Page 24 of Whiskey & Witches

How had he read her conflict? Was it so easily seen in her expression? She’d need to work on her poker face if she intended to outsmart these three.

“Ronan!”Seamus gasped and gagged a plea.“Help… me!”

Ronan.

The name didn’t mean anything to her other than to identify the man with the masterful presence. And from Moira and Seamus’s earlier conversation, Roisin immediately understood who was in charge. Perhaps she was exacting her revenge upon the wrong person.

“I’ll release him when you remove the wards preventing my teleport home,” she replied with a calm she didn’t feel.

A small smile played on Ronan’s mouth, and respect shone in his admiring gaze. It belatedly occurred to her that he never once avoided looking at her face or reacted negatively to the destroyed half. No, he held nothing but appreciation for her. That, more than anything, jolted her into releasing Seamus.

She ignored the little toadstool as she returned Ronan’s frank stare. “I’m leaving, and you’ll not stop me.”

“I’ve no desire to prevent you from going, Roisin. But I beg a half hour of your time. We’ve things to discuss.”

CHAPTER9

Ronan watched the play of emotions cross Roisin Byrne-O’Malley’s interesting face. One half was sheer perfection, the other half grotesquely scarred, thanks to the machinations of Seamus and Moira. Those two never knew when to leave well-enough alone. He thought imprisoning them for a month would’ve taught them to think first and act second, but Roisin’s presence was proof-positive the lesson hadn’t sunk into Seamus’s pea brain.

The last ten months hadn’t been kind to Roisin or her family, and she appeared thinner than a woman of her height should. Still, she was beautiful. Perhaps it was her air of determination or her fury. Feisty women had always held great appeal for Ronan.

“What the bleeding hell do you have to say that I’d care to hear?” she demanded with hands on her hips. “And tell me why I shouldn’t bring this pile of rocks down on your worthless arses right now?”

“You and I want the same thing,” he replied as he walked to the high table at the far side of the hall. He’d left her a wide berth and a straight line to the exit. The great room was too long, and she’d never beat him to the door, but he wanted her to let down her guard for them to talk. “Seamus, Moira, leave us.”

Seamus didn’t need to be told twice, and he scrambled away.

Moira, on the other hand, hated to be excluded and gasped her outrage.“What?”

“I’m sure I didn’t stutter, Cousin. There’s no mistakin’ what I’ve said, now is there?”

Red-faced and full of wrath, she stormed toward him.

He faced the threat and lifted a hand to conjure a flaming ball. “Sure, and you have to try me, don’t ya?”

Her face paled, but her eyes still burned with hate. Something would need to be done about Moira, and soon. With a sneer and false bravado, she flounced from the room.

Ronan snuffed out the flame and faced Roisin.

“Drink?”

“No.” She crossed her arms and looked at him like he was dog shite needing to be scraped from the bottom of her shoe.

“Mind if I have one?”

“If you’re after having one, have one. But then say what you have to say. I’ve a need to get home to my… to get home.”

“To your family. You and I can be honest with each other, Roisin O’Malley.”

Her cold stare said the Devil would be making ice cream in hell before Ronan would get anything from her lips.

“Will you tell me about tonight’s events?” His casualness grated on her last nerve. “How did you come to be in Seamus’s care?”

“Hiscare? Sure, and that’s rich.” She snorted and glared. “Are you tryin’ to tell me you didn’t orchestrate his attack, Ronan—whatever the feck your last name is?”

He hid his twitching lips behind a sip of his whiskey. If she wasn't fit to be tied before, she certainly would be after she heard his surname. As soon as the alcohol settled in his stomach and he had the desire to laugh under control, he casually said, “O’Connor.”

She muttered a few choice words as she sunk into the seat closest to her with a wince. “Then you’re wrong. We don’t want the same thing at all.”

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