Page 58 of Destructive Truths

The mind is a fighter’s fortress, Saoirse. Get inside it, and it’s game over.

Tilting my head as much as possible, I whisper the words we’ve expressed but never shared, not blatantly. “I love you.”

His grip loosens as his chest rises with an intake of breath. Using his shock to my advantage, I tug down on his arm and fold my body forward. It happens so fast, but in a split-second, he’s sailing over my head and landing flat against the canvas.

The crowd counts down. “Three, two, one!” And then the final buzzer sounds.

The stands erupt, and over all the voices, I hear Beibhinn the loudest. “Fuck yeah! I taught her that.”

As Oliver bounces into the ring with his microphone, I reach towards Rohan, hold out a hand, and offer him a way up, but the slimy fucker tugs me forward, and I slump head-first onto his chest. His arms wrap around my waist, and he holds me tighter. His searing green eyes sparkle beneath the flood-lights. “Congratulations, love. How does it feel to be Killybegs newest initiate?”

“Pretty damn good.”

With a slow and teasing smile, he brings his lips to mine, taunting me with a fleeting kiss before pulling back slightly. “Did you mean it?”

My eyebrows crinkle as I flash him a wicked smile. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”

Bringing his forehead to mine, he peers up at me with dangerous devotion. “For what it’s worth, mo bhanríon. Tá mé i ngrá leat freisin.” I’m in love with you, too.

THIRTY-FOUR

LIAM

There is no feeling worse than recognising that sometimes love is not enough. This week, an ugly truth hit me—you can’t make someone love you by loving them harder.

Deep down, I don’t doubt that Saoirse Ryan loves me, but after seeing her in that octagon on Monday night, fighting Rohan, the realisation struck me like fucking lightning; she doesn’t merely love him, she’s consumed by him—as he is her.

When they were in that ring, nothing outside it existed. It was them against the world. At that moment, I knew when the time came, I would never be the one she’d choose.

Sure, she loves me, but she’s not in love with me, not the way she is with him.

Saoirse Ryan deserves the world, but I’m not the one that holds it in my hands.

So, tonight, I’ll allow myself one last dance, one last moment, but then I’m walking away for good. But first, I must face the other demon clawing at my back.

After buttoning up my tuxedo jacket, I stalk down the hallway toward my father’s bedroom door. With a deep inhale, I fill my lungs and push my way inside.

“Devin?” he questions as he catches my gaze reflecting through the floor-to-ceiling mirror as he buttons up his dress shirt for tonight’s syndicate event. “Is everything okay, son?” Biting down on my bottom lip, I stride forward, closing the distance between us. As he fixes the sleeves on his shirt, he turns to face me. “What’s this about? I thought you were off to collect Saoirse for her introduction party.”

“Yeah, I’m leaving in a few, but I wanted to talk to you first.”

“Well, spit it out, then. I don’t have all night.”

Rage coats my tongue, but I hold it back, unwilling to give him the satisfaction. Instead, I steel my shoulders and straighten my spine. “I’m done, Dad.”

His face contorts, his features twisting with anger and confusion. “What the fuck do you mean, you’re done?”

“I’m over being your puppet. Whatever fucked-up plan you have to take Killybegs as your own, leave me out of it.”

He steps forward, squaring up to me with proverbial steam exploding from his ears. “You’re a fucking joke. You went and did the one thing I told you not to do, didn’t you? Got your dick wet, and let your heart get involved.”

“This has nothing to do with Saoirse. This is me standing up for myself and what I fuckin’ want. All my life, you’ve tried to shape me into this mini version of you, but that’s not who I want to be.”

In the back of my head, I hear the words Rohan spoke last week at his pool house. There comes a point when you have to decide if the person you’re trying to impress is who you want to become. For me, I was pretty fucking young when I realised I never wanted to be a reflection of the devil. From that point on, I knew I’d do whatever it took—and endure whatever hell I had to—in order to claw my way out from beneath his shadow.

“You, this fuckin’ life”—my hand motions around the room—“everything the syndicate stands for, I’m done with it all.”

His cheeks flame with fury. “The syndicate is not an option, Liam. It’s ingrained in you. There is no escaping it. You were born into this life, and that is a burden you will carry with you until the day you die. You don’t get a say.”

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