Page 134 of Firefly (Redemption 2)

“Half-truths are still lies. Omissions are still lies.”

Through the moonlight coming in through the windows, I could see the tears pooling in her eyes as she stepped away from Kieran. “I warned you,” she choked out. “Even before I knew who you were, I knew I wouldn’t be able to tell you about my life because the worlds we’ve grown up in need to remain hidden. My life had to since I was supposed to be dead. And you told me to lie to y—”

“I thought you were running from a shitty life,” I explained. “A boyfriend, a husband, something. I thought there was something else you were hiding that I was still trying to figure out. A kid—fucking something other than you being Lily O’Sullivan.”

“What difference does it make?”

I flung my arms out and yelled, “It makes all the difference. I look at you . . . Christ, I see your eyes and so much hatred builds up inside me.”

She grabbed her stomach, a strained sob bursting from her.

“I have spent my life hating those eyes. I have spent the last four years waiting to unleash hell on those eyes. I have spent the last few weeks dreaming of watching the light die in those eyes. Your eyes.”

Her head shook slowly, her chest heaving with her uneven breaths. “I’m not Mickey.”

“That’s all I’ll ever see

.”

She bent slightly, her mouth opened in a silent cry as Kieran pulled her back.

“Put your gun away,” he ordered softly.

I shot him a look as I turned toward Johnny, and stopped when I saw Beck’s little brother standing a dozen feet away with a gun in hand.

“Conor,” Kieran bit out. “Put your gun away.”

Conor looked between Kieran and me a few times before reluctantly doing as ordered, his tense stance relaxing when I holstered mine as well.

Bending to grab Johnny’s, I slid it into the back of my pants then fought against the pain in my leg as I walked over to where he lay.

“Anyone else on property will be rushing in here in the next few seconds to find out what that gunshot was. You should go.”

I slanted him a glare and curled my lip, but I didn’t respond as I bent to roll Johnny onto his side. I swallowed thickly, forcing back any emotion that rose because the people in the hall with me didn’t deserve to see it.

I wasn’t sure I deserved to feel it.

Grabbing his waist, I pulled him closer and gritted my teeth as I hefted him up, struggling to get him on my shoulder and back to standing when my leg was still threatening to give.

“Dare—”

“Don’t,” Kieran murmured, silencing her. But seconds later he was there next to me, helping me up.

“Get your hands off me,” I said through gritted teeth, turning so Johnny’s body was away from him. “You fucking begged for my help. You pulled me back into a world I spent years getting out of. And I hate you for it.”

He didn’t respond or give any indication he’d even heard me. And I didn’t care.

I started walking down the hall, my steps slow and unsteady, my jaw clenched as I passed where Conor was trying to hold Lily back.

“No. No, Dare, don’t do this,” she called out. “You promised. You promised me after.”

I knew what she meant as soon as the word left her lips.

“I love you,” she breathed. “Until the very end.”

“After, Elle. After.”

Without looking back at her, I murmured, “I lied.”

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