Page 25 of Shattered Union

“Ma’s just texted me. Holly was shot a few days ago…”

My blood runs cold at her words. It’s too much of a coincidence. Denis told me his daughter, Holly, had been shot, and he had to fly to New York to be with her. That was only a couple of days ago.

He told me his children's names; Danny, Malcolm, Holly, Chloe, and Mary. I never thought this Chloe was his.

“I have to go home,” she whimpers, her body shaking as she cries, her tears soaking through my shirt.

“Yeah, honey, you do. Do you need a lift home?” I ask softly, hating she’s hurting right now.

She lifts her head from my chest and nods. “Please,” she whispers. Her eyes filled with pain, worry, and fear.

I run my hand through her hair, “Come on, honey, let’s get your stuff together and I’ll bring you home.”

The car journey is quiet. Chloe cries the entire way. I pull up outside the house and instantly see her mam. My heart clenches when I see just how beautiful she is. Her blonde hair, tied up into a stylish chignon. She’s wearing a bright canary yellow dress and matching heels. She looks as though she belongs in Hollywood, not Dublin.

“Are you going to be okay?” I ask Chloe before she leaves my car.

She gives me a watery smile. “I’ll be fine.” The lie rolls off her tongue like she does it every day of her life and she probably does.

“You have my number,” I remind her. “You need me or Mam, call us.”

She nods. “Thanks, Callie. I appreciate it.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, honey.” I can’t even imagine the pain she’s going through right now. “I hope they find your sister soon.”

She blinks. “Me too, I’ll see you around.”

I watch as she slides out of my car and walks toward her house. Her mam doesn’t even spare her a glance, her gaze firmly on me. I get a sickening feeling in my stomach at the smug smile she gives me as I pull away from the curb. What the hell?

* * *

“Hey,mo ghrá,” Denis says gruffly.

His words wash over me, and I breathe in deeply. It’s been four days since I dropped Chloe off at her house, four days and I haven’t heard from her since. I sent her a couple of texts, letting her know I was thinking about her, but I haven’t had a reply.

“Hey, Denny,” I reply with a yawn. It’s almost midnight and I’m about to drop. I’ve been working non-stop. It’s hard coming home to an empty house. I’ve been so used to sleeping with Denis that I’m having trouble falling asleep. Not to mention how empty the house is since he’s been gone. “How is everything?”

I worked out Chloe is definitely his daughter. His father died protecting his daughter. The pain in his voice when he told me Seamus died made my heart ache and tears fall. I hated that I wasn’t with him, but he needed to be with his family. Thankfully, Holly was found alive. She was injured, but she’s on the road to recovery. His brother, however, is still in a coma.

“Fine, baby. The funeral is the day after tomorrow. I’ll be home soon,” he assures me.

God, the hoarseness of his voice makes me ache. “I wish I could hug you right now.” That’s all I want to do since he told me his father died. I just want to hold him.

“Ah,mo ghrá.”

I yawn yet again. God, I need to sleep.

“Sleep baby, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

I feel bad I’m cutting our phone call short, but I know I won’t be able to stay awake for much longer.

“Love you, Denny,” I tell him. The love I feel for him is all-consuming. It’s the type of love Mam and Dad talk about when they tell me how they feel about each other. Denis is someone I’ll always love. That much I know for sure.

“Love you too, baby. Sweet dreams.”

“Night,” I whisper through yet another yawn. I hang up and wonder if it would be better for me to sleep on the couch.

Everything is catching up on me. The constant travel, the eighteen-hour days, and now the worry of Denis being in New York where there’s obviously something bad happening. I need a decent night's sleep. If I don’t get it soon, I’m going to have a breakdown and that isn’t going to be pretty. I know if Mam finds out I’m running myself to the ground again, she’s going to be pissed. I did the same thing when I broke up with Keith. I pushed myself into work to numb the pain. I know I’m doing it now, to stop myself from freaking out about what’s happening with Denis.

---