13. Connor
CONNOR
“Isimply cannot and will not live like this!” Danielle storms down the hallway, shaking her head violently, Dad on her heels. “There are mouse droppings in our room!”
“They’re in the bedroom next to ours, darling, and we have an entire wing of the house,” Dad says, but Danielle ignores him. She marches straight to me and gets in my face.
“This is unacceptable. It’s bad enough you ditched the wedding and started a war, but now you’re forcing me to live in this dump?”
“It’s a multi-million-dollar mansion,” Dad says, exasperated.
“It’s falling apart! I hate it!” Danielle flails, glaring at me. “You could have at least made it presentable before dragging us to our new prison.”
“You’re free to leave whenever you like.” I gesture at the door behind me, back the way I came. Colm is visible in front of Angie’s wing, keeping it guarded and my wife quarantined. I don’t know how long I can keep everyone separate, but I’ll figure it out eventually.
“Oh, real funny, and let the Gallaghers shoot me in the face.” Danielle’s eyes cut to me. “You could’ve at least warned us you were going to ruin all our lives.”
“Honey, please stop.” Dad holds her arm and tugs her away. His smile is apologetic. “It’s been a long day, that’s all. She’ll come around.”
“I’ll send the staff to clean thoroughly.” I move past them.
“This isn’t over, Connor!” Danielle calls after me. Her voice softens as I walk further away. “And what’s with you, asshole, not sticking up for me? He’s your son, Cathal, you don’t have to be afraid of him all the damn time…”
I’m smiling to myself as I knock on Rowan’s door. She calls me in and I leave my father to deal with his unruly wife in peace.
“Mom’s livid,” Rowan says. She’s standing on the far side of her new bedroom looking out the window.
The space is enormous but there’s not much furniture except for an old armoire, a big four-poster bed, and beautiful built-in bookshelves crammed with as many books as I could find.
My little sister turns, beaming happily. “But this place is awesome.”
“Glad you think so.” I run my finger over the windowsill. It comes back dirty. “There’s work to do.”
“You let it go.”
“Hard to take care of a place this big when I’m alone.”
“Is that why you brought us here?”
“No, I brought you here to make sure you were safe.”
“Sure, sure.” She punches my arm. “Or maybe you finally got too lonely.”
I snort and shake my head. “I stay in my apartment most nights. Manhattan’s loud and crowded, you know that.”
“And your apartment’s sad and empty. Come on, this was an excuse to get the family back together. Speaking of which—“ Rowan leans against the wall, chin tilted up. “Where’s your wife?”
“Angelina’s in her rooms.”
“Yeah? Where’s that?”
“That, little sister, is out of bounds.” I flick her in the elbow. “And don’t make trouble.”
“Come on, I want to meet your wife. I mean, you blew up everything for this girl, right? You might as well let me see what the fuss is about.”
“Another time.” I drift to the bookshelf. I don’t recognize most of the titles, but one catches my eye. The Silmarillion. “What’s this Tolkien about?”
“Don’t distract me with hobbits. Come on, tell me about her.” Rowan flops onto the bed with a sigh.
“She’s nice. She works in my finance department.”
“Wow! Sounds amazing.” Rowan props her head in her hand and waves the other in a rolling motion. “Now give me more.”
I snap the book shut. “Angelina’s younger than me. She’s near your height, auburn hair, light eyes, dresses well. Very organized.”
Rowan kicks her legs, grinning. “You think she’s pretty, don’t you?”
“Yes, I think my wife is attractive.”
“Gross.”
“She’s pregnant.” I slip the book back onto the shelf. “It wasn’t an easy decision, what I did with Sinead. But?—“
“Shit,” Rowan says quietly. “But Angelina’s pregnant and you had to do the right thing.”
“I’m sorry.” I can’t look at my little sister. My shoulders slump and my fingers dig into the wood of the bookshelf. There isn’t a single person in this world I care about more than Rowan, and she’s the only one I could ever talk to like this.
Outside, I’m the boss. There’s only strength, blood, money, and power. If I show even a hint of weakness, I’m dead.
But with my little sister, I can be a person, and right now, this person is aching over all the ways I’ve fucked this up.
“You don’t have to apologize.”
“I started a war, Rowan. People are going to die. They’re going to bleed. I put you and Dad and Danielle in danger, all for some girl you’ve never met. I left Sinead Gallagher at the fucking altar, and now even Declan Whelan won’t support me. All because I’m a selfish piece of shit.”
The weight of it hits me. Since I took Angie at gunpoint, I haven’t let the situation settle. But now it’s on my shoulders like a mountain, and I’m struggling to hold it all up.
“You’re not selfish.” Rowan sits up, crossing her legs under her. “Honestly, Con? I’m proud of you.”
I let out a short laugh. “Bullshit.”
“I mean it. You didn’t have to marry Angelina, but you did it anyway. You did the right thing even though it’s causing you hella problems. I respect that.”
“Danielle doesn’t. She’s pissed.”
“Since when did you care what she thought?”
“I don’t.” I turn to face my little sister. “Thank you for saying that.”
“I mean it too. I don’t know all the details about these Gallagher people.
You and Dad try to keep me in the dark, but I’m not an idiot.
I hear stuff. And I’m telling you, I don’t think you could have lived with yourself if you had gone through with that wedding with Sinead. They’ll get over it eventually.”
“They really won’t.”
“Then you’ll make them.” Her smile is all confidence. “And Danielle will learn to love this place.”
“She definitely won’t.” I move to the door and pause to hold my fist out for a bump. “I’ll check on you again later.”
“Idiot,” she says, hopping up and hugging me.
I pat her back. She hasn’t been very affectionate for a while, not since she started getting older.
I remember when she was little, she’d hug and kiss and snuggle me all the time.
I adored Rowan back then, and I think I’ve only grown to love her even more as she’s gotten older and come into her own.
But she’s wrong.
I didn’t do the right thing.
Sending Angelina to a clinic then marrying Sinead would’ve been right. That would’ve saved lives, blood, and treasure.
No, I married Angie because I wanted to.
I’m two steps from Rowan’s room when Deck comes hurrying toward me. Dad’s ushering Danielle away and she’s grumbling the whole time.
“Boss, got a situation.” Deck throws a look over my shoulder. “Looks like you’re in the middle of one too.”
“Ignore her. What’s happening?”
“Some guys were caught lurking around the west salvage yard. You want me to handle it?”
“We’ll go together. Grab some good soldiers.”
“You think it’s the Gallaghers?”
“Until this is over, we have to assume everything is an attack.”
“Life during wartime.” Deck shows teeth in a happy grin. “Doesn’t get better, does it?”