9. Lara
9
LARA
It’s about thirty minutes before Oscar unlocks the door, bringing me fresh blankets and a pillow, along with some water and a box of crackers and block of cheese.
I blink, surprised.
“Rory says you’re to be treated well.” He pauses. “I’m... sorry about Scott. He’s a new hire.”
I nod slowly, not sure what to say, but then he just clears his throat and leaves.
I put the blanket over the bare mattress. There are boxes all over this room, probably a storage area.
I shiver, thinking of what might have happened if Rory hadn’t burst in when he did. Scott was on a mission, and if he hadn’t saved me...
I can’t even think about it. I’m sure there’s no way I can sleep tonight, even though I’m more exhausted than I’ve ever been.
Can I trust Bree’s brother? I know from my interactions with her that not everyone who is related to someone awful is bad, but that doesn’t mean that Rory is a good guy.
Do I even believe him? That he’s really an accountant? I guess it makes sense, because I’ve never seen him around the Irish mob. I’ve only ever heard about him from Bree, and she’s always been positive about him.
But she doesn’t talk much about him.
The blankets are oddly comfortable, and I do fall into a blissfully dreamless sleep.
When I wake, the door is swinging open, and I scramble up into a sitting position on the bed. Instead of Oscar or the other man who is now watching me too. I think his name is Maury, it’s Rory, holding a box of donuts and a couple of cups of coffee.
I can’t help but devour a donut before I even take a sip. I’m grateful for the food and caffeine, but it doesn’t mean that Rory has my trust.
“Did you get any sleep?” he asks softly, shutting the door behind him.
“A little.” I blink sleep out of my eyes.
He nods. “I see they brought you some things.”
“Yeah, it’s a real Four Seasons around here,” I drawl, and Rory chuckles.
He sits on the edge of my bed, grabbing himself a donut and sitting cross-legged.
I steal another donut, ravenous.
Rory smiles. “They’re all yours.”
“So?”
Rory takes a deep breath. “We have to trust each other for this to work.”
“I thought we came to the conclusion that’s not possible.”
Rory looks into my eyes. “It’s the only way you can survive this, Lara. I want you to get out of this unscathed, and I want to get back to my life.”
I smile. “As an accountant?”
He shrugs. “Sue me. I like numbers.”
I finish the sugar-filled donut and sip more of my coffee, feeling more like a person as I begin to wake up.
“What’s your plan?”
Rory looks hopeful yet apprehensive, like he doesn’t trust me either.
“We do exactly what Bree and Declan did?”
I raise an eyebrow, confused. “What?”
“We get married.”
“ What?” I put down the coffee and stand up, pacing around the room. “Why the hell would we do that?”
“Because it’s the type of shit my father will love. An eye for an eye. And once it’s over, we can get out of this without a war.”
I’m not so sure about that. I bite my lip.
“But Murphy is still going to want to kill my father.”
“Maybe, but he’ll think this is all for retaliation. He’ll have gotten his revenge by doing the same thing as the Burkes. It’ll stop this war of yours.”
“It’s not mine,” I say quietly. “I’m just as much at a loss during this as you are.”
He looks at me curiously, as if trying to decide if I’m telling the truth.
“You really don’t know anything about what your father does, do you?”
I shrug. “I know a few things, but they keep me mostly in the dark.”
Rory nods slowly. “So, what do you think? Will you marry me?”
He gives me a slow half-grin, and for a moment, I think about how handsome he is.
I swallow hard. “Temporarily?”
“Of course. Just until this business is done.”
“It's a lot of risk on my side and not much reward.” I sigh.
“The reward is your life. I’d say that’s something.”
I pace around some more. “It’s not what I want, though. I want to marry for love. I always have.”
He stands, facing me. “We can have it annulled. It’s not like we’re going to...”
“What? Consummate it?” I stiffen. “Not like I’d ever let you touch me.”
Rory groans. “I didn’t say I was going to touch you. Who says I’d want to?”
“Well, the way you kissed me yesterday?—”
“That was just to shut you up!”
I let out a huffed breath. “Well, I don’t really have much of a choice, do I?”
Rory remains silent.
I think about it. Going home seems like such a dream, and I want it so badly. I want to hug my father, see my stupid brothers, my sweet sister and sisters-in-law. I want to hug my niece. But if Murphy’s just going to keep coming after us… Maybe next time it’s one of them, and Rory might not be here when that happens.
Da is hurt. He could barely stand up at the reception. There’s no way that he’ll be coming after me. And Gray and Declan have enough on their plates.
Would it be selfish of me not to marry Rory Murphy?
I look him up and down, at his broad shoulders, trim waist, handsome face.
He smirks. “Like what you see?”
I shrug. “You’re all right.”
In fact, he’s more than all right. He’s pretty stereotypically handsome with his slicked back hair and wide eyes. He and Bree have the same nose and chin.
He snorts but doesn’t argue.
I look into his eyes. “And if I marry you, I’ll be safe?”
“I promise, I won’t let any harm come to you.”
Some part of me believes him. He hadn’t let Scott hurt me. He’d ordered Oscar and Maury to give me comfort.
What reason would he have to lie to me?
Unless this is all some kind of long con to get in with Murphy, I can’t think of a reason. And if that’s the case... there’s not much I can do about it.
It’s clear that I can’t escape this place, and that Murphy will just keep coming back to hurt my family.
“All right.” I nod. “I’ll do it.”
“You know,” Rory says slowly. “This means you do trust me. At least a little.”
I sigh, running a hand across my face. “I trust that you don’t want me dead. Any more trust than that is going to have to be hard-won.”
Rory breaks into a smile. “Fair enough, honey.”
This time, I don’t correct him.
“I’ve got to go and talk to my father. I’ll be back. Oscar and Maury won’t bother you.”
I nod slowly. I guess I’ll just look at the peeling walls while he’s gone.
Rory throws something on my bed. It bounces, and I realize it’s a paperback.
“It’s just the latest law thriller, don’t get excited.”
But I am excited. I’ve been stuck in this place for what seems like forever, with no entertainment whatsoever.
“Thank you.” Small comforts mean a lot in a time like this.
As Rory leaves the room, I wonder what my future is going to be like.
Chapter Ten