Page 79 of Vengeful Devotion
“How could you kill my son, Declan?”
Fuck.I was hoping to actually get the opportunity to speak with her. Maybe I was hoping I’d never have to, but that’s all over now.
“How did you find out?”
“That’s your first question?” Simone screeches. “You killed our brother, Declan. Don’t you care?”
“He killed our father, Simone. So no, I guess I don’t give a fuck. I did what I had to do.”
My mother rears back as if I had slapped her, and not the other way around. “No. There’s no way Warren killed Patrick. How could you even believe he would do that?”
“Because he’s on video running from our house, the night dad died. He was so fucking high; he didn’t know what he was doing.”
My mother’s palm connects with my face again. The sound is louder than the first.
“What’s going on?” Gemma asks from behind me.
I look over at her. The sheet she had on has been changed into a pencil skirt and blouse like she’s planning to work today. Her face is distorted with worry. This is scaring her. They’re scaring her, and I won’t have that.
Looking back at my family, I speak. “I will show you the video. It’s in my office. Just give me a minute.”
My mother, Juliette, and Simone give me a deadly stare before walking away, leaving behind Vivienne.
“Cormac O’Brien is in your office,” Vivi says. Her voice tight with accusation. “He’s the one who came to give his condolences.”
I furrow my eyebrows. Warren’s death wasn’t even reported. How the fuck did an O’Brien know anything?
“How did he find out?”
She shrugs. “Want me to ask him while you handle mother?”
“No. I’ll handle it. Keep mom away from my office until I figure this out, okay?”
Vivienne shoots me a look. “Fine.”
I shut the bedroom door and turn back to Gemma. The worry is written all over her face.
“Is everything okay?”
“No. But don’t worry, I’m going to fix it.”
I move to the closet and pull on a suit. Black, just in case more blood is spilled. If my mother could stomach murder, she’d probably kill me. But that was never a strength of hers. My bloodlust came from my father.
Gemma waits for me by the door. I grab her hand as we leave our room. I’m not nervous. I knew this day would come, no matter how hard I tried to pretend it wouldn’t. I honored my father with the death of my brother. I avenged him by killing the man who took his life. I won’t feel sorry for that. In time, my mother will just have to come to accept it. There’s not much else she can do now.
When we arrive at my office, I squeeze Gemma’s hand. “Go wait with my mother while I handle this, okay?”
“Are you sure?”
“Cormac is a threat. A small one, but I won’t risk having you in there if something goes wrong.”
“What could go wrong? It’s just a meeting.”
I kiss her cheek once more, and smile at her ignorance, almost grateful for it. She shouldn’t know how violent this world can really be. “I’ll be done soon.”
“Okay.”
I watch Gemma walk away before I open the door. Cormac, Balor, and Dean wait for me inside. The air is tense, suffocatingly so. Cormac stands the moment I walk in. He reaches a bandaged hand out in greeting. My brow furrows as I shake it without yielding my grasp to accommodate the injury.
