Page 78 of Forbidden Vows

Sure enough, we see two other men in black suits approaching from the other end of the street.

Quietly, Ian and I get out of the car and bolt across the road, sneaking past the parked SUVs and through one of theneighbor’s poorly secured front yards to make it to the service alley. About thirty yards ahead, I see the secondary gate, a Kuznetsov guard casually strolls away from it.

“He’s on his phone,” Ian whispers. “Go now. I’ll wait here.”

“Okay.” I give Ian a wink and run up the alley, light on my feet.

Carefully, I lift the metallic latch and slip through the gate. I hear footsteps approaching. The guard must be coming back. Dad gave me a skeleton key that opens every door when I turned eighteen, and judging by the worn look on the lock in front of me, Sergei hasn’t gotten around to changing any of them.

Good.

I turn the key and breathe a quick sigh of relief before disappearing inside.

I look around. I hear more footsteps, but they’re distant, guards likely patrolling the hallways and the living room at the front of the house. The windows on that side are huge, making that part of the perimeter more exposed.

It gives me the opportunity to sneak into one of the staff’s quarters at the back of the mansion. Paddy’s room, to be specific. A chest of drawers and an armchair sit against the western wall. I carefully pull the furniture aside by a few feet, mindful of my condition. Once I’m done, I find myself smiling as I stare at the small wooden door I just uncovered.

“Come to Mama,” I whisper as I press my code into the tiny keypad mounted where the lock and the doorknob should be. There’s a click, followed by the door opening.

I go in.

It’s damp and dark, but I use the flashlight on my phone to move around after I close the door behind me. I hope and pray that none of the guards will go into Paddy’s room anytime soon.

I pause in the narrow corridor. Ahead, two sets of staircases give me two different options. One leads to the east wing of the mansion, the other to the west. Ciara was last seen in Dad’s study.

West it is.

Quiet as a mouse in the walls, I follow the secret path until I reach the door I’m looking for. I stand outside of it and listen for a while. I can hear Ciara’s voice. It sounds like she’s on the phone with someone. My heart feels like it’s damn near about to leap out of my chest.

“How much longer do I have to stay here, Sergei? People are getting suspicious,” she says, then pauses. “That’s not going to work. The only reason why you have any of my family’s support is, because they don’t know what a two-faced bastard you really are. If they don’t see me at all, they’re going to worry. You don’t want the MacDonalds to worry, Sergei, trust me.”

She pauses again, then begins sobbing. I can only imagine what horrible things he must’ve responded with.

“Okay, okay. Just… please, let me out, even if it’s just for something simple. I’ll be good, I promise. You saw me at the funeral. I didn’t say a word. I played my part.”

After a few seconds, Ciara hangs up, slamming the phone against the desk. I recognize that sound. Dad used to pound that desk, too, whenever he was angry. It breaks me to hear Ciara like this, but hopefully, it means she’ll listen to me, if only for a hot second.

I gently knock on the secret door. Silence

I knock again and I can hear her gasp.

I knock a third time. Rushed footsteps coming toward the door.

“Eileen?” she calls out.

“Keep your voice down,” I hiss.

“Shit, sorry. Hold on.”

I patiently wait as she punches her code into a similar security pad on the other side of the door. When it opens, tendrils of dust flutter between us for a brief moment. My eyes squint against the warm light in Dad’s study.

Ciara looks at me with wide eyes, her skin pale. “What in God’s green earth are you doing here?”

“Obviously trying to save your ass,” I reply. “Come on, let’s go.”

“I can’t.”

I give her a confused look. “Why not?”

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