Page 4 of Illicit Heir

He chuckles. "Ya know what happens when women play hard to get with me, don't ya?"

My blood turns cold. The worst thing I ever did was get with Caleb O'Leary. Now he's head of the entire clan, and for some reason, he won't get me out of his mind. It's probably because I'm the only woman who defied him and turned him down. And his ego is big enough to make him believe he can cheat on me with multiple women and I'll willingly come back.

I assert, "I think it's time ya left."

He shakes his head. "I'll leave when I'm ready. Now go pack your bag. You're coming back with me."

My pulse skyrockets. I firmly state, "No, I'm not."

"Sure, ya are," he insists and strolls to the end of the bar toward his brothers.

My mum comes up behind me. She quietly directs, "Ya need to marry him, Lauren."

Rage fills me. It's a never-ending conversation that I can't seem to win. And while I understand she's from a time when things were done differently, it irritates me more than anything else. So I spin on her, ordering, "Stop saying that. I'm never marrying him. It's over between us."

"He'll protect ya," she claims for the millionth time.

I sarcastically laugh. "From whom? Tommy's dead. No one protected him, and everyone thought he was bulletproof."

Her face turns dark. Tommy was my mum's brother. He was also the underboss of the O'Learys and one of their most powerful men. Everyone thought he was untouchable until the O'Connors hunted him down.

The clan found his headless body burned in a field. His bloody head turned up at the registrar's office, making it clear Aidan O'Connor killed him to marry Tommy's wife, Scarlet.

So I don't know why my mum believes Caleb could protect me or why she even thinks I need it. In all reality, she should be worried about who would protect me from him. The little act he put on when we first started dating didn't last very long until I saw his true colors. He showed me enough of his temper. I want no part of him, and my mum is aware of his wrath.

The pub erupts in angry shouts, tearing me out of my standoff with my mother. I turn, and dread hits me. The score on the TV displays that our football team lost against a team in Belfast, who is also their biggest rival.

I glance at my mum with the hairs on my arms rising. I mutter, "This isn't good."

Her expression mimics my thoughts. Anytime there's a loss, the pub pays the price. The men drink too much and get rowdy, and tonight is no different. I cringe at the thought of how badly we're already in the hole from the destruction our patrons create when they get emotional over anything, whether it be sports, clan losses, or their frequent over-intoxication.

It's another fight I often have with my mum. If people can't control themselves and respect our property, we should ban them. But she lives by a set of clan rules I find ridiculous. The biggest one is that O'Leary members are always welcome, no matter what happens.

My sinking gut doesn't mislead me. Things turn ugly quickly, with fights erupting all over the bar.

"Stop it! Stop it, all of ya!" my mum shouts, but you can barely hear her.

Caleb and his brothers, Dagon and Grady, are in the middle of everything. They're tossing out punches faster than I can keep track. Blood, beer, and whiskey swirl among sweat.

A pint comes flying toward our heads. I grab my mum and pull her behind the bar, ducking but barely missing the glass before it shatters against the register.

My heart slams against my chest cavity, and more pints crash into shards, bursting everywhere.

"Ouch!" Mum cries out as glass falls over her.

I cover her with my body and lock eyes with my cousin Emily, who's closest to my age and barely peeking between her fingers. I look for my other younger cousins, Jessica and Alison, and find them huddled together on the other side of me.

Time stands still as men's grunts, shouts, and other loud noises surround us. Our security finally breaks up the fights, announcing, "Ya can get up now, lasses. It's safe."

"Mum, you okay?" I question, slowly moving off her and holding up her hand. Blood drips down it, and a piece of glass sits wedged between her palm and wrist.

She puts on a brave face. It's not her first injury, but it only irritates me further. She rises and lifts her chin, glaring at Caleb and his brothers. She claims, "I'm fine."

"Ya aren't."

She yanks her hand out of mine and insists, "I've had worse injuries."

"Ya shouldn't have any!"

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