Page 38 of While You Sleep

He chuckled. “Woman, the only thing that gets me worked up is that round ass and those massive tits of yours bouncing around in front of me all damn day.”

She shook her head at him but didn’t seem fazed or grossed out. I had to fight not to cringe. She walked out, closing the door behind her.

“Take a seat, girl, I don’t bite. Or at least, I can’t, not anymore.” Those dead eyes moved over me from head to toe. “Though, I wouldn’t mind taking a bite out of you, sweetheart.”

I fought my shudder and took a seat like he asked, not sure why I’d stayed, it wasn’t like he could force me to. I’d been told to respect my elders my whole life, my father had demanded it, but this creep had done nothing to earn it. I had no doubt Seamus was the biggest monster of them all.

“So he married you, then? I wondered,” he said. “Did he tell you he killed my son?”

I nodded.

“I guess I only have myself to blame. His mother always said he wasn’t right in the head. I brought him and his younger brother here when they were young, thought some time with me would straighten Cillian out. He was like a stray dog, angry, untrusting. Trust is dangerous in our world, so I beat him to make sure he never forgot it, then I beat him until he could take it and not even flinch. I made him the stone-cold killer he is. Only problem with that is, he doesn’t understand loyalty. I created a monster, then he turned on me.”

Horror filled me. I didn’t think I could ever feel sorry for Cillian, but at that moment I did. My heart broke for the boy he’d been, unwanted, angry, untrusting. How could a father beat their own child? No, I hadn’t spent much time around him or his men, but Seamus was wrong, Cillian was sure of their loyalty, and there was no missing that he trusted Declan and Conor.

“Why are you here, then?” If Cillian had turned on him, why was he still alive?

His gaze darkened. “He wants to watch me suffer. I’d rather he put a bullet in me and be done with it.” His hand shot out, grabbing my wrist, and despite his frailty, his hold was bruising. “You could help me.”

I shook my head, trying to pull from his hold. I didn’t want any part of this, whatever it was.

“You get me out of here, and I’ll do the same for you.” I winced when he squeezed my wrist tighter. “He’ll kill you, girl. One day you’ll let down your guard, you’ll think everything’s fine, then he’ll blow your brains out where you sleep. You’re not safe here.”

I tried to yank my hand free again, but he wouldn’t let me go. “He said he’d never hurt me—”

“And you believe him? Cillian’s broken, he’s cold to his core, an emotionless monster. He doesn’t have a personality of his own, so he pretends to be other people. He used to watch movies for hours, read a bunch of books on psychology and shit, learning how to act like a fucking human being. He pretends to be what people want to get what he wants.” He yanked me closer, fear in his eyes. “He’s a fucking psychopath.”

The door flung open and Cillian stood there, eyes blazing, not cold, not emotionless. They locked on Seamus. “Let go of my wife or I’ll remove your fingers one at a time and make you eat them.”

The fear on Seamus’s face slipped away like it’d never been there. He didn’t blink, didn’t flinch as he slowly released me, and in that moment, I wasn’t sure which of them truly was the psychopath.

Sally rushed into the room. “Is everything all right?”

“My father’s worked himself into a state, best you give him something to help him sleep.” Cillian stared him down, and the look in his eyes lifted goose bumps all over me.

Seamus went red, his gaze slicing between Cillian and Sally. “Don’t you fucking dare sedate me, and I’m not your father. I’m not your fucking father,” he yelled, actually working himself up now, doing exactly what Cillian wanted. “I never wanted you. I told your mother to get rid of you and your brother, but she thought having babies would keep me tied to her.”

“Calm down,” Sally said, taking a small vial and filling a syringe.

Seamus started flailing, not letting her near him. Cillian strode over and held him down, a look on his face I couldn’t read. Was he enjoying this? Holding all the power now over the evil bastard who raised him, abused him? I couldn’t tell.

Sally emptied the syringe into the IV in Seamus’s hand and a moment later, his struggles eased and he slumped back. Cillian thanked her, then grabbed my hand and dragged me from the room.

“What were you doing down here?” he said as he pulled me along the hall and back into the kitchen of the main house.

“I was bored and lonely… I was just exploring the house. I didn’t know you had Seamus here.” He towed me into the living room. “I kind of thought…I thought…”

“That I’d killed him?”

“Yes.” There was no point pretending otherwise.

“As you just saw, he’s very much alive. I don’t want you going back to that part of the house, understand?”

I nodded and he started walking again, taking me with him, leading me up the stairs and into the bedroom. There were bags and boxes, my stuff piled just inside the door.

“You can set up the room down the hall as your office. Con’s put your desk and chair in there already. If there’s anything else you need, let me know and I’ll make sure he gets it.”

I stared at the pile. It wasn’t just a few things. “That’s everything? All my stuff.”

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