Page 50 of Dublin Devil

There’s a part of me that is desperate to believe she wouldn’t. That if she understood what it meant to be handed over to the Bratva as their party favor, she would’ve fought my father’s plan tooth and nail.

And she would’ve won, too.

Da rarely goes against my mother’s wishes.

Happy wife, happy life, right?

“Hey, are you all right?” Laine steps into the room with a box of tissues in her hand.

“Sorry. I can’t believe everything has gone so wrong. Sean has been kind to me, and I returned that kindness by getting him stabbed and my brother killed.”

Laine comes deeper into the room and sits on the edge of the bed beside me. “The boys don’t share everything with me, but I’ve got a pretty good idea of what the past three days have looked like for you. One thing I know for sure is that nothing that happened is your fault.”

“How can you say that? If Sean wasn’t hiding me, Ryan and Billy wouldn’t have come at him and been out for blood. Sean was attacked because of me.”

Laine twists and slides her leg onto the bed to sit sideways, facing me. “This is 100% your father’s fault, Piper. He made a horrifying deal with the Russians. He sent you into a dangerous situation unprepared. He made it impossible for you to feel safe in your own family territory.”

“But maybe if I?—”

“No, sweetie. Don’t do that.” Laine holds out the box of tissues and leans closer to meet my watery gaze. “Don’t make the decisions of angry men your fault.”

“But if I?—”

She shakes her head. “Do you know I worked as a criminal defense attorney in the US until I came here a few weeks ago?”

I pull several tissues free of the box and blow my nose. “No. Sean’s been very private about all of you.”

“Well, I did. Since I graduated from law school, I have spent years defending criminals. I know what I’m talking about when I say they make their own decisions and are responsible for their own actions. Yes, you fled your father’s territory, but he could’ve done a dozen other things than have your brother hunt youdown and attack Sean. That was a brute response to a situation, and it reflects what kind of person he is—not you.”

I dry my tears and wad up the tissues in my hand. “But I can’t stay here and hide. Tag’s not wrong to want me out of your family home. Me being here puts all of you in danger.”

She pats my thigh. “All the Quinn boys have an alpha protector streak in them. Tag is worried and protecting his family, but that doesn’t make Sean wrong because he’s worried and wants to protect you.”

“But he shouldn’t have to protect me. I want to protect myself. I’ve told my father for years that I’m a McGuire and I can take care of myself. Then, the first time he gives me a job to do, I ruin all his plans.”

Laine scowls. “You can’t seriously be beating yourself up over the Bratva thing. Piper, that was disgusting.”

“I know. Trust me, I know, but like you said, people are responsible for their actions. When cornered by those Russians, I chose to fight them, and then I ran to Quinn territory to hide for days. Maybe there were other ways to handle it. Maybe I should’ve stood up to them or confronted my father.”

Laine sighs. “Given the situation, I don’t think you had any choice. I’ve seen the video Sean has of what was done to you. It shows how strong and smart you are that you got away from them. There’s nothing wrong with surviving to fight another day.”

I look around the room, wondering what it would’ve been like to grow up in a family home like this. To have brothers who loved me and would kill to protect me instead of leaving me to a bunch of animals.

“I need to go home. I need to be there for Ryan’s funeral and to look my father in the eyes and tell him that what he did was unforgiveable.”

Laine dips her chin in a slow nod. “I understand where you’re coming from—and I applaud your conviction—but why don’t you give it a day or two? You’re still recovering from your injuries and Sean just got home. If you leave, there’s no way he’ll lie in that bed and heal. It seems to me that you both need a day or two to heal wounds and regain your footing.”

What she’s saying makes sense—and not just because I’m terrified to face my family. Each day that passes, I feel stronger and more prepared to take on the next battle.

I envision myself going home to face my father. As long as he doesn’t turn me over to Billy Gravely, I think I’d be all right. He won’t add to my mother’s grief. I could explain what happened, comfort my mother, and then, when he tells me I’m a disappointment and not fit to call myself a McGuire, I’ll pack my things and leave.

It’s not a great plan, but it’s something.

I meet Laine’s deep chestnut gaze and nod. “All right. I’ll stay another day or two. Mam will have O’Reagan’s handle the funeral, so once I find out about Ryan’s service, I’ll know when I need to go. Still, I got the feeling Tag wants me out of this house ASAP.”

Laine pats my leg and gives me a warm smile. “You let me worry about Tag. A couple of days will give Sean time to recover and you a chance to get back on your feet. I think that’s a wise decision.”

I sigh. “That makes one of us.”

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