Page 135 of Forbidden Romeo

“I was only trying to warn you to do my duty to this family,” I try again. “The annuals are almost over, you can’t bench me forever, and our family could be on the brink of war. We need to settle this now. People will die if we remain divided.”

“You think you can come in here andthreatenme?”

My eyebrows shoot up, “I’m not threatening you; I’m just laying out the facts.”

“You’re not my fucking heir,” Padraic says, spitting on the floor for good measure.

Somehow, the words don’t sting as much as they used to. “I didn’t say I was.”

“You’re a joke, Jack. No one wants you to lead them because they don’t trust you to. If you’re not hooking up with Maguire whores, you’re rubbing elbows with biker scum.”

“Stop calling her that.”

“You’re weak. Everyone can see it,” he lets out a cold bark of a laugh. “They saw it in the ring, and they’ll see it again when you face your next opponent. There’s nothing left for you here.”

I step forward. “Our entire family is at risk because of your ego.”

“Myfamily wants nothing to do with you anymore.” Padraic steps forward, too, this time brandishing the knife and pointing it directly at my chest. “Even if you win your next match, you’ll be disowned.If you lose, well, it’ll save me the trouble of announcing it.”

I’m suddenly exhausted. I always suspected this might be the end result, but to hear him say it out loud hammers the final nail into my coffin.

I’m alone. Always have been, was always going to be. There was never a future for me in theDead Eyes.Even if Graham were still alive, Padraic would have found a way to get rid of me. I was never good enough for him or his wife. I’m not good enough for Aimee, either. I’m just a bastard without a claim to anything.

“I am your only son,” I say, barely believing the words myself.

“Graham was my only son. And after everything you’ve done, he would have stood by me on this.”

My pity party ends with that one sentence.

“I don’t believe that.”

“You proposed to the sister of his murderer out ofspite,”Padraic laughs again. “Andyou say my family is at risk because of my ego?”

“I love her.”

He looks at me, and a cruel grin spreads across his face “And it will be the death of you.”

Chapter Thirty-Six

Jack

The only relief I have from Padraic’s words echoing through my head is when Aimee wraps her arms around me as soon as I enter the apartment. I inhale her sweet scent greedily, letting it calm my nerves.

“How did it go?” she asks against my chest.

The exhaustion hits me instantly. “Are there tall buildings in LA?”

“That bad?”

I don’t even know how to answer that. None of this seems to matter anymore. The only thing I can control is making sure Aimee stays the hell away from all of this. There’s no way Padraic won’t come for us both if things go south tomorrow at the fight.

As I kiss her forehead, I realize thatthisright here is all I care about.

And I need to protect it at all costs.

I pull away and reach for my phone. “I need to talk to Ray. We don’t have much time.”

“Time for what?” Aimee says cautiously as she watches me cross the room to the window.

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