Page 33 of Villainous Soul

“It’s not that easy,” he said, pacing two steps and then turning around to walk two steps back. “You have to marry him.”

“Ugh, stop skirting the issue. Why would I have to marry him?”

“Because you’ve been promised to him.”

I felt my stomach drop. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Dad made an arrangement with Donovan Sullivan, Cormac’s father.”

“Why would he do that?”

Patrick slumped down in the chair. “Desperation, I suppose. Mom was supposed to marry Donovan. Her parents had made the arrangement. The Boyles and the Sullivans were the most powerful families in Northern Ireland, so when she ran off and eloped with Dad, it caused a huge rift. The Sullivans vowed to get revenge.”

“Dad would have never agreed for me to marry Cormac,” I said in disbelief.

“When Mom was sick, he took several loans out against the pub. He didn’t know that the Sullivans owned the loans, and Donovan had another solution when he couldn’t pay them. He began running his drug money through the bar, laundering it.”

“No, I don’t believe you,” I screamed.

“Evie, there’s more. Dad could no longer pay for Mom’s medical treatment, and he tried reaching out to her parents for help. They wouldn’t answer his phone calls, so he did the only thing he could think of and asked for another loan from the Sullivans. Donovan had a different solution. You would marry Cormac, and we would continue to launder their dirty money.”

I shook my head. “No.”

“He was grasping at straws trying to keep Mom alive.”

“He wouldn’t let me marry into a criminal family, nor would you.”

His green eyes filled with defeat. “We have no choice, and Cormac would never hurt you.”

“I have money. I will pay off the loans,” I said.

“This is not a couple of thousand dollars, Evie. This is millions, and it’s gone way beyond paying them back. They won’t leave us alone until you and Cormac are married.”

“Fuck you, Patrick. Fuck you for even thinking I would do this.” I got up and stormed off. On my way out, I grabbed the champagne bottle and exited by the back door to where my car was parked. I turned my phone off, so he couldn’t track me, and after starting my car, I sped out of the alleyway and onto the street.

* * *

Claire lived in Marina Del Rey, close to LAX. I wasn’t sure where else to go. All I knew was that I couldn’t go home. I knocked on her apartment door, hoping she was there and not out of town for work.

“Evie,” she said, surprised when she opened it and saw me. “Come in.”

I plunked down on her couch, uncorking the bottle of champagne and taking a long draw out of it.

She just stared at me, turning off the television. “I know you’re upset with me, Evie,” she started to explain. “I left texts and messages, but you never returned any of them, and I don’t blame you. Simon told me what happened with Keir Wilson, and I’m so sorry. You have to believe me when I say I had no idea he would change his destination that weekend. I truly thought you were going to Cabo.”

“I don’t care about that.” I told her everything I had just learned concerning my father and brother and trying to marry me off to Cormac Sullivan. “I just can’t believe they would do this to me.” On the way over, my disbelief quickly turned to anger. “Do you have something stronger?” I set the champagne bottle down.

She pulled a bottle of tequila out of the cupboard and poured us each a shot. “You’re not going to go through with it?” She handed me a glass, and I downed it.

“God, no. Are you crazy? I’ll pay off the debts on the pub.”

“Evie, you don’t have that kind of money.” She tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ear and sat down next to me as I poured myself another shot. “You also don’t drink like this.”

“Well, the new me does.” The tequila burned the back of my throat.

“What do you mean the new you?”

“Let’s just say I’m not the same girl I was a few weeks ago. I made a deal with the devil, and it changed me.” The alcohol was taking effect and had definitely emboldened me.

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