38. Cormac
Chapter Thirty-Eight
CORMAC
I don’t know why I’m even bothering to go to bed when I know I won’t sleep. Not when Adrian Smirnov is still breathing.
I’m up long before the sun, choosing caffeine over real fuel as I try to track down the man who wants to kill my son.
Brennan tried his best to get into the laptop I found in the car with Vasil Smirnov, but even his skills are limited.
So, while I wait for Connell to force his way through the security systems, I turn my attention back to Fiona.
I lock myself away in Kieran’s upstairs office, the one that looks more like a private room at The Blackthorn than the weapons bunker he prefers. I perch on the edge of the bespoke mahogany desk and pull out my phone to give Aiden a call.
“You didn’t show the other night. I figured you were dead,” the PI says the moment he answers. No greeting. No pleasantries.
“I almost was.”
He exhales slowly. “I heard about what happened. Do you want to tell me why someone tried to execute you on your way to meet me?”
“Not over the phone. Tell me what you have.”
There’s a pause, which makes me wonder if he’s reconsidering telling me what he’s found out about Fiona.
“Aiden, I don’t pay you to have a conscience.”
“Pretty sure you’re not the one who pays me… But I dug deeper into Fiona, like you asked.”
My jaw tightens. It’s not like Aiden to skirt around a subject.
“And?”
“She’s not dirty… But she’s not exactly clean.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means she’s been … adjacent to some very bad decisions.”
I lean against the desk, the wood cool beneath my palm.
“Go on.”
“There’s a brother-in-law.”
“I’m aware. From what Fiona has said, he’s an ass. He’s refusing to let her see her nieces.”
“He’s got opinions, that’s for sure. And a lot of resentment. If anyone’s going to fill in the blanks that Fiona hasn’t, it’s him.”
This is the part I’ve been dreading.
“I want his number.”
“You sure? Once you make this call, you can’t unhear what he tells you.”
“I’m already past that.”
“Fine. But don’t come crying to me when you hear what he has to say.”
The line goes dead, and a second later, a message pops up with a number.
I stare at it for a beat, wondering if this is a door I want to open. But if I have any chance of a future with Fiona, I need to know what I’m getting into, not just for my own sake but for Scout’s too. I just hope that my instincts were right and that she is the person I think she is.
I hit dial and suck in a breath as I wait for the call to connect.
“This is Joe,” a gruff voice answers almost defensively.
“Joe. Cormac Sullivan.”
There’s silence while my name registers.
“What do you want?”
“I want to talk about Fiona.”
A bitter laugh crackles down the line. “Why am I not surprised she managed to bag herself another one? A Sullivan… Even for Fiona, that’s impressive. She must be seriously good at sucking?—”
“I’m not interested in being your sounding board.”
“Then what do you want?”
I close my eyes and lean back against the desk in Kieran’s office, my fingers tightening around the phone.
This was a long shot. People don’t like revisiting their ghosts. Believe me, I should know.
“She’s been worried about her nieces. About Amber. I thought?—”
“You thought wrong. And if you’re calling to tell me she wants back into our lives, save your breath. She made her choices.”
The words land heavier than they should.
“What choices?”
Another pause, though it’s longer this time. I can almost hear him debating whether to hang up.
“You really don’t know,” he finally says.
Something cold settles in my gut.
“Know what?”
Joe exhales hard. “Jesus Christ. She didn’t tell you any of it, did she?”
My pulse hums in my ears.
What the hell is he talking about?
“Tell me,” I order.
“Carly, Fiona’s sister, had a gambling problem,” he keeps every word slow and deliberate. “A big one. Fiona knew about it before I did.”
My grip tightens.
“She was drowning in debt. And instead of coming to me, her brother-in-law, Fiona decided she could fix it herself.”
A familiar anger starts to simmer.
He made it sound like Fiona was the bad guy in all of this, when in reality, it sounds like she was the opposite.
“She was trying to help her sister?—”
“And she got her killed in the process.”
The words hit like a punch to the chest.
“She brought in people she had no business dealing with. Shady people. Criminals. Men who don’t forgive, and they sure as hell don’t forget.
Carly was dragged deeper and deeper into the shit, trying to pay it back.
And look where it got her. Now, thanks to Fiona’s poor judgment, my daughters had to watch their mother being put in the ground. ”
I feel sick. I know all too well what it’s like to watch your child grieve the loss of their mother. It’s devastating on a level I didn’t know was possible.
“And when I found out?” Joe adds bitterly. “I found out about the affair too.”
“What affair?”
“The one Carly had with Fiona’s boyfriend at the time. A real winner, a career criminal. I guess she has a type. Why else would you be interested in her?”
The room suddenly feels void of air.
“Fiona thought she could control it. She thought she was smarter than everyone else, and my wife paid the price for her mistake. So, I won’t be made to feel guilty for choosing to keep her away from my daughters.”
Silence stretches between us, thick and heavy.
“She didn’t tell you any of it?”
“No.”
Joe laughs again, hollow and bitter. “Then you should ask yourself why.”
The line goes dead.
I sit there for a long moment, staring at nothing.
Fiona didn’t tell me about Carly’s addiction or the affair. But more importantly, about the deal she made with criminals to try and clean up a mess she didn’t create but still took responsibility for.
She didn’t tell me any of it. And suddenly, Kieran’s warning echoes louder than ever.
People don’t just stumble into this world by accident. And if what Joe says is true, I can’t help but feel like Fiona’s sudden appearance in my life isn’t simply a well-timed coincidence. It feels planted.
The question is, why?
I scroll through my recent call log and dial Aiden again.
He answers with a sigh, as if he’s been expecting me to call him back.
“Tell me Joe’s lying.”
“I could have told you everything days ago. Fiona’s ex-boyfriend, Freddy Walsh, he’s a dangerous son of a bitch, currently doing time for some drug deal gone wrong.”
“And the debt Carly had… Who paid it off?”
Aiden is quiet for a beat.
“I think you know the answer to that question, Cormac.”
“Tell me,” I growl.
“Lorcan.”
My blood turns to ice as the pieces slide into place with horrifying clarity.
Kieran was right. Fiona didn’t stumble into my life by accident. Lorcan planted her there, and I was stupid enough to fall for her.
“How do you know?”
“I have photos to prove it.”
“Photos can be tampered with.”
“You’re welcome to take a look at them for yourself. I can meet you at the usual place in an hour.”
“Fine.”
I hang up the phone to go in search of Brennan.
Accusations in this life are death sentences, and I won’t sign one without certainty. So, until I have concrete evidence to prove Fiona is guilty, I will keep this all to myself before involving my brothers.
I find Brennan leaning against the kitchen counter, his coffee untouched beside him as he scrolls on his phone.
Brennan looks up when I walk in. “Hey. You look like shit.”
I huff out a humorless breath.
He frowns. “Everything okay?”
“Can you do something for me?”
“That depends on what it is.”
“I need you to stay here and watch Scout while I head out. I need your eyes on him at all times.”
I don’t want to tell Brennan my suspicions either, at least not until they’re confirmed, but in order to do that, I need to leave the estate, which also means leaving Scout.
His jaw tightens. “Cormac?—”
“He’s not to be alone. Not for a second.”
Brennan studies me carefully now. “Anyone in particular I should be worried about?”
The question lands heavier than he probably intends it to.
“Yes,” I say after a beat.
That gets his full attention, and I can tell from the look on his face that he can see where the direction of my thoughts is going.
“How bad is it?”
I exhale a breath as I drag a hand through my hair, frustration and guilt tangling together in my chest.
“I…found out some things today about Fiona. Things she didn’t tell me.”
Brennan’s expression doesn’t change, but his stance does. “What kind of things?”
“Nothing you need to worry about, at least until I confirm them. And until I know for sure, Scout isn’t to be left alone with anyone. Not even Fiona.”
Silence stretches between us.
“You think she would hurt him?” Brennan asks finally.
“No,” I say without hesitation.
Brennan raises his eyebrows. “Then why?—”
“Because if I’m right…” I stop myself.
I exhale a long breath and force myself to try and stay calm. I can’t afford to be fueled by my emotions right now, not when there is so much at stake.
“Because if I’m right, she’s not in control of what she’s involved in, and that makes her dangerous without meaning to be.”
Brennan nods slowly. He doesn’t agree or disagree, he simply accepts the reality of the situation. “All right. I’ll stay and watch him.”
“Thank you.”
“And Cormac? If this blows up…you need to be ready for that.”
I don’t answer because we both know I’m not.
I stalk out of the kitchen and into the living room where Scout is lying on the carpet, lining up his toy cars with military precision.
I crouch down and ruffle his hair. “I need to head out for a bit, Scout. You’re going to stay here with Uncle Brennan.”
Scout looks up and grins. “Can I stay up late again tonight and watch Star Wars with Uncle Brennan?”
“We’ll see.”
The normalcy of us nearly cracks me open.
This is what Lorcan threatens with every breath he takes.
I glance over my shoulder to find Brennan watching us from the doorway, silent and observant.
When Scout goes back to his cars, I straighten and jerk my head toward the hallway.
Brennan follows without a word.
The moment we’re out of earshot, I lower my voice.
“I’m serious, Brennan, not a second alone. With anyone.”
“You have my word.”
I’m halfway out of the front door when hurried footsteps sound behind me, and I look over my shoulder to see Fiona half-sprinting down the stairs, looking a little panicked.
“There you are. I was starting to think you had disappeared.”
Her smile hits me like a punch to the gut. She really is breathtaking.
It seems I was doomed from the start.
“I had to talk to Brennan.”
She comes to a stop in front of me, her brows pulling together as she searches my face.
I do my best to keep my expression neutral despite the raging storm inside my head.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. Just business.”
She tilts her head, her blonde ponytail falling over her shoulder. “You say that like it’s supposed to reassure me.”
“I won’t be long. Brennan’s here if you need anything.”
She crosses her arms, pretending she’s annoyed instead of worried. “You’re actually taking an eye off us for longer than half a second now?”
I almost laugh.
Almost.
“Only because I have to.”
I reach for her hand without thinking and squeeze it harder than necessary, like I’m trying to anchor myself to something real.
She squeezes back without hesitation.
“I’ll be back soon,” I promise.
She searches my face, like she can feel the shift between us even if she doesn’t understand the true reason for it.
“Okay. But don’t be too long.” She leans up and kisses me, her body fitting against mine like it always has.
Despite everything, I kiss her back, pouring everything I don’t know how to say into it.
Please be innocent.
Please let me be wrong.
But even as I hold her, even as she sighs softly against my mouth, the truth coils tighter in my chest.
This isn’t paranoia.
This is instinct.
When I pull away, she smiles at me like she trusts me completely, but I quickly turn and head out the door as one thought pounds through my head with sickening certainty.
Fiona is the spy.