Page 72 of Illicit Heir

"If you're lying—"

"I'm not lying. I need ya to make sure that you're safe. Ensure your cousins, your mum, and ya are safe before midnight."

"We can't just not show up to the pub. Caleb's supposed to be here. Do ya know what he'll do if he shows up and we aren't here?"

"Lauren, Caleb doesn't care about ya. He cares about himself."

"Ya don't think I know that?" she snarls.

I sigh.

"Around midnight, it's happening?"

"Aye."

"Then I'll figure something out before then."

I decide the best I can do is come to an agreement with her. I order, "Lauren, keep your phone on tonight. Ya need to prepare the others to listen to ya too."

"Devin—"

"I'm not playing, Lauren. I'm coming to get ya, risking my life to do so, or you can assure me that you'll listen to me. When I text ya, ya go into your flat, no matter what happens. Do ya understand me? Ya do what I say tonight," I interject.

Tension mixes with her silence.

I add, "Ya once told me ya don't have a choice as an O'Leary woman. Is that no longer true?"

She stays quiet.

"Answer me," I demand.

She finally does. "Yea, it's true."

"Okay, then I need ya to trust me."

"Why would I trust ya, Devin?"

"Because I'm going against my family right now. I'm going against our allies. I'm going behind their backs and trying to protect ya. Because I know that ya don't deserve what will happen. So please listen to me and do what I say tonight," I beg.

Her breath is the only thing I hear for several minutes.

"Just tell me you'll keep your phone on ya and follow my orders tonight."

"If ya get me in trouble with Caleb, where I get harmed—"

"I'm only trying to prevent ya from getting harmed. I swear!"

She finally agrees, her voice quivering. "Okay, I'll wait for your text. But…can't ya stop this? I just got the pub redone. I swore I wouldn't let it get destroyed again."

I sincerely tell her, "If I could stop it, I would. But I can't. No one can. And definitely not Caleb. But do not say anything to him, Lauren. I swear to God—"

"Do ya really think I'd say something to him? Do ya believe I want anything to do with him?"

It makes me happy that she said that, but I still hate that they have some sort of past. So I just reply, "I'm trusting ya, Lauren. And I'm trying to protect ya and keep ya safe. So keep your phone on. I'll be in contact later tonight."

13

Lauren

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