Page 137 of Fix You

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Maeve

As I lay across the backseat of the SUV, I couldn’t see anything but the river of blood running from Murphy’s mutilated body. Regardless of how many times I tried pushing it from my mind, it remained emblazoned behind my eyes. My body shook with the force of my sobs, sending the SUV swaying. I kept right on crying through Aldo putting two suitcases of my things in the back. I didn’t stop until we arrived at the Shelborne.

“Ms. Kavanaugh, Mr. Neretti wants you to stay here until he can arrive,” Pauly said gently.

I didn’t respond. Instead, I remained curled up in a fetal position on the bench seat.

The door opened, and Pauly gently drew me into his arms. It was then I noticed we weren’t at the front of the hotel. Just like the night I’d broken down outsideBandia, I was being taken in the backdoor.

Aldo stayed close by Pauly’s side with his gun drawn. When we reached the suite, Pauly took me on through to the bedroom and gently laid me down on the mattress. “I’m so very, very sorry, Ms. Kavanaugh.”

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“Don’t you worry. Mr. Neretti will make it right.”

I didn’t reply.

It wasn’t that I was choosing to ignore him. It was because deep down I knew what Pauly said was untrue. There was no way for Rafe to make it right. He couldn’t bring Murphy back.

But at present, my sorrow ran much deeper than Murphy's loss. It had been flashing like neon in my mind for the last half hour.

Rafe couldn’t stop the cycle of revenge from Caruso.

Caruso wasn’t going to stop until someone got seriously hurt if not killed.

I couldn’t let that happen.

I’d lost too much in my life to lose one of my brothers or Mam at his hands. Even if he took one of their lives, Caruso wouldn’t stop unless Rafe married Andrea. We would have no peace as a couple or as a family unless Rafe honored his contract.

What I had to do was going to kill me emotionally, but at least I would still be here and so would the ones I loved.

At the knock on the door, I croaked, “Yes?”

Aldo poked his head in the room. “I thought you might like to have your phone.”

“Thank you,” I replied.

With a nod, he came over to the bed and handed it to me. The harsh smell of bleach assaulted my nose. Cringing, I realized it made sense considering I’d dropped it into Murphy’s blood.

After he left the bedroom, I stared at the home screen. It was a picture of Rafe and me that I'd taken as we strolled through Central Park after dinner at Jean-Georges. The happy smiles in front of me grew wavy as I realized what I had to do.

Pulling myself upright, I scrolled through the contacts in my phone. While there were no Kavanaughs in Dublin, there were members of the Byrne clan, of which Mam’s father had been the clan leader.

As I dialed the number, my chest clenched so tight I fought to breathe. “Dia duit, is Brian mé.”

“Hey Brian, it’s Maeve.”

“Kavanaugh?”

“Aye, that’s the one.”

A pause came on the line. “I can’t imagine you’re calling just to say hello,” he said cautiously.

“No, I’m not. I need your help.”

Without even stopping to consider it, he replied, “I swore to Callum and aunt Orla I would look out for you while you were in Dublin. I suppose it’s time to live up to my promise.”

“Your honor to the family will not be overlooked.”

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