Page 17 of Vicious Seduction

“Boyo, you know she loves Christmas. Don’t be daft.”

Nana plopped into her own recliner and waved her canein the air. “The girls got out all the other stuff. All I need from you is the tree. That’s not so much to ask.”

“You’re very right, Nana.” I bowed my head with exaggerated contrition. “I’m not sure what came over me.”

She huffed as I returned to my task of fluffing the branches. At least she’d agreed to upgrade to a pre-lit tree two years ago. Stringing the lights up and down every branch the way she insisted it was done was a fucking pain in the ass. And I was a week late getting the tree down from the attic, so I was already walking a fine line. Nana really did love everything about Christmas.

“I know exactly what’s gotten into you,” Nana offered sagely. “You’ve not been the same since Caitlin.”

Great. Here we go.

“It’d be pretty worthless for me not to learn from my mistakes, Nana.”

“Ach, there’s a difference between being cautious and locking away your heart. You, Oran Byrne, have shut out everyone these past months. Caitlin was as crazy as a loon, agreeing to an arranged marriage hoping to tear down our family. It’s rare to come across someone that secretly damaged. T’was a shame, but it won’t happen again. And if you live your life like it might, you let her win. You really want that? Think of how delighted she’d be to know how changed you are.”

Nana wasn’t totally wrong. It really fucking annoyed me, though it shouldn’t because the eighty-five-year-old was somehow always right. And intuitive. Every year, I expected to start seeing signs that the old woman was slipping, and every year, I was relieved to see her as sharp as ever.

“I’m just trying to be smart like you, Nana,” I said with obvious flattery, hoping to tease my way out of the conversation. “I don’t want to be blindsided again.”

“Psh. Tell yourself what you like, but deep down, you knew she was off.”

“Really?” I asked wryly. “And how is it you know what I knew?”

She leaned in, pointing a gnarled finger at me. “Remember last Christmas when your brother mentioned possibly leaving his two little ones with you and Caitlin for a weekend, and you told him you didn’t think that was a good idea? I’ve seen you with those boys, Oran Byrne. You adore them, and you’ve watched them in the past.”

“How did you even know about that conversation?” I would have been more bemused if she hadn’t regularly proved that she had eyes and ears everywhere.

Nana chose to ignore my question. “And then there’s the fact that during your year-long marriage, your mother arranged three girls’ nights, and Caitlin never made it to a single one because you either made other plans for her or didn’t pass along the invitation. Now, you can try to tell me they were coincidences, but you know what I think of those.”

“Codswallop, I know.”

“Exactly. Now, you say you don’t want to get blindsided again, but you had the intuition then, and you have it now. You just need to listen to it. What you’re doing at the moment is forcing everyone out so you don’t have to rely on instinct at all. It’s understandable. Acknowledging doubts about the person you married would be devastating for anyone. Rather than face that again, you’ve shut yourself off. But there’s no need for that extreme. You just have to listen to that little voice when it pipes up.”

“Easier said than done when a slip in judgment could cost someone their life.” I’d lost my father because of Caitlin. She’d given his location to an enemy who gunned him down. Ever since I’d learned she was responsible, I’d carried theburden of knowing he’d still be here if I’d seen through her deception earlier.

“Now you’re just feeling sorry for yourself,” she said flatly.

“No good deed goes unpunished, does it?” I muttered, suddenly wishing I hadn’t stopped by to help her decorate.

“Well, it’s true. Your father chose to live a risky life. We all agreed to the terms of being a Byrne on one level or another. Brody Byrne knew the score as well as anyone. I should know; he was my son.” Her accent thickened as she continued, her voice graveled with age. “You’re telling me if your ma died in a car crash tonight, you’d not drive a car again? Ach, of course you wouldn’t’a. Tis the same to think you can’t trust anyone ever again.”

Hell, she was right.

It was no wonder the woman had been the de facto matriarch of our family for as long as I’d been around. She had a way of seeing things that others couldn’t. She’d taken my perspective of what had unfolded months ago and turned it on its head.

I’d thought my instincts had failed me by not seeing what Caitlin was up to, but Nana was right. Ididhave suspicions, and I didn’t heed them. I hadn’t wanted to admit it because that meant I shared in the blame. It was time to step up and face the truth. I’d been suspicious about Caitlin for months, a cloying discomfort weighing on me whenever I was around her. It wasn’t the same sort of unease I felt around Lina, but fear whispered that it might be just as dangerous. I didn’t want to repeat the same damn mistake as before.

I shook my head. “You never cease to amaze me, Nana.”

“Well, now, Oran. Maybe you are a little slow if you’ve still not caught on that I’m the brains behind this operation.”

A chuckle rumbled from deep in my chest. “I’ll try tocatch up from now on.” Surprised that Paddy hadn’t chimed in, I looked back to find him asleep with his mouth wide open.

“Well, then. If that’s settled,” Nana continued, “tell me more about these plans of yours. I understand you’ve got payback on your mind.” Her eyes glinted with mischief.

“Why, so you can scold me on the pointless nature of revenge?” I teased.

“Agh, don’t be absurd.” She waved her hand at me. “A little vigilante justice is good for the soul and society. Helps cleanse the riffraff from the gene pool.”

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