Page 89 of Black Heart

“It was a right that we all wanted, but Shayne won the honor,” Quinn added solemnly.

“We would have all been there to protect ye, lad, if given the choice,” Aidan explained.

“There was no doubt that Shayne would keep ye safe, lad,” Connall said without looking at them.

When Shayne suddenly looked away, Tristan knew that Shayne hadn’t been able to keep his promise.

“Tell me,” Tristan said, keeping his eyes locked on Shayne.

Sighing heavily, Shayne shifted his gaze back to Tristan so that he could glare at him.

“Ye got us sentenced to death on the first day, ye stubborn bastard!”

CHAPTER34

Marty waited for shock, disbelief, something to hit her with that announcement, but sadly, she wasn’t really surprised.

Tristan was pretty damn stubborn and seemed to enjoy pushing people’s buttons. So, it really wasn’t all that surprising, at least not to her, that he would do something to piss someone off, even in another life, enough for them to want to kill him. Even her father, who loved Tristan like a son, had come close a few times to wringing Tristan’s neck. Not even a month ago, Tom and Denny were forced to tackle her father to ground to stop him from killing Tristan after he found out that they’d eloped.

Granted, Tristan had led everyone to believe that it had been all his idea. It hadn’t been, not completely. After she’d agreed to marry him, she’d decided that an engagement wasn’t going to work, not once Beth got involved. As much as they loved Beth, and they both adored her, they both knew that they would never survive a long engagement filled with parties, seating arrangements, and invitation samples.

So, they snuck off first thing in the morning for coffee and a quick visit to the courthouse. Forty-five minutes later, her father was being dragged away from Tristan as he swore up and down that he was going to kill the bastard for touching his daughter. By lunchtime, her father was over it and eating pizza with Tristan in their office and making plans to go fishing next month.

“It was only by the grace of God, and this one,” Shayne said, gesturing to her and confusing her even more, “that we didn’t lose our goddamn heads that day!”

“Me? What did I do?” Marty asked, still having a hard time believing that they were actually talking about her and Tristan like this.

“Ye stopped yer father’s man from taking his head when the dumb bastard didn’t have the good sense to shut the fuck up,” Shayne bit out as he glared at Tristan.

“My father…” Marty repeated slowly.

“Not Hank, lass,” Shayne said with a wince. “I’m sorry. This must be really confusing for ye. Maybe we should take a break.”

“No, I’m fine,” she said, afraid that if they stopped now that she would never find out what was going on. “Please continue.”

“Are you sure?” Tristan asked, giving her arm a comforting squeeze as he pulled her closer.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Marty lied, knowing that by the end of the night that she might very well be anything but fine once she found out what they had planned for them.

“Yer father was the king of our area,” Liam said, taking over the conversation and making it difficult for her to focus.

King?

Seriously?

“He doted on ye when ye were young, which was probably why he indulged ye when ye asked to have Tadgh’s life spared,” Liam explained as he leaned back in his chair and to the side, striking what a lot of women would probably consider a very sexy pose with his perfect muscles bulging in just the right way, but it didn’t do a damn thing for her except remind her of Tristan.

“The two of ye were about the same age when Tadgh went to yer father’s camp. Ye were already promised to another, which was probably why yer father turned a blind eye to the two of ye sneaking off to play together. He didn’t think that he had to worry about Tadgh doing anything foolish.”

“It also probably didn’t hurt that he knew that Shayne here,” Quinn said, gesturing with a nod towards Shayne, “never allowed our little brother out of his sight.”

“Ye had no playmates of yer own, so yer father didn’t see the harm in allowing ye to play with what would one day be one of yer personal guards,” Aidan explained.

“He probably thought that it would create loyalty for ye from Tadgh,” Connall pointed out before adding, “I doubt the man ever thought that he’d ever have to worry about the two of ye falling in love.”

“I don’t think any of us expected that,” Finn said softly.

She glanced at Tristan to find him watching the men in the room and had to wonder if it had been love at first sight then, too. It probably had been, Marty realized as she looked away. She’d probably taken one look at him and fallen head over heels in love with him even as he’d pissed her off, Marty thought with a sad smile. She didn’t have to ask to know that this love story didn’t have a happy ending.

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