Page 81 of Vengeful Devotion
Cormac looks towards the door. “You’re ruining my fun, Francine. How is your head, by the way?”
I can’t stop myself from pulling the trigger, hitting him in the kneecap. He cries in pain.
“That’s the second time I’ve shot you. The first being that wound on your hand, isn’t it?”
Cormac laughs. “I’ll admit. I was hoping to kill you in that ambush.”
“Why were you there?” Balor growls.
“It was so fucking easy to manipulate your men. To manipulate you, Declan. You were so convinced that it was Warren, you never bothered to investigate. You are a poor leader, Declan. The city would be better off if you weren’t king.”
Shame crawls up my throat. He’s not wrong. I failed. And now my brother is dead because of it. Because of me.
“Tell me why, or the next bullet goes into your brain.”
“Ask your mother.”
I look towards the door. My mother’s eyes are trained on Cormac. I’ve never seen such a look of hate on her face.
“What is he talking about?”
Her gaze moves to me. “Remember how your father and I met?”
I nod. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“She was supposed to marry my father. My family was supposed to hold all the power. It was never meant to be yours,” Cormac says. “Your father stole it from us, and I want it back.”
The words have barely left his mouth before I hear a gunshot, and he slumps over. My mother stands behind him with a gun in her hand. I was so focused on Cormac and trying to untangle his logic that I didn’t see her take Balor’s gun. Seeing her kill someone stuns me into silence. She screams as she squeezes the trigger over and over until she’s emptied the clip into Cormac’s head.
“Mother,” I say quietly, coming to her side and taking the gun. “He’s dead.”
“Just like your father and your brother,” she spits back. The anger of my actions still alive and well within her.
Swallowing down the guilt, I speak again. “He was a Cunningham?”
She nods. “I don’t know how I didn’t see it before. He had his father’s eyes. But Finley had no children when Patrick killed him.”
“Cormac is probably a bastard.”
“Who came back for revenge against our family, and you let him have it. You let him tear this family apart! I will never forgive you for this.”
She hits me again to punctate her words, and I let her. I let her, because she’s right. I fucked up. How I fucked up this badly is beyond me. How could I have been so blind that I let this happen? Dean and Balor pull my mother’s crying frame off me. They lead her out of the room, walking right past Gemma, who stands in the doorway. By the look on her face, I can tell she heard every single word. She looks at the three of them as they walk away. I almost wish she would follow them. I don’t deserve her comfort. Not right now.
She steps into the room and closes the door. The room creates a distance between us. Is she going to hate me the way my mother does? Will she stay with me knowing what I’ve done?
“Are you okay?” She asks, her eyes staring at Cormac’s lifeless body.
When I don’t answer, Gemma closes the distance between us. She takes my hand and steers me towards my chair. I sit down and pull her into my lap. Wrapping my arms around her body, I bury my face in her hair and inhale her scent.
“Talk to me,” she whispers.
I can feel the tears burning my eyes. This mistake is one I’m afraid I can’t come back from. How can I, when I killed my flesh and blood over a lie? Wherever my father is, I know he’s disappointed.
“I’m not worthy of any of this.”
My voice is rough, a side effect of holding in all the emotions I feel. Gemma lifts my head to look at her.
“That’s not true, Declan. Cormac was wrong and frankly, a little stupid to believe that your own family would let him takeover. You’ve made mistakes, but that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve this throne. You made a choice based on what you knew. None of us knew Cormac was twisting things behind the scenes. We couldn’t have known that.Youcouldn’t have known that. But I know that you’ll do whatever you have to protect this family. To protect your people. You’re a good man, kingpin.”
