Page 21 of Destroy Me
“Yes.”
“And where does the bomb come in?”
Lyse swallowed hard. “Mansa was the kind of man who could find spies anywhere.”
“And you were his spy?”
Siobhan’s tone said she doubted that, but it wasn’t far off the truth, was it? “No, I am—” She swallowed hard, wishing her stomach wasn’t in knots so she could drink her coffee instead of staring at it. “No. Someone at Global First…they found out something about me, something they could use against me. Use to get me to do what they wanted.”
She could feel the intensity of Siobhan’s stare despite refusing to look at the woman. Long moments passed. “They threatened someone you love.”
“How did you know?” Lyse whispered, the words low and ragged.
“Because I know you,” Siobhan said. “What happened exactly?”
So Lyse told her—about the contact, the target, about the bomb and the birthday party, trying desperately to get everyone out of the way. “Buildings are replaceable,” she said. “People aren’t.”
“It was a sound plan,” Siobhan agreed. “Give the bastard what he was wanting without really giving him what he was wanting. So what went wrong?”
Lyse cleared her throat. “Fionn.” Even when she fell in love with him, he’d thrown a wrench in her plans. He’d never stopped. “He and Deacon showed up to visit Trapper. I tried to get them away, to keep them safe. I tried so hard.”
The cup shook in her hand as memories flashed in her mind—fear, panic, pain. Coffee sloshed over the side, singeing the burns her hand already bore from Sean’s soup. Siobhan’s cool hand settled over Lyse’s, stilling it. “Lyse.” A napkin appeared in her view as Siobhan dabbed gently at her skin. “Give me the cup, dear.”
Lyse didn’t want to. Without the cup she had nothing to hold on to, nothing to focus on, give her a center. She would go back to that stupid girl whose hands always fluttered as she tried desperately to figure out how to fit in, what to do next, how to hide the embarrassing emotions that only proved how unworthy and awkward she was. She didn’t want to be that girl anymore.
And yet she couldn’t resist Siobhan’s gentle insistence. She pried the cup away, but she didn’t leave Lyse’s hands empty; she replaced the coffee with her own grip, steadying Lyse despite her story. Despite knowing the truth of the awful things she had done.
“It was Fionn, wasn’t it?”
Lyse jerked her head up, her gaze slamming into Siobhan’s. “What?”
“The threat they used against you. It was Fionn.”
It was a statement, not a question, but that wasn’t possible. No one knew. Lyse had never spoken the words aloud, not even that night when Elliot Smith had questioned her. Not that Elliot hadn’t figured it out, but Lyse’s humiliation had run too deep to say what needed to be said.
A tear escaped. “How did you know?”
Siobhan shrugged. “The way you look at him. The way he looks at you. Were you lovers, then?”
Lyse laughed, the sound strangling in her tight throat. “God, no. Fionn would never—” She shook her head. “I’m not good at hiding my feelings, I guess. I’m pretty sure everyone knew but him.”
Siobhan narrowed her eyes. “He knew, all right. He knew you better than you think. Only one thing makes a man as angry as Fionn is at you, and it’s not lack of knowledge. Or indifference.”
“He believes I tried to kill him. He wasn’t wrong about that.”
“No, he doesn’t believe that,” Siobhan said, still looking thoughtful. “Like I said, Fionn is stubborn. He knows exactly what happened. But if he admits it, he also has to admit the real reason he came after you. The real reason he’s so angry.”
Lyse rubbed at the ache in her chest. “Why is that?”
Siobhan’s smile was all secrets and satisfaction. “Oh, I think I’ll be letting the two of you figure that out together. Don’t worry, dear. I don’t think it’ll take long, especially if you’re sleeping in the same bed.” She patted Lyse’s hand. “Not long at all.”
Chapter Ten
When Fionn entered the kitchen, Lyse shot out of her chair like it was on fire. “I think I’ll shower,” she said, focusing on her plate. “If I’m going to stay here—”
“You’ll be staying.”
The words left his mouth harder than he’d meant them to, harsher than he’d intended to handle her today, but the suggestion that she’d be anywhere but with him…
