Page 100 of Beautiful Lies
“Wow. Killian. I’ve been dying to meet you. This is kind of weird, right?”
“Yeah, it is.” He looked awkward as fuck and I stifled a laugh as he ran his hand through his hair and gripped his upper lip between his teeth, trying to come up with something to say, but he was at a total loss. His gaze settled on the mug in front of her and he was halfway out of his chair before he asked if she wanted another coffee.
“No, thanks. I’m good.” Killian settled back in his seat and Keira gave him a smile I knew was genuine and meant to put him at ease. She rested her elbows on the table and propped her chin in her hands, her face an open book like last night. Which was surprising, considering the way she’d been raised. “So…what do you want to know?”
An hour later, we left the coffee shop, the initial awkwardness a distant memory. It was strange how quickly we’d bonded. How easy it was to talk to Keira. But we’d skated around the elephant in the room and now I was about to snitch on her father. I didn’t know if the FBI would be interested in my story, if they’d believe it, or if they’d even bother investigating it. That was how much faith I put in the criminal justice system. Nevertheless, I was going to live up to the word carved on my chest and this time I felt no remorse.
“Hey Connor,” Keira said, moving closer to my bike as I straddled it. Killian was standing a few feet away, talking to Eden on his cell, and waiting to walk Keira to his gym.
“About my dad…what’s your plan?”
I could lie but I wouldn’t. “I’m not looking for revenge, but I’m hoping for justice.”
“And what does that mean exactly?”
“You might be forced to choose a side.”
“I choose me, just like I told you last night.” Her voice rang with conviction and I recognized the stubborn set of her jaw.
“I’m going to the FBI.”
“Hold out your hand,” she said, digging something out of her jeans pocket. They were so tight it was a wonder she could fit her hand in there.
I held out my hand and she placed a flash drive in my palm. “What’s this?”
“A gift.”
“What’s on here?”
“Extra ammunition. Enough to put him away. It’s white collar stuff. There’s no treasure map leading to the buried bodies,” she whispered, trying to pass it off as a joke.
“Where did you get the information?”
She shook her head, unwilling to tell me.Anthony. If love were a contest, he would win.“It doesn’t matter. It’s not a trick. The information is real.”
Killian and I exchanged a glance before my gaze settled on Keira. “You sure about this?” I held the flash drive between my thumb and index finger, giving her a chance to change her mind. The piece of plastic I held in my fingers was featherlight, belying the weight of everything she’d handed me. Even if the FBI didn’t believe my story, they’d love to get their hands on this kind of information. I suspected Ronan did his share of money laundering. Who the hell knew? Maybe it was only tax evasion. All the best criminals got taken down for that. But there was a reason Keira wasn’t turning this information over, and instead had given it to me. Guilt. “Can you live with this? Will you be able to sleep at night?”
I wanted her to think long and hard before I pulled away from this curb and handed over the information. If she was right and there was enough evidence to put him away, she’d have to accept the responsibility for her actions.
“You said you wanted justice, not revenge. I want to help you get it. And I need to do this for my own reasons. For myself and for my mother. Not that she’ll see it that way. But he’s been controlling her for over twenty years. I can’t keep pretending that my father is one of the good guys. Everything he does is for his own gain. Even his love comes at a price. He demands our unquestioning loyalty and tries to keep us locked in an ivory tower. Too bad for him that I got tired of playing by his rules a long time ago.”
She acted tough, but I wondered how much it had cost her to turn over information on her own father, a man she loved despite the things he’d done. My mind made up, I pocketed the flash drive. Time was running out and if Shaughnessy didn’t already know that Keira was in Brooklyn, it wouldn’t be long before he found out.
29
Ava
Once again, I was getting my information from Eden. Keira’s dad had been arrested and Connor had been the one to turn over the information to the FBI. She’d told me that privately. It wasn’t something we felt comfortable discussing in front of Keira. I tossed my pizza crust in the box and took a swig of beer, staring at the lights on Eden and Killian’s big-ass Christmas tree. They’d gone to Pennsylvania last week to chop it down and transported it on the roof of their Range Rover. If possible, it was bigger than last year’s tree which was saying something. My eyes caught on the canvases propped against the wall, covered in brown paper, ready and waiting to be hung tomorrow for the exhibit. Connor had come over a few mornings this week and he and Eden had stretched their canvases onto frames, or so I’d been told.
Eden flicked my arm with her index finger. “Ouch,” I complained, rubbing my arm. I flicked her back because we were so mature. “What was that for?”
“This is the best part of the movie. I didn’t want you to miss it.”
I rolled my eyes and Keira laughed. The Christmas movie marathon, the beer and the pizza, had been for Keira who had confided that she’d never had a girls’ night. She’d never even had a sleepover and Eden had found that too sad for words so here we were, three movies in, lounging on the sofa, watching the finale ofLove, Actually.
“It’s all about the grand gestures,” Eden said as the credits rolled. As if on cue, Killian walked through the door and Eden flew across the room and leapt into his arms as if she hadn’t seen him in years. As if their love was still brand new and shiny. I wanted my life with Connor to look like that. I wanted to welcome him home. I wanted to share a home with him, cook dinner with him, kiss him goodnight and wake up to him in the morning.
“Hey, Sunshine,” he said before his mouth covered hers. I sighed loudly and turned my head, so I didn’t have to witness their public display of affection. I was jealous, and it made me feel small that I’d succumbed to self-pity, an all-time low.
