Page 103 of Vengeful Vows

“I won’t sleep unless you’re here,” she whines.

I chuckle. “All right, then.”

I shed my shirt so the buttons won’t be uncomfortable, and slide into bed next to her.

She cuddles up to me like she does every night, her head against my chest.

It’s like she’s meant to fit there, like we’re two puzzle pieces.

Bree drifts off while I stroke her hair.

What the hell am I going to do?

I’m in love with my enemy’s daughter, and there’s nothing at all I can do about that.

What will I do if she has betrayed me?

25

BREE

When I wake up, Declan is gone, but he’s left me a note.

Tonight, we’re having a private dinner together. Wear something sexy.

I smile a little, looking down at the paper in my hand.

It seems such a sweet idea, but then, in the back of my mind, I’m questioning it.

What if he knows? What if today is my last day on earth because he’s figured it out, and he’s going to take me out?

I need a distraction, so I throw on my bikini and head out to the pool. It’s quiet out there, no one at the patio or in the water, so I’ll have some time alone.

I jump into the end of the pool, doing a few laps back and forth until my muscles are tired and trembling.

There’s no way I can think when I exhaust myself, so I do it again, only stopping when my thighs are cramping. I don’t want to drown. Or do I?

I get out of the pool and head to one of the patio chairs, sitting down and finishing reading my book.

It’s an interesting plot, and it’s even more interesting when I relate it to my own life. Capote starts to believe and trust the man who killed all those people, and he doesn’t know how to feel about it.

It reminds me of myself and Declan. At first, I’d thought he was going to kill me. I thought he was really the Irish scourge, really a brutal, hateful man who wanted me and my family dead.

And I guess he does want my father dead, but I cannot blame him. If he had done that to my mother, I don’t know what I would do.

It reminds me, though, that I don’t really know what happened to my mother. She was just gone. Can I trust my father to have told me the truth?

I used to believe him. Now? I just don’t know.

There’s so much that I don’t know, but I do know that if I die tonight, I want to go out in style.

I make my way back to my bedroom and take a quick shower before rifling through my closet.

There’s a knock on my open door, and I turn with a huff.

It’s Paige. “Just wondered if you wanted anything for lunch,” she says. “Da said we could order takeout.”

“Sure,” I mutter, still flipping through my clothes.

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