Page 128 of Three Irish Kings
I squeeze my eyes shut and open them again.
Dare is sitting on the couch, Betsy closed on his lap, his head in his hands. I can’t imagine what’s going through his head.
“She’s gone.”
It’s all I can say without breaking down.
He doesn’t answer for a long moment.
Oh God, I’m going to throw up again.
“Stay there.” His voice sounds far away, like he’s on speakerphone.
I turn to Dare after Liam hangs up. “He’s on his way.”
Dare doesn’t answer. I didn’t expect him to.
Without speaking, I head to my car, not wanting Dare to witness what’s about to happen.
I’m about to lose it, and I don’t ever lose it.
I get into my car, breathing hard, tears pricking at the backs of my eyes, and I slam my hands down on the steering wheel over and over until my palms sting. I don’t yell like Dare, can’t bring myself to. I know it would turn into sobbing.
Something tells me she’s in the wind, that we’ll never see her again.
Isla’s gone, and she took any light my life could have with her.
Chapter Thirty-One
LIAM
“She’s gone.”The words hit me like a bucket of ice water over my head.
My stomach rolls, all the light inside me seeming to fade.
I can’t speak. I can’tbreathe. My throat is like a pinhole, and I wheeze in a breath.
Allen looks at me. “Liam? Is everything okay?”
I need to tell the board I can’t finish the meeting. I need to tell the board I have a family emergency or something, but if I speak again I know my voice will crack.
I stand up abruptly, stalking out of the boardroom as they all start to murmur.
Let them talk. I’ll deal with this later.
I keep it together just long enough to make it to my office, lock the door, and pull the blinds. Then I throw my PC against the wall, the crunch and shatter of the monitor oddly satisfying. I upend my file cabinets, folders flying all around the room.
This is my safe space. My home. I’ve only ever felt comfortablehere, never out there, never in my father’s world. And I’m destroying it because Isla betrayed us.
God, Isla.
Just thinking of her makes me stop.
My chest heaves, and my heart aches, my stomach rolling.
Isla’s really gone. She took off, likely while Dare was sleeping.
You stupid, naive asshole.
