Chapter Three
Cormac
Iarrive at Marco’s house. The man who forced my sister into a marriage. The man who I tried to kill to save her. The man I hate more than anyone on this earth.
I knock on the door. No need to be violent. I already have the upper hand.
The door slowly opens to reveal my sister on the other side. “Cormac?” she whispers. “You’re back. Where have you been?” She shakes her head. “No. That doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t be here. If you’ve come just to kill Marco, I can’t let you.”
“I’m not here to kill Marco. I’m here to talk.”
“Talk?” she asks, sounding in disbelief. “Really?”
“Yes. I’m here to talk. Let me in.”
After a moment, she opens the door wider and motions me inside. “I’m not sure about this. Are you really here to talk?”
“Ciara, who is it?” a man’s voice sounds out behind her. Marco approaches, looking like he doesn’t have a care in the world when I’ve been suffering for months now. He stops when he sees me. “Get out.”
I raise my hands. “I’m not here to kill you, Marco. I’m here to talk.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“It seems neither of you do and I understand that. I’ve tried to kill you many times before. I understand why you don’t trust me. But I’m really here to talk.”
“Open your jacket.” Marco slowly walks closer to me.
“Why?”
“I need to check if you have a gun on you. I’m not stupid.”
“If I wanted you dead, I would have already shot you,” I snap.
Marco motions at me until I sigh and open my jacket. He takes out my gun. “Just to be safe.”
“I really am here just to talk.”
“Have you spoken to Dad?” Ciara asks.
I try not to wince. When my dad kicked me out of the Irish mob because I accidently hurt Ciara, I haven’t seen him since. It’s been a wound I haven’t known how to close. “No.”
“He should be here,” Marco says in a tight voice. “I’ll call him.”
“Don’t do that.”
“He needs to be here, Cormac.” Marco pulls out his phone and calls my father. “Patrick? Cormac is at my house. You need to come.”
“I’m on my way,” my father says on the other end. The sound of his voice sends a chill down my spine. The man who has the power to hurt me in ways no one else can.
“So, what did you want to talk about?” Marco asks, crossing his arms.
“Ciara, how have you been?” I ask, ignoring Marco.
“I’ve been good. I would have been better knowing if you were ok. Are you ok?” Her eyes search my face. “I’ve missed you, Cormac.”
“That’s exactly why I’m here. I’ve missed you too. And I’m here to finally save you.”
Marco sighs. “Not this again. I am not hurting your sister. You do not need to save her from me.”
“I was speaking to my sister,” I snap.
“Cormac,” she says, placing her hand on my arm. “I’m ok. Really. You don’t need to save me from Marco. It would be best if you just came home. Made up with Dad. Promise to never hurt Marco. Work with him instead.”
“Work with the fucking Italian Mafia? Ciara, are you crazy?”
“Don’t talk to my wife that way,” Marco says.
“She’s my sister. I can talk to her how I want.”
“Not when you call her crazy. I will not stand for it.”
“You are not the authority on my sister.”
Marco stands toe-to-toe with me. “And neither are you. So back the fuck down, Cormac. Tell us why you’re really here. Because we both know it’s not to reunite with your sister. You’re still pissed she’s married to me. I can tell. It’s been months. Why haven’t you learned to cool the fuck down?”
“Because I hate the fact that you’re married to my sister with every fiber of my being,” I spit out. “You shouldn’t be married to her. You should let her go.”
“And why would I do that? I have an alliance with your father. I’m in love with your sister. Why would I just walk away?”
“Because… I have your niece.”
The room falls silent for a long moment. Marco’s eye twitches and he quirks his neck before speaking. “You… what? What are you talking about?”
Ciara looks between me and her husband with uncertainty. “What’s going on?”
“Your niece,” I say slowly in case he can’t understand me. Marco is forty. He’s an old man by my standards. “I have her and I will let her go if you divorce my sister and never show your face around here again.”
“I don’t have a niece.”
“Yes you do. Arianna Amato.”
Marco tries not to show it but I can see the tightening of his eyes. “Never heard of her.”
“You lie. I found out that you have a brother. Antonio Amato. I found out where he lives and I found your niece. I took her. And I will give her back if you let my sister go.”
“Cormac, what have you done?” Ciara breathes out.
“So you’re confirming it then. Arianna Amato is your niece.”
Marco’s jaw tenses before he nods. “Yes. She’s my niece. But I’ll need proof that you have her before I do or say anything.”
“I’ll send you proof. Her finger. I’ll keep cutting off each of her fingers every day until you let Ciara go.”
“Let me go?” Ciara asks, shaking her head. “I love Marco. I don’t want to divorce him. Don’t do this, Cormac. Let Marco’s niece go. How can you do this? You kidnapped a girl.”
“She’s not a girl. She’s twenty-one. An adult. I did some digging.”
“That’s no better,” Ciara breathes out. “I’m only twenty-one myself. You know this. How can you do this?”
“To save you.” I lock my eyes with hers. “I’ve always wanted to save you, Ciara. This is my chance. You can stop with the charade about love for your husband. I know it’s not true.”
“No,” she snaps. “You’re not listening to me. That’s what you’re not doing. You’re losing your mind, Cormac. Let Arianna go.”
“How did you even get her?” Marco asks. “Did you kill my brother to get to her?”
“Your brother and his wife are still alive. I didn’t need to kill them to take her. But if they get in my way, I won’t hesitate to finish the job.”
“Why are you doing this?” Ciara whispers.
“Because,” I say, glaring at Marco, “the Italian mafia doesn’t get to win. I will not let it win. They all need to be brought down.”
“My niece is innocent,” Marco explains. “She is not a part of the mafia. My brother left that world behind. I haven’t seen Arianna in a long time. She is not part of the Italian mafia.”
“She’s related to you, isn’t she? That makes her so.”
“No, it doesn’t and you know it. Arianna is innocent. Trust me.”
“That’s the thing, Marco. I don’t fucking trust you.”
Marco huffs, running his hand down his face. “If you don’t give my niece back, then I will have to kill you.”
“But you don’t even know where she is. She’ll die if you kill me.”
“Fuck,” Marco mutters.
I can’t help but smile. Watching him squirm like this is the best sight in the world. “Divorce my sister and I’ll let your niece go.”
“It could take months to finalize a divorce.”
Ciara stares at Marco with wide eyes. “You would really break up with me?”
“He’s going to torture her, Ciara. What am I supposed to do? I don’t want to break up with you. Not at all. But how else am I supposed to save my niece? She’s innocent. She doesn’t deserve to lose all of her fingers. She doesn’t deserve to be tortured.”
“I agree,” Ciara says, turning to me. “But I will not let you control our lives, Cormac. I want to be with Marco. Let Arianna go and return to the family. Work with me and Dad again. Be happy once more. Let this anger go. That’s the solution here.
You’re trying to save me from something I don’t need saving from. ”
“I don’t believe it,” I growl. “You need to be saved from Marco. And since killing him never seems to work, this is the next best option. This is happening. It’s up to you, Marco, to decide what you want to do.” I turn to the door.
“You really think I’m going to just let you walk out of here?” Marco asks in a dark voice.
“Like I said: you can’t kill me. Then you’ll never find Arianna.” I open the door to see my father walking up the driveway. He stops when he sees me.
“Cormac,” he breathes out. “You’re here. You’ve returned.”
Marco rips the door open the rest of the way. “Patrick, your son has fucked up. Again.”
My father’s eyes narrow. “What have you done this time?”
“I have done what needs to happen,” I seethe. “I am saving my sister. You were incapable of it.”
“He kidnapped my niece,” Marco explains. “He’s going to torture her unless Ciara and I end our marriage.”
Patrick’s look of worry turns to pity and it makes me hate him. Truly hate him for the first time in my life. “Cormac. What the fuck are you doing?”
“I am doing what needs to be done. Think about it. I would decide what’s best.” I turn to Marco.
“You have two days to decide. I’m being generous.
” I walk out of the house, not looking at my father the entire time.
If I do, I’ll stumble. Falter. He was always the best at making me feel like I was never good enough.
“Cormac,” Patrick says, catching my arm. “Don’t do this. Don’t be fucking stupid. I have contacts. We can find out where you’re keeping the girl. You’ll end up hurt. Or worse.”
I rip my arm out of his grasp. “Or I’ll succeed in saving my sister.”
“And some innocent girl has to get hurt for you to accomplish this?”
“How do you know she’s innocent?” I ask. “How?”
My father’s pitying eyes look over my face. “Cormac. Please. Return home. It’s not too late to make things right.”
“It is too late. I’m in too deep. I am doing this and none of you are going to stop me. I know you’re all going to try and follow me. I can’t let that happen.” I take out a smaller gun hidden in my boot and shoot the tires on Marco’s car. Then I shoot the tires on my father’s car after.
Both men stare at me – my father with pity and Marco with pure anger. When I turn to my sister, she looks like she’s going to cry. I steel myself. I will not be upset by this.
I am doing the right thing. I believe it. I feel it in my gut.
I get into my own car and drive away before they can stop me. Let them hunt for me. But Marco knows my conditions. I will torture Arianna until he lets my sister go. Tit-for-tat. He doesn’t get to hurt my sister every day without consequences.
I am doing the right thing. I know it. I know it. I know it.
I repeat it to myself as a mantra the entire drive back to the cabin where I’m keeping Arianna. Maybe if I keep repeating it to myself enough times, I’ll truly believe it.