27. Fiona
Chapter Twenty-Seven
FIONA
This might turn out to be the stupidest thing I’ve ever done, and I’ve done a lot of stupid things.
My pulse rings in my ears as I nervously wait in the driver’s seat of Cormac’s car for Lorcan to arrive.
The engine is off, and my hands are wrapped so tightly around the steering wheel my knuckles ache.
The parking lot is almost empty except for a scattering of cars belonging to people who have normal reasons to be out this late.
But not me. I’m meeting a man who might kill me before the sun rises.
Somewhere nearby, Cormac waits with his men, but that knowledge doesn’t bring me any relief. He didn’t tell me where he was going to be, that way, if I didn’t know where to look, I wouldn’t accidentally give anything away.
Lorcan is going to be on high alert, and even a subtle nervous glance could give me away, and I can’t afford to give him anything he could use against me.
At the time, Cormac’s plan made sense, but now that I’m sitting alone in this car, I feel like I’ve been dropped into the middle of the ocean and told not to drown.
What I wouldn’t give to have Cormac beside me, holding my hand.
I press my forehead briefly against the steering wheel, the leather cool against my skin.
For a split second, I let myself imagine what it would feel like if this were over. If this were just another night, and Cormac was the one behind the wheel.
I would be sitting in the passenger seat, my fingers intertwined with his. Scout would be asleep in the back seat, covered in biscuit crumbs and clutching his stuffed dinosaur while we drove back to the penthouse in the city.
The picture is crystal clear in my mind. If I close my eyes, I can practically hear the sound of Scout snoring softly and smell the earthy scent of Cormac’s cologne.
It’s enough to make my eyes sting.
I force my eyes open and sit up straighter, loosening my grip on the wheel.
Every sound feels too loud. Even my own breathing feels suspicious, like it might give me away.
If Lorcan is watching already, and I have no doubt he is, panic is the one thing I can’t afford.
I smooth my hands over my thighs, willing the tremor out of them, and check my reflection in the rearview mirror.
My face looks pale but composed. I don’t shed a single tear or show any cracks. Instead, I force myself to look like a woman who came here with a purpose, not one who’s silently rehearsing her own death.
As the minutes tick by, my thoughts drift to Amber, how happy she sounded when she told me the good news about her test results. The way her eyes lit up when I told her I would visit her and Skye again soon.
I can’t let this end with someone knocking on her door to tell her I won’t be coming at all.
I think of Scout next and how he’s become my little partner in crime when it comes to winding up his dad. I can’t imagine my life without him, but I know if I don’t walk away from this, in a few years, I’ll be nothing but a blurry memory to him.
But most of all, I think of Cormac.
I scan the parking lot for him even though I know it’s pointless.
I clock a white van, a couple arguing beside a station wagon, and an old man loading groceries into the trunk of a sedan.
Where are you, Cormac?
My stomach twists.
My life is quite literally in his hands.
That thought should comfort me, but instead, it makes me want to throw up because if this goes wrong, if Lorcan even suspects for a second that I’m double-crossing him, there won’t be time for Cormac to save me.
I press my palm flat against my chest, trying to slow my breathing. If it came down to it, would Cormac give up his hunt for Lorcan to save me?
A week ago, I would have said no, not because he didn’t care, but because his family comes first. But now? I think he would burn the whole world down if it meant getting me out alive, and I love him too much to force him to make that choice.
But what if I’m wrong? What if I’ve misread everything, and I’m just a convenient scapegoat?
The thought makes my throat close.
“No,” I hiss through my teeth. “Don’t spiral, Fiona. Not now.”
I check the envelope of fake evidence on the passenger seat for the tenth time.
Cormac did well to make it look convincing enough for Lorcan to buy the lie. I just have to hope it’s enough to bait a monster out of hiding.
The back of my neck is damp with sweat by the time a black SUV rolls slowly into the lot. It doesn’t park right away. It cruises past my car a little too slowly.
The windows are tinted dark, so I can’t see who is behind the wheel, but I know. I can feel Lorcan’s presence like a shadow passing over me.
I sit frozen, watching as it continues past and pulls into a spot three rows ahead of me.
My throat burns with bile.
I’ve barely eaten all day from nerves, but somehow, I still feel the urge to empty my stomach as I watch the driver's door open, and Lorcan steps out.
He scans the lot before he turns and looks directly at me.
Even from a distance, he makes my skin crawl.
My heart is slamming so hard against my ribs that it’s painful to breathe.
Each step he takes toward me feels like a countdown.
He stops a few feet from my window and waits.
I know he’s testing me, wondering if I will stay hidden inside the safety of the car while Cormac and his brothers ambush him. How I wish that were the case, but no.
I need to play my part, which means getting out of the car and facing the man who might end up killing me.
I snatch up the envelope, tucking it under my arm, and push open the car door.
The cold air hits my face and cools the cold sweat on my skin. I force myself to take a step, then another, hoping Lorcan can’t see how much my legs are shaking.
“Lorcan.”
“Fiona.” His eyes sweep over me, cold and assessing, searching for any hint of betrayal. “You came alone.”
I pray my voice doesn’t shake. “So did you.”
A faint smile tugs at his mouth. “You don’t actually believe that.”
No. I don’t.
“Can we just get this over with?” I ask. “It was hard enough to get away as it is. I don’t want to be here any longer than necessary.”
“That makes two of us.” Lorcan’s gaze hardens as he spies the envelope tucked under my arm. “Show me what you’ve got.”
I hand Lorcan the envelope and watch as he opens it right there, his brows drawing together as he flips through the papers that Cormac carefully crafted with his brothers last night.
“How did you get this? Because this isn’t the kind of thing you stumble across.”
I shrug.
“I told you. I had opportunities.”
He taps a finger against one of the pages. “This timestamp is clever. It’s almost too clever. Whoever did this understands how internal audits work. They would know what gets flagged and what doesn’t.”
My pulse spikes.
That was all Cormac’s work. He knew what would catch Lorcan’s attention, and so far, it seems to be working.
He’s finished going through the evidence. “You didn’t do this yourself.”
It’s not an accusation. It’s a statement of fact.
“I didn’t say I did.”
“No, but you managed to get it to me, and I’m curious how you did it.”
“I told you, I’ve had access to Cormac for a while. I just needed the right moment to make my move without drawing attention. I’m done, Lorcan. I can’t live like this anymore. Amber’s health…that’s all that matters to me right now.”
Lorcan raises a dark brow. “Are you sure that’s the only reason?”
Is he referring to Cormac?
My mask almost slips, but I quickly recover my expression.
“Of course, it is.”
“You know what I like about this?” He gestures to the envelope. “It’s not explosive, but rather… incremental. This wouldn’t destroy Cormac overnight. It would rot him from the inside.”
A chill slides down my spine.
“That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
“It’s exactly what I want. You did well, Fiona.”
“So, that’s it? Can I go? Because all I want is to be with my family. And I can’t do that if you’re breathing down my neck. So, take the evidence and let me be free of this debt.”
“Careful. People who want out are the most dangerous ones. They don’t care who they burn on the way.”
“All I care about is this being over.”
Something shifts in Lorcan’s expression, but he says nothing as he looks back at the documents. I subtly exhale a breath.
I just need to get through a few more minutes, and then my part is over. From there, it’s all down to Cormac.
“If this is legit, this is very useful.”
Relief crashes through me so hard my knees nearly buckle.
“So, we’re done?” I ask, perhaps a little too eagerly.
“Not yet. I’ll need to verify it. Only then can I determine how useful your evidence truly is.” He slides the papers back into the envelope. “I’ll be in touch.”
Every instinct screams at me to run, but I don’t.
I turn my back on Lorcan and start walking, forcing myself not to hurry back to my car.
My hands shake as I open the door and start the engine.
I don’t look over at Lorcan’s car or in the rearview mirror for any sign of Cormac. I just drive.
The entire way back to Kieran’s house, I feel eyes on me.
Every car that passes could be him. Every turn feels like a test. I follow the route exactly as planned. No detours. No sudden stops.
By the time I pull into the driveway, my jaw aches from clenching it so hard. No other cars are parked out front, which means I’m the first one back.
I don’t hang around. I dart up the stairs and into the house, making sure to lock it behind me.
Normally, Riley or Ciara are up with the kids, but from how quiet the house is, it seems everyone is asleep, which I’m grateful for. I don’t want to see the looks on their faces if something goes wrong and their husbands don’t end up coming home.
I pace the living room, then the kitchen, then back again.
My phone sits heavy in my pocket like a bomb waiting to go off.
If this failed…
If Lorcan even suspected me for a second…
This is it, our one and only shot.
If Cormac doesn’t manage to take him down, Lorcan will vanish even deeper than before. And this time, he’ll know I’ve played him. He’ll want blood, and I’m not stupid enough to think it will just be mine. He’ll want Cormac, Scout, Amber, anyone who stood in the way of him taking the Sullivans down.
I grip the edge of the kitchen counter, breathing hard.
The minutes crawl past, and every second stretches thinner and thinner, like a wire about to snap.
When my phone finally buzzes, I jump so violently I almost lose my footing.
I scramble to pull it out of my pocket and see Cormac’s name lighting up the screen.
My hands tremble as I open the message.
We’ve got him.