Page 65 of Dark Succession
Callie walked into the pub even though all she wanted to do was throw herself into the SUV and drive to Teague’s house. She picked up her pace, ignoring the stares of the men scattered around the tables despite the early hour. The bartender was a big man who didn’t look particularly happy to see her. He coughed. “You’ve got the wrong place, ma’am.”
Ma’am.The irony of being addressed so politely when she was here to turn herself in wasn’t lost on her. She didn’t bother to attempt a smile. “I’m Callista Sheridan. I’m here to speak with James Halloran. Is there some way you could convey that to him?”
He stared at her so long, it was an effort not to shift. She could hear chairs being shoved back as the men rose behind her, sharks scenting blood in the water. The bartender finally propped his meaty forearms on the faded wood. “This isn’t the place for you.”
God, would people please stop trying to give her an out? She was teetering on the edge of fleeing as it was. She took a deep breath, smelling stale beer and other things that she didn’t want to name. “Be that as it may, I need to speak to him.”
The bartender nodded as if she’d said more than she had. He narrowed his eyes at something over her shoulder. “You boys don’t want to be crossing James, now do you?”
Someone cursed. Another said, “Fuck, Tommy, we was just lookin’.”
“Sit your asses down before you do something that we’ll both regret.” He waited a long moment and motioned to a booth situated in the back corner. “Take a seat. You might have a long wait.”
“Thank you.” She didn’t look back as she made her way over and slid into the booth. There was no telling how close those men had been, or what was truly on their minds. It seemed foolish to be grateful the bartender had warned them off when she was walking willingly into her probable death, but she was grateful all the same.
As it turned out, she didn’t have to wait long.
Ten minutes later, a man who could only be James Halloran walked in through the back door. He was almost as big as Brendan had been, but where his older brother’s blond hair was shorn short, James had let his grow to his shoulders and had a short beard. But the similarity was there in the breadth of his shoulders and the blue eyes that turned her way. He wasted no time walking over and taking the seat across the table. “I already told Teague the terms. He’s an idiot if he thinks a pretty face will sway me.”
Callie flinched. “Before we go any further, I’ll need assurances. You told Teague that turning over Brendan’s killer would be enough to let Carrigan O’Malley go.”
His blue eyes gave away nothing. “That’s the deal.”
Not exactly the most comforting.It doesn’t matter. I have a contingency plan in place. It will be okay. God, she was such a liar. But she was also stuck between a rock and a hard place. She could get up and walk out of here and back to safety, but that was guaranteed to get Carrigan killed. Turning herself in and trusting James to keep his word was a risk, but it was one she’d have to take.
Teague trusts him. That has to be enough.
Callie took a deep breath. It was now or never. “I did it.”
“It was your idea? Does he even know you’re here?”
God, she didn’t want to say the words—what she really wanted was to go back two weeks and never set foot in Tit for Tat. But that wasn’t an option and it was time to take responsibility for her actions. She cleared her throat. “I killed Brendan.”
The shock on his face would have been comical under any other circumstances. “You’re fucking with me.”
“I’m not.”
“How—” He shook his head. “I don’t know what you think you’re going to accomplish here, but lying isn’t going to help anyone. Do you know what my father will do to you?”
He was trying to make her change her mind. Despite everything he and his family had done, apparently there was a little shred of honor left inside James Halloran. It was almost a shame that she was going to reward it witha truth that would crush them both. “I’m not lying. I went to Tit for Tat to talk to Brendan—to corner him, really, since he’d been resistant to speaking to me. He mistook me for one of the working girls and…” She hesitated, and then forced herself to continue. “He wouldn’t take no for an answer. And so I shot him.”
Disbelief slowly turned to something else. James sat back. “You’re serious.”
“I wish I wasn’t. God, you have no idea how much I wish I wasn’t. I didn’t want to kill him, but I’m the one who pulled the trigger. Carrigan shouldn’t suffer for my sins.”
The expression slowly left his face, leaving him as cold as ice. “You’re going to have to come with me.”
“I assumed as much.”
She rose and turned for the front door, but he caught her arm. “No, this way.”
She didn’t understand the change until she saw the faces of the scattered men around. They’d obviously either heard or gathered enough information to connect the dots. All wore the same look, as if they were all too happy to fall on her and rip her limb from limb. It was enough to make Callie shrink back against James, even though he was no better.
What had she gotten herself into?
She shoved the thought away. This wasn’t a surprise. It didn’t matter what happened to her, because this would put a stop to the war. She just had to remember that and hold fast. She folded her shaking hands, doing a really horrible job of convincing herself that she wouldn’t break down and beg for mercy. Even the most highly trained soldiers broke under torture eventually.
She was hardly on their level.
