Page 101 of Reckless Promises

My chest tightens with the thought of seeing Odette laying her hand over her round belly. At the thought of her carrying my baby and loving my children. Parenting isn’t something I’ve ever considered, but I would for her.

“Whatever you say.” Mom pats my leg.

I shake myself out of my thoughts. “Just cut the pressure, okay? With me and with Fallon.”

Mom nods, sitting quietly for a moment. People hurry by in a collage of emotion. Some happy, some devastated. And I don’t know what I am.

Lost?

“You know about it, don’t you?” Mom says finally, breaking the silence even if she doesn’t look at me. “The deal your father made with Joseph Moreno.”

I nod.

“It’s why you came back?”

“I wasn’t going to let him call it due and payable.”

She smooths her fingers over her dress. “I assumed as much the night of the gala since you also knew about the money sitting in the Pembrooke account.”

“What Iknowis that my father broke his promise. Before I left, he told me Fallon was safe as long as Shane or I were willing to take his place. But I underestimated his greed apparently.”

My father did more bad than good in his life, and he made no apologies for it. But he swore protection for my sister. And with all the favors I did for him over the years, even after I left, he owed me that.

“That’s not how it happened.”

“You’re defending him?” I can’t help but chuckle. “Even in death some things never change.”

Dad treated my mom like an object at his disposal, but she always stuck up for him anyway.

“I’m serious, Cillian.” She turns to face me, resting her hands over one of mine. “Yes, your father made a deal with Joseph Moreno before he died, but your sister wasn’t supposed to be caught up in it.”

“It was a marriage contract.”

“Not at first.” Mom shakes her head. “It started with a deal over an incoming import. It was double your father’s usual shipments and they were going to split the costs and the profits. It was risky, and there were some red flags, but your father trusted Joseph, so he went forward with it anyway.”

She pauses, taking in a long inhale as her eyes drift past me.

“Joseph wasn’t there to catalog the shipment, and product went missing.”

“How much?”

“Too much.” Mom swallows. “He said your father was trying to stab him in the back and threatened me and your sister if he didn’t pay him back.”

“He has the money.” More than enough.

“Joseph wanted it immediately, and you know your father didn’t keep many of his assets liquid.”

It’s one thing he was smart about. He hid it or invested it. He stored it in properties and businesses. He never had enough on hand to draw attention from the IRS.

“So Joseph gave him a second option.” Mom shakes her head. “They wanted Fallon. And that’s when the deal started to change.”

Dad should have seen that coming. The Morenos probably didn’t even care about what they lost in the shipment. It was a means to an end. They bargained against my father’s losses and used it as a way to attach themselves to my father’s estate.

“They froze two million dollars in the Pembrooke account and forced him to sign Fallon’s marriage agreement or they’d kill us both. They said if he paid back double, they’d undo it. That’s why he rushed into the deal with Gabriel. It was enough money to fix everything. He told Joseph it would be taken care of.”

“Except Joseph didn’t want the money.”

“What did he want?” Mom asks, her eyes locking on me.

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