Page 49 of Forbidden Romeo

All this time, I was looking for Roisin, and the older sister was under my nose the whole time. I could have delivered her to Padraic at any point over the last few days. She would have come with me so willingly, eagerly even. No idea that my intentions were anything less than pure.

But… why did it have to be Aimee?

MyAimee.

The woman who landed so perfectly into my life, lighting up every part of me.

What we have is just soeasy.It feels like neither of us has been shy about our feelings; neither of us is playing any games about it. I feel like I’ve known her for years, like she sees a part of me that I’ve never been able to understand myself. God and she’s funny. Whether she knows it or not, she’s quick, clever, and can make me howl in laughter in ways no one has ever been able to before. The way her eyes glisten when she’s being earnest, or her eyebrow shoots up with unspoken questions. Everything about her is so beautiful.

It would be so easy to fall in love with her.

I would be sohappyto fall in love with her.

No, I can’t let her cloud my mind.

I stride through Brooklyn at a breakneck pace, finally flagging down a taxi a few blocks away from their apartment. I might not know what to do yet, but I’m sure as hell not leading the whole of Hell’s Kitchen to their doorstep by calling my driver.

I slam the taxi door behind me and the car starts putting some distance between me and the two women who will likely be my undoing. The blare of horns and the sputtering engines around me give me something else to focus on, and my head begins to clear.

Aimee and Roisin likely had nothing to do with Graham’s death. From the little Aimee has told me about her life before New York and what Roisin said this morning, it’s clear they were either still in LA or in the process of moving when it happened. If that fact isn’t enough, I don’t believe… No.Can’tbelieve that someone like Aimee would stand by her brother on this.

That being said, the Maguires and the Duffys have a long and tormented history of despising one another. Who’s to say Aimee or her sister haven’t ever harmed a Duffy or aDead Eyefor the sake of family pride before? You don’t become as good a shot as Aimee is by practicing at the funfair.

A few things click into place—her uncanny ability to eavesdrop, her elusiveness when it comes to anything about her past, even her work. Did she know someone identified her at the hospital? I know for a fact she hasn’t been back the last few days, while my father’s goons have been searching high and low for her.

Yes, Aimee Maguire knows who she is and who her family are. Hatred for the Duffys was probably ingrained in her as much as my hatred for her family.

Despite everything, we’re each other’s natural enemies. When she discovers the truth, she’ll likely be as hostile to me as I should be to her.

Should be. Have to be. I let down my guard and remember Graham. The way he looked as he died in my arms, the hatred that filled me for Connor Maguire. I swore on that day that I would seek revenge for his death, whatever it took.

If the thing that stands between me and that justice is Aimee… I can’t let my personal feelings stop me. I have to do what’s right for my family. It’s the only way to redeem myself in Padraic’s eyes and the only way I’ll have a fighting chance at being the one to take down Connor Maguire once and for all.

Aimee makes my heart soar. But my heart’s not as important as my family.

I need to come up with a plan.

***

The taxi drops me off a street down from the mansion compound, and I walk through the front gates with a wave to the doorman. The dogs he has on a chain calm the moment they recognize me, and I pause to give them a gentle scratch behind the ears.

“I thought you weren’t allowed out?” the doorman says with a bemused huff.

“I won’t tell if you won’t,” I reply with a slight smirk.

“Morris has been looking for you,” he informs me.

I grimace at the news. “Great.”

His gaze shifts toward the mansion. “He’s up there getting ready with the others.” the doorman continues.

“Ready for what?”

“They didn’t tell you?” he asks, surprise evident in his voice.

I clench my fist to keep the anger at bay. “Care to fill me in?” My tone was tinged with a mix of anticipation and apprehension.

“Someone found the Maguire girl.”

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