Page 23 of A Dark Mafia Christmas

I hear the door close behind me. No footsteps. She finally got the hint that I don’t want to talk about this.

I head to the stables. I haven’t ridden since I was here last year. I just need to get away from the house for a while, alone, rearrange the thoughts inside my head, and make room for the Christmas spirit that’s going to take over the family today.

My horse, Jupiter, nudges my hand with her nose, still happy to see me after all this time. There is no love quite like that of an animal. Unconditional, pure, heartwarming.

“Hey, girl.” I nuzzle her face, a goofy smile appearing from nowhere. “I’ve missed you.”

I feel the sharp stab of guilt in my chest. I would miss Jupiter if I thought about her, but burying myself in work when I’m in New York is a coping mechanism. If I don’t think about her, about my mom and dad, about home, everything else is manageable.

I saddle her up and fasten my helmet as Mary walks into the stables with Fianna. She’s wearing one of Mom’s coats and Hunter wellies, and for a moment, she looks like this is exactly where she belongs. How has she managed to infiltrate my family home, charm everyone I know, and claim this setting for herself?

I let Jupiter out of her stall, anger blooming inside my chest. I only have myself to blame, but it won’t stop me from wallowing in a little self-pity right about now.

“I’ll leave you guys to it.” Fianna heads outside, leaving Mary behind.

“Emmett. I’m sorry. I didn’t know about your cousin.”

What does she want me to say? It’s okay; I forgive you for snooping into my life.

“Is that it?” It sounds way harsher than I intended, and I see the way she winces, but I don’t soften the words.

“I-I’m here if you want to talk about it.”

“Aye, well I don’t.” I keep walking, Jupiter bobbing her head happily at the prospect of a ride across the land.

It feels good to be back in the saddle. It’s the only time I ever truly empty my mind, wipe everything clean, ready to start afresh.

Only I haven’t gone far when I hear a cry from somewhere behind me. Tugging on the reins, I bring Jupiter to a halt and turn her around to find Mary on the ground, Fianna’s horse, Misty, whinnying as she trots around her.

“What the fuck?”

I could keep riding, but I’m not that much of an asshole.

Dismounting when I reach her, I help Mary onto her feet and check that she isn’t hurt. “What happened?”

“I don’t know.” She chews her bottom lip and shies away from the horse as she comes back for her rider.

I stroke Misty’s mane and hold onto the reins to keep her still. “She’s calm now. Did you even know where you were going?”

Her mouth twists into a half-smile. “I was going to follow you.”

“Mary, I?—”

“I’ve never ridden a horse before.”

“You what?” It takes my brain a beat to process this information. “You’ve never ridden a horse before. You could’ve broken your neck. You could’ve caused some serious harm to the horse. Do you have any idea how fucking irresponsible this was?”

Her eyes grow large with tears, and my anger ebbs away leaving me with the overwhelming desire to wrap my arms around her and tell her that everything is alright. No harm done. But of course, I don’t.

“I didn’t ask to see the portrait, Emmett. Fianna showed me, and then, when you showed up, I saw how much it meant to you…”

She’s rambling, but I stopped listening after she said my name. The way it sounded on her tongue, like it was meant to be there, made me feel like even more of an asshole for yelling at her.

“You mounted a horse even though you had no idea how to ride her?”

The smile is almost back as she chokes out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob. “I know it was stupid. I wasn’t thinking. I mean, I always thought it looked easy.”

I peer out across the land towards the stream. This isn’t quite what I’d planned, but I’m no longer angry with her. What she did was crazy, but I sense that her intentions were good—if she wanted to destroy me for drugging her, forcing her to wearsomeone else’s engagement ring, and abducting her all the way to Ireland, she would be back inside the house doing it right now.

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