Page 113 of Vengeful Secret

Lara laughs. “I mean, sometimes. Paige got the worst of it, really, but it was scary when she was taken. Scary when Da was hurt.But most of the time, we’re just a normal family, doing normal family stuff.”

“But this war,” I start, and Lara nods.

“I know what you mean. Murphyisscary, and he’s been even scarier since Declan and Bree got married. I think he knows his grandson is being born soon, and it’s making him crazy. Well, crazier.”

“But you’re not scared?”

She shrugs. “If I thought about it, I’d be scared all the time. I just try to keep positive. I love my family, and they’ll protect me with everything in them. It’s all anyone can hope for in this life.”

In this life.

I don’t have to be in this life. I could take Ciara, get the hell out of here.

I’ve done it before, when she was still inside me. I made that decision then, and though I regret having hurt both Gray and Ciara, I don’t know that I wouldn’t do it all over again if it meant my daughter would be safe.

Am I making the right decision now?

If not, how am I going to leave Gray again? It almost killed me the first time.

I just don’t know what to do.

30

GRAY

When I wake up,it’s a little later than usual since I was out late, and I immediately head to my father’s bedroom. I can’t keep this from him anymore. Murphy is escalating things, trying to get us to act, and I know it.

Da will know what to do. I knock on the door, and he grunts for me to come in.

He struggles into a sitting position, but I notice that his heart rate and blood pressure are good, pretty normal, and he doesn’t seem to struggle to sit as much as he did only a week ago.

“Gray,” he says quietly. “I was expecting you.”

“You were?”

“I’ve got ears all over this place, boyo,” Da drawls. “I know you had a parlay with Murphy.”

I sigh. “I didn’t want to worry you.”

“I’m not worried. I know you can take care of things, Gray. But I would like to be kept in the loop.”

“Of course. I just wanted you to get some rest last night.”

“Aye,” he says, but from the way he has bags under his eyes, I don’t think he slept well at all.

Guilt washes over me, but I push it away. That’s a useless emotion to have right now.

“He asked me to trade Lara for Bree. Said that he’d stop stealing our shipments as a bonus.”

Da curses in Gaelic.

“I know. And he tried to act magnanimous about it, like he was doing us a favor by not grabbing Paige because she’s pregnant.”

“He knows Paige is pregnant?”

I nod. “Darragh, the man I interrogated and took care of, told me that he had eyes on all the girls.”

“He seems to know everything,” Da muses. “Does that mean we have a leak?”

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