Page 142 of Three Irish Kings
“She’s here. With me.”
The line goes silent, and I bounce on my heels, nervous.
“Liam?”
Something crashes in the background, doors slam, and I wince.
“It‘s Cill. Liam is... collecting himself.”
I wince again, knowing I’m due for a beating from Liam.
“I’m sorry, okay? I lied to you two because I was worried about what Liam would do.”
It’s not exactly a lie, but it’s not the whole truth, either.
I am worried about what Liam will do, but at the same time, I know deep down he couldn’t hurt her. I know he loves her as much as I do, in his own way. The real reason I lied is that I want her all to myself.
But that’s not going to happen. We have to figure this out just like we always have—together.
“I’ll send you the location. It’s a bed and breakfast in Culver.”
“Culver?”
I hold my phone away from my face so his yelling curses don’t hurt my ears.
“I said I was sorry, Cill?—”
“Stay there. Don’t even fucking think about moving. We’re on the way.”
The balcony door slides open, startling me, and I nearly drop my phone over the railing.
Isla stands there, her face freshly wet, looking none the worse for wear, thank God.
“Are they coming?”
“Aye. You’re getting what you want. Like always.” I can’t help the venom in my voice.
She sighs and leans against the glass door. “It’s rickety out here. Not like the balcony at the gala.”
At the gala.
God, things had been so much simpler back then when I thought I’d just take her for a leisurely roll in the hay instead of all this drama.
“Don't start.”
She frowns. “Don’t start what? Talking about how we met? I could’ve mentioned how you lured me into a trap, but I didn’t.”
“I know where I fucked up, okay,a gh—Isla?” The pet name almost slips past my lips, but my fury and jealousy still won’t let me. "I know what I did wrong, but you can't seem to accept responsibility for whatyoudid.”
She scoffs, looking away from me with her arms crossed. “What did I do, Dare? Finally went for my freedom? Why is that wrong? You all just assumed I would stay there. I was fine with being locked up and not having a say in anything, but did any of you ever ask me to stay?”
She throws her arms up in the air. “What if this were you? Could you imagine being locked inside a house for months on end with people making all your decisions for you, without the freedom to even come to the garden or go to the supermarket? Can you honestly say you’d never go for it? Because I can’t. And you sleep like the dead, Dare. I could have escaped the first night we hooked up if I’d wanted to.”
She is right, of course, she’s right.
I walk toward her. “And why didn’t you?”
She groans and slides open the door, stalking back inside.
