno appears next to his father.
We lock eyes and in this instant, I suddenly understand.
There’s only one way Rocky could have learned what I was up to.
Only one way that the truth could become so twisted.
If Rocky knew the truth then he’d know I was trying to protect him but instead, he seems under the impression that we’re the ones spreading the rumors to frame him.
What the fuck did Bruno do?
My silence gives Rocky a chance to reignite his argument with Cormac until Domenico steps forward.
“Leave,” he says coldly to Cormac. “And take your ilk with you. Consider this the end of any alliance between our families but in respect for the help you have given us in the past, I will allow you all to leave without bloodshed.”
Evelyn, while glaring at Domenico, gets her hands on Cormac and shoves him backward. While her presence is enough to defuse the fight, anger simmers between them like the charge before a storm and Cormac suddenly redirects his anger toward me.
“What the fuck!” he yells. “Quietly. I ordered you to handle this quietly!”
I have no words.
Cian rushes past me down the steps after Cormac and I’m left standing there with my heart hammering. Rocky is dragged back inside by Domenico and the doors almost close if not for Bruno standing there.
The cold grasp of betrayal steals around my heart.
“Saoirse.” Bruno steps toward me.
“What the fuck have you done?” I hiss, pouring every ounce of anger into my words. “What the fuck?”
“I can’t— it’s not my fault, I’m sorry okay? It just slipped out, I don’t know what happened!”
“I do! I know what happened. You’re a rat, you’re a fucking rat!”
“No, Saoirse please, that's not— we were just talking and I don’t know what happened, Saoirse. He was finally listening to me and the next thing I know, I’m telling him about you and your investigation—”
“Our investigation!” I yell. “One heart to heart with your absent father and you throw me to the fucking wolves?”
“It’s not like that! It just all got out of hand. Suddenly he was calling Rocky and thanking me, and everything was happening so fast.”
“Saoirse!” Cian yells from the street, waiting beside the car. “Get down here!”
“You couldn’t even warn me.” My heart’s pounding so fast that my legs wobble as I take a step down. “You fucking traitor.”
“I’ll tell them the truth, I swear! Just with the wedding and everything, Saoirse please—”
“Don’t fucking say my name,” I spit. “You’ve fucked me. You’ve so royally fucked me and my entire family. Stay the fuck away from me.”
“I’ll fix this! I swear, Saoirse. I swear. I just got overwhelmed and I wasn’t thinking—”
“Fuck you, it’s too late for your excuses! If I see your fucking face again after today, I’ll kill you. Understand? I’ll fucking kill you!”