Page 60 of Stolen Rival
A fresh deluge of guilt settles on my chest. As if I don’t carry enough already. “I was caught off guard.” Out of control, more like, but I don’t intendto share that nugget with her.
“And that gives you the right to make me feel small and worthless at a vulnerable time in my life?”
Regret, meet remorse.
“I shouldn’t have done that. I already told you I was sorry on the plane. I’m not in the habit of repeatedly apologizing. Once should be enough.”
Her jaw drops, and there’s a slight shake of her head. “I am aware you apologized, and it was appreciated, but I didn’t get to tell you howIfelt. And at the end of the day, apology without action or change is just a word.”
The urge to rub the pang rapidly spreading across my chest is almost impossible to ignore. Somehow, I manage to keep my hands resting in my lap. “I promise I will never make you feel like that again. Next time will be different.”
“Lucky me,” she mutters, glancing out of the window, a silent message that she considers our conversation over. Most of the time, I ensure I get the last word, but I owe her this small victory, so I let it slide, just as I did in New York.
We travel the rest of the way without speaking. Once the car has stopped, she gets out and is halfway to the entrance before I catch up with her. I move to take her hand, then slide my arm across her shoulders instead, tugging her close to my side. I take heart that she doesn’t shove me away. If anything, she nestles closer.
One of the bodyguards I stationed with Cathal as a way to coerce Sorcha into behaving straightens when we enter her brother’s room. Sorcha’s entire body stiffens. I run my hand up and down her arm. I think I know her well enough by now to read where her mind has gone. She sees him as a constant threat to her brother’s safety, and if I were her, I’d think the same, too.
If we are to stand a chance of beginning the journey ofmoving away from how we began and trying to discover who we might be, I should offer a concession.
“You’re dismissed,” I say to the bodyguard. “This assignment is over. You’ll receive new instructions shortly.”
The way her back curves and her shoulders dip tell me I read the situation correctly. She slips out of my hold and moves over to the window where her brother is sitting in his wheelchair, and I barely catch the whispered, “Thank you.”
“You might want to think about a protection detail for him, especially now we’re married.”
Her eyes flare. “You think he’s in danger?”
“No. But having a guard stationed outside his door isn’t a bad idea. If I found out about him, so can my enemies.” I shrug. “It’s your call.”
“You’re… leaving the decision to me?”
“He’s your brother.”
“I’ll think about it.” She rubs her lips together. “Thank you for involving me in the decision. It means a lot.”
I grunt, my gaze returning to Cathal. Do the staff here ever do anything with this poor kid, or is his life sitting in that wheelchair and staring out of the window? I don’t know a thing about his condition or what he’s capable of, but surely some stimulation is better than this lonely existence?
Sorcha pulls up a chair and instantly strikes up a one-way conversation. She tells him about our trip to New York and how wonderful everyone was to her. She talks about the house and her da’s car collection. I can’t help but notice everything is upbeat and cheery. She doesn’t tell him about her breakdown on the plane, or how unnecessarily cruel I was to her, or how I’m the man responsible for wiping out the rest of his family.
My phone vibrates, and I reach into my pocket. Liam.
“I have to take this.”
She doesn’t even acknowledge I’ve spoken, too busy regaling her brother with what it was like to travel on a private jet. I’m smiling as I step outside to take the call. “Yeah?”
“Where are you? The line is awful.”
I move away from Cathal’s room and step outside the facility. “Is that better?”
“Much.”
“To answer your question, I’m with Sorcha. We’re visiting her brother.”
He pauses for a beat. “Is the glacier melting?”
“I don’t know. You’d have to ask her.”
“I mean you,” he says.
