Page 56 of Bad at Heart

“What did the note say?”

“Brush your teeth and go into Seamus’s office. Please, don’t ask me things I can’t say. Please.”

My heart sinks, more bile rising in my throat. Thank god I threw up everything in my stomach. If Mellie won’t tell me… it’s wickedbad. I mechanically brush my teeth, following Mellie along the hallway like a condemned woman on death row.

They're all there when Mellie takes me into Seamus’s office. All six of them. I guess I just figured out what that alarm app does. Seamus is seated at his desk while the others are scattered around the room.

Mellie guides me to the seat across the desk from Seamus and helps me sit down, leaving the room, shutting the door tightly behind her. I feel alone and scared until Ronan picks me up and sits down, settling me, so I’m on his lap. Safe in his arms.

I look over to where Seamus is tapping the cardboard note on the desk. He stops tapping and slides it over in front of me.

“Care to explain, Fiona?” he asks quietly. I shiver, and Ronan presses a kiss to my temple. Swallowing roughly, I stare blankly at the note.

More bile churns in my stomach, but I already threw up everything when I saw the ash and figured out what it meant. I don’t need the note to get the message. Still, everyone in the room is now staring at the bold type leaping off the white cardboard as it lies innocuously on Seamus’s gorgeous hardwood desk.

WHY DIDN’T YOU DIE, FI-FI?

I’LL FIND YOU.

IF YOU DON’T COME BACK TO ME

I’LL KILL EVERYONE YOU CARE ABOUT.

A whimper escapes me, and to my absolute mortification, I sniffle.

“Who is it from, Fiona?” Seamus asks, leaning forward and tapping the note with his fingernail. His voice tells me this isn’t a situation I can avoid the truth in.

“Grant,” I whisper. A sharp hiss of breath leaves Ronan.

“And who is Grant?” Seamus continues dangerously.

“My brother.”

There is confused murmuring around the room. Yeah, since they have all read the note, they probably thought it was some psycho ex of mine. It’s much, much worse.

RONAN

To be fair, that’s not what I thought Fiona would say. It’s not what Seamus thought either. He blinks in surprise, staring at her.

“Yourbrother?” he clarifies. Fiona sniffles again, a sound that tears at my heart. I bury my face in her hair and murmur comforting words, low enough so only she can hear them. “And he set the fire at your apartment building?”

Fiona nods, letting out another small whimper as I tighten my hold on her. Jesus fuck. What kind of fucked up human being burns down a building with hundreds of people in it on the off chance it might kill their sister? Even the fucking Reaper looks disturbed by the very idea.

Before Seamus can ask another question, Liam pipes up from over in the corner.

“If you’re hiding from your brother, how come you go to Paddy’s fights?”

Everyone looks at him in surprise. What the fuck is the lad on about? What do Paddy’s fights have to do with anything? Fiona stiffens in my arms, turning beet red.

When she doesn’t speak, Liam continues. “Because he’s always at them.”

I turn to glare at him. “What’re ye talking about, lad?”

Liam shrugs, shoving his hands in his pockets. “She just said her brother is Grant Clatham. He’s always at the waterfront fights. If she’s hiding from him, why does she go there?”

“Good question.” Seamus’s eyes narrow as he turns his gaze back on Fiona. She shrinks away from it, pressing herself against my chest like she’s hoping that she will be able to melt into me. Fuck this shite.

“I want to talk to Fiona,” I tell Seamus, who straightens in his seat in surprise.

---