Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
“Don’t defend him. Just tell me.”
Ronan sighs. “Shane, the man who was extorting you, is a heavy for the Callahan Crime Family. He works specifically for Frank Callahan, the current Don. Killian is Frank’s nephew… he was the prince of the Family, but he gave up the crown because he wanted to live a normal life. He hasn’t been involved in the mob for over ten years.”
My head spins as I try to process this information. “Killian is a mob prince? He works with the man who was extorting me? Does that mean he knew what Shane was doing?”
Ronan looks disgusted. “No. He had no idea. That’s probably part of the reason he reacted like he did. Killian doesn’t get involved in the day-to-day of the Family. It’s a little complicated—”
“Don’t patronize me, please,” I snap.
Ronan smiles tightly. “Fair enough. Frank, Killian’s uncle, is the Don of the Family. But his consigliere, his second-in-command, is a man named Owen who has been in the Family since the beginning… He was a high-ranking member when Killian’s grandfather ran the Family. Many men are loyal to Frank; many are loyal to Owen. The ones loyal to Frank are more violent, crueler, take cruder measures.”
“Who are you loyal to?”
“Killian,” Ronan says. “But I have to be political about it.”
“So Killian doesn’t work for the mob. He gave up his crown.” When Ronan nods, I go on, “But the way he tore into Shane, the sheer violence of it, that didn’t look like somebody who’d left the mob life behind them. That looked like somebody who’d done violent things before.”
“In his late teens and early twenties, Killian worked in the mob. I think he did it for his dad… before his dad died in a car crash. He worked as an enforcer to earn his stripes. He’s not unfamiliar with that side of things. But like I said, it’s been over ten years.”
“His late teens,” I murmur, thinking back to that day when I was lost, walking across the rolling green hills.
Then he appeared, a serene smile on his lips. “Hey, kid, relax. I won’t let anything happen to you…” That man who made me feel so safe… He was working for the mob, then.
“What you’re saying is I don’t know him, and I never have,” I murmur.
“No,” Ronan says fiercely. “The Killian you know is the real him. There’s just another side. That’s all.”
“What happens now?”
“I’ll need to stay here,” Ronan murmurs. “Just in case.”
“Of what?”
“Like I said, Shane is loyal to Frank. Once Frank learns about this, he might not be too happy.”
“That doesn’t sound very political.”
He grimaces. “Killian did more than risk his own life to help you. He risked having to do the one thing he’s always wanted to avoid… wear the crown. You must mean a lot to him.”
I resist the urge to cling to these words, to let them warm me up, because I can’t trust anything anymore. “We hardly even know each other. Um, am I allowed to call my friend?”
“You’re not my prisoner, Lucy. I’m here for your safety.”
I carry Clover into the bedroom and call Anna. “Hey, I’m about to go into a meeting. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’s fine,” I whisper. “But maybe you could swing by later. For some company?”
“Lucy, what happened?”
“It’s nothing,” I murmur, trying to keep my voice steady.
But she knows me better than that. “Lucy? Something happened. I can hear it in your voice.”
“I’ll tell you later. I just wanted to see if you were free.”
“I’ll be there right after work.”
Later, after a day of lying around and doing nothing except letting anxiety and shock gnaw through me, Anna stares at me as I tell her everything that happened. I start with the mob shakedown and end with the Killian stuff.
“He’s been stealing your money for months?” Anna practically screeches. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to worry you,” I reply. “You’ve got your own life, your own problems. You don’t need me lumping mine on top of that. But yeah, that’s been my day… I hope yours was better.”
“That’s why that guy is watching game shows in the living room?”
“Yup.”
“God.” She shakes her head in disbelief. “You poor thing. You don’t deserve this.”
“The crazy part is, I’m more shaken up by what I learned than what I saw. Killian isn’t Mr. Charming. He’s not the suave, handsome, sophisticated guy who rides horses on private beaches in Ireland. He’s a liar. He’s a mob guy. He’s been lying to me from the start.”
Anna frowns.
“What?” I say.
“Well… it’s not like he had any reason to tell you about that part of his life. And if he hasn’t been involved in ten years…”
“So you’re defending him,” I say.
“I just think, if you still like him and care about him, you shouldn’t feel guilty about it.”