Page 71 of Sins and Salvation

"Why would he do that?"

"Dad was planning to step down, to divide the business between us. Cormac would get the legitimate operations, I'd get the street trade. Dad thought it would keep the peace." She leans forward. "Cormac wanted it all."

I watch Declan's face, trying to read his reaction. "You have proof of this?" he asks.

"I found the altered medication. Confronted Cormac. He admitted it." She smiles thinly. "That's when he decided I was too dangerous to keep around."

"So, you allied with Petrov to take him down."

"I allied with Andrei because he understood my ambition. Knew what it means to be denied your birthright." Her eyes harden. "Cormac took what should have been shared. He deserves to lose it all."

"And my son? What did he deserve?" I ask, unable to hold back.

Siobhan glances at me. "Collateral damage. The price of war."

I move before I can think, my palm striking her cheek hard enough to snap her head to the side. "You fucking bitch."

She touches her reddening cheek, laughing softly. "There it is. The fire that attracted my brother. I see it now."

"Enough." Declan stands. "If what you're saying about Cormac is true?—"

"It is."

"Then why keep you alive? Why not kill you too?"

Siobhan's smile fades. "Because I have insurance. Information that would destroy him if it got out. Names, dates, accounts—everything needed to bring down the Donovan empire." She taps her temple. "All up here. Kill me, and it all goes public."

"You expect me to believe you orchestrated all this just to get back at Cormac for not sharing his toys?"

"Not just that." Her voice drops. "There's more, about you. About why Cormac really sent you away seven years ago."

I move closer to Declan, sensing his tension. "What about me?"

"Dad didn't threaten to kill Maeve because she was trash," Siobhan says. "He threatened her because Cormac told him you were planning to leave the family business. That she had turned you soft."

Declan shakes his head. "That's not true. I never?—"

"No? You never talked about getting out? About starting fresh somewhere else?" Her eyes gleam. "Cormac couldn't lose you. You were his enforcer, his weapon. So, he told Dad about your plans, knowing how he'd react."

"You're lying."

"Am I? Think about it, Declan. Who suggested you leave Dublin 'for Maeve's safety'? Who arranged your exile? Who kept you in those fighting cages, ensuring you stayed violent enough to be useful when he needed you back?"

Declan's fists clench on the table. "Cormac was protecting me."

"Cormac was using you. Still is." She leans back. "Why do you think he’s keeping me alive? Not just because of my insurance. But because he knows you'd never forgive him if he killed me. Not after you specifically asked for mercy."

We all go quiet. I see the doubt cross Declan's face as Siobhan's poison works into him.

"Even if all this is true," he finally says, "why tell me now?"

"Because I want you to choose brother. Choose me, and we take Cormac down together. Choose him, and you're choosing the lies he's built around you." She smiles. "Or choose neither, take your little family, and run. But know that neither Cormac nor I will ever truly let you go."

I've heard enough. "We're done here."

Siobhan's eyes lock on mine. "The nurse speaks for you now, Declan? Whipped much?"

"She speaks with me," Declan says, standing. "And she's right. We're done."

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