Page 110 of Merciless Sinner

I slip an arm around her. And usher her into the living room where we sit.

She searches my face again, probably trying to pre-empt what I'm going to tell her. She won't be able to do that.

“Before I begin, it's important you know that I've only kept these things from you because I didn't want to hinder your progress.” I explain. “I also needed you to trust me.”

“You're worrying me, Virgo. Just tell me what’s going on. I’ve been eager for weeks.”

“Alright. The first thing is about my father. Up until today, we suspected him of having something to do with your parents murder.”

“I thought you said you already checked that out and he was cleared.”

“I did, but new information came to light the other week. It confirmed that my father was planning to kill yours.”

She gasps. “My God. So it could have been him?”

“As of this moment, I can't confirm one way or the other. I don't believe the shooting excuses him, but it certainly adds to the mystery, and we're going to be investigating.”

Her hands tremble, and she sinks into the sofa.

There's more. Much more, I declare. Feeling like an asshole for doling out more shit to worry about.

“Tell me.” Her voice is weak.

“Kevin is dead,” I say and she looks worse than before.

But what's even worse is the guilt that comes into her eyes.

“Dead? When? When did this happen?”

“Weeks ago. It happened when we were at the beach house. Cillian went to see him and another guy who worked for your father. But someone got to them first.”

She brings a hand up to her cheeks and stands. “This is because of me.

Because I came back here.”

I stand too and put my arm around her. “Please don't think that. This is all about whatever happened in the past. You mustn't blame yourself.”

“But I do. He was safe until I was found. Clearly.”

“He was never safe.” I shake my head. Because it's a hard truth I have to let her know. “Just like you never were. It's only a matter of time for these things to catch up with us. That's why you can't blame yourself.”

I guide her back to sit. It's better if she’s sitting for everything else I have to share.

“God, what else is there? You said there was much, much more.”

“Yes.” Now my voice sounds far away. “The next thing is to do with the past, and it's the reason you were home that day of the attack.”

She narrows her eyes. “What do you mean? I thought I would have been there anyway.”

“No, you were supposed to be in England. You'd gotten your placement at the British Museum, and that day was the day you were supposed to leave.”

“So why didn't I leave?”

“Because of me. Because of something I did to upset you.”

She stills for a moment, and stares back at me. “What did you do?”

“I have to give you some context first. My father was furious when he found out we were seeing each other. He always sought to break us up. Every time I saw him, all he demanded was our breakup. I fought him hard, until the day I got caught in a trap.”

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