Page 30 of Black Wedding

“I hope you haven’t heard anything too bad,” Bree replies as my mother begins leading her up the path, but the door is blocked by my eldest brother, Evan, who now stands next to Finn.

They are both standing there with their hands on their hip, essentially guarding the entrance to the house. Evan is almost a twin version of me, except his physique is leaner from all the running he does, as opposed to the muscles I have. Growing up, people used to think we were twins, as we were born just ten months apart. The scowl and stiff posture don’t match his usual fun, outgoing personality. However, Evan is precisely how I remember him. At twenty-six, he is the oldest child, three years older than me, and has been groomed since birth to follow in my father’s footsteps. As he stands there in a suit, anger rippling through his body and a look of disgust on his face that is aimed at Bree and me, I no longer see the brother I once loved. Instead, all I see is a younger version of the man I have hated my whole life.

I also see the danger directed straight at Bree, and I pull her behind me, so I am directly between her and whatever is about to happen. I stare daggers at my brothers, making it very clear that I will face whatever they have planned, but they will not touch one hair on Bree’s beautiful head.

“Enough of this stupidity. Boys, move out of the way, please,” my mother says, suddenly sounding very tired.

“You were banished, Liam. What makes you think you can step foot back in this house again? And to bring the fucking O’Keenan bitch, you must be suicidal,” Evan spits out, and I can see the fury etched on his face. One hand keeps clenching into a fist while the other hovers precariously over his gun. But we both know I am a much better and faster shooter than him, and I am armed. He would be down before he got his finger on the trigger, which is why he is throwing threats around.

Taking a few deep breaths, I try not to let the anger consume me as I reply, “Bree here is my fiancée, and you will show her some respect. You know that mother insisted he included exceptional circumstances to the banishment, and introducing my fiancée to my family is on the list.”

“If we are following the rules, that means the girls should be here,” Evan states.

“They will be here in the morning and will be staying for tomorrow night only because of the party. After that, we are all out of here. And the girls sleep together in the room next to mine. Is that clear?” My voice is stern as I make my demands very clear.

When Desmond added the exceptional circumstances clause into the banishment, he couldn’t just give my mother what she wanted; he had to try and capitalise on it. So, the only way I can return it is to bring my sisters back too, which is why I have avoided this place for so long. I need to keep them safely away from Desmond and his friends’ wandering eyes and perverted hands.

“We would never hurt the girl,” said Finn quietly, almost like he was afraid to speak, but he wanted me to know that. I gave him a genuine smile before turning back to Evan, who is clearly running things around here now.

“Fine, but no hassle. The first sign of trouble, and I will not hesitate to kill Bree, do you understand?” Evan asks me, and I hear a little laugh coming from behind me. Evan obviously hears it too, and his face morphs into a look of deep displeasure. “Something funny, Hair?” Evan added, looking straight at Bree.

She doesn’t even ask me what the word he uses means, having already deduced it was an insult given the way he spat the word in her direction. On the other hand, I know very well that he just called my girl a whore, but before I can even take a leap forward to beat on the little gobshite, she pulls me back. This time she puts herself in front of me, and I see the smile on my mother’s face. Firecracker is definitely an excellent way to describe Bree.

“Sorry, I was just laughing at your incorrect assumption that you actually could kill me. I may be a girl, but you would be wise not to underestimate me. I come here in peace, not as the future leader of a rival syndicate, but as the girl who is about to marry your brother,” Bree calmly explains, and Finn visibly relaxes. He tries to hide the slight smile, but I see it. My favourite brother is definitely still in there, even if Evan is lost.

“We all know that this is just a business deal, so don’t come in here pretending like your black wedding is real,” Evan grinds out, clearly annoyed that Bree has the balls to stand up to him. It’s not exactly something we are used to seeing. Women don’t live in our world and they most definitely don’t argue with men in high ranking positions. As my fathers heir, Evan is second in command and doesn’t take shit off anyone.

“Actually, we may be getting married for business reasons, but we are in a real relationship. It may not be traditional, but it’s ours. We came here to share it with you, not to be vilified before we even have a chance to step in the building,” replies Bree, as my mother takes over her hand and leads her up the step towards Evan.

“Fine. Father wants to see everyone in his office. Right now,” he adds, and with just one word, everyone around me seems to freeze. My mother looks dejected, Finn looked terrified, Bree looked apprehensive, and I was on edge as Evan basques in our fear. I had hoped we would settle in before facing him, but sometimes it’s better to not put bad shit like this off. So as I take a big deep breath and squeeze Bree’s hand in reassurance, I pull my posture back and clear any sign of emotion from my face. Then, remembering the training from long ago, reluctantly, I converted back into the shell of a man my father insisted I become. I only hope that once Bree sees this side of me, she doesn’t run a mile. I have faith that she will pull me back from the dark place my mind has to occupy whenever I’m in this house.

As we walk through the opulent entrance corridor, I am in awe of the house’s beauty. High ceilings, original features, and bright white walls give off a sleek, clean appearance. The hall leads into a large welcoming room. The most enormous crystal chandelier I have ever seen is hanging above us. The sweeping staircase is covered in white and grey marble, making it look lustrous and grand. Evan leads us to the right, and we all follow in uncomfortable silence.

The further into the house we get, the darker the decor becomes, and our moods begin to match as well. With every step we take, each Doughty seems to change a little more. They all have rigid, straight postures, like someone has shoved a pole up their ass, and they have no choice but to stand tall. Yet, they don’t hold their chin high. Instead, they are all looking towards the floor. The more I glance at Liam, I watch as his eyes glaze over, and it’s like I am watching them all turn into mindless zombies.

We reach a closed door, and Evan knocks twice, loud and firm, before returning his demeanour to match that of his family. As soon as Evan’s fist connects with the door for a second time, Liam gently pulls me behind him and lets go of my hand. I try to grab it again, but he doesn’t let me. Finn takes a step towards us, and at first, I am worried. I haven’t been able to read whether he is a danger like his older brother or a victim like his sweet mother. But as he stands side by side with Liam, both blocking me from the danger behind the door, I decide he maybe is a victim. Although, there’s still a chance of him turning, I will need to remain vigilant around him.

I open my mouth to speak to Liam, mostly asking for his hand back as I need to feel his warmth and strength, but as soon as the first sound leaves my lips, both Liam and Finn turn and shoot me with the most evil stare I have ever seen. At that moment, they look like twins, with the same dark and dangerous eyes.

A loud booming voice with a heavy Irish lilt shouts through the door, breaking our staredown. “Enter!”

Evan opens the door, and one by one, we file into the large office. The feminine, lustrous white decor that fills the house is nowhere to be seen in this room. Instead, dark mahogany covers the walls, the bookshelves, and the large desk that takes up most of the room. It’s dark and foreboding from the minute you enter the room.

Liam’s father, Desmond Doughty, sits behind the large desk, leaning backwards in his wide office chair. There is only one seat on this side of the desk, and I wait for Von to take it, but nobody does. Instead, Desmond stares at us all with large, dark eyes. Desmond looks good for his age, he is what some girls would refer to as a silver fox. He clearly keeps in shape and looks well-groomed in his posh black suit. His grey hair and matching beard are trimmed stylishly and distract from the dark eyes and slightly too large nose, not to mention the frown lines. But when you look at him, you don’t see any of that. Instead, it is just the evil scowl that accompanies his sinister stare.

With Desmond’s slight nod of the head, Evan takes the only seat in the room, and my conscience tells me I should say something. But, luckily, the sensible part of my brain is winning today, so I keep quiet and remain hidden behind the boys.

“I see the prodigal son has returned,” Desmond sneers towards Liam, who just remains still and silent. “Why don’t you introduce me to my new daughter-in-law? That’s the reason you’re here, isn’t it?”

“Father, this is Brianna O’Keenan.” His voice remains monotone as both he and Finn take a small step to the side, revealing me to Desmond. Although, I notice they both remain partially in front of me, and make no move indicating I should approach him to shake his hand. Especially since he didn’t offer it. It doesn’t escape my attention that Liam doesn’t introduce Desmond. Maybe it’s some weird power thing? I will stay silent until I know what is going on.

“Hello, Mr. Doughty. Nice to meet you,” I reply, trying to sound as cheerful as I possibly can in a room full of monotone zombies.

From the second Desmond gets a glimpse of me, his dark gaze that was already sinister takes on an even worse tone. His glare reminds me of how a starving person would look at a chocolate cake, like he wants to devour me. Liam clenches his fist in front of me, but I’m the only one who sees it because Liam is always in my line of sight. To Desmond, his clone army is still standing perfectly still, void of anything, but I saw Liam’s flicker of emotion. That protective instinct he has towards me is still there, so I know I can bringmyLiam back.

“Well, well, well. Aren’t you a pretty little thing? Thank God you look more like your mother than that eejit of a father you have. Though the red hair is unexpected. Maybe your mother was friendly with a redheaded member of staff?” he asks, and I know there is no point in replying to his bullshit. He is just trying to wind me up. Liam seems to quietly release the breath he is holding when he realises I am reluctantly staying silent.

“They have come to celebrate their engagement. I have arranged the party for tomorrow, as you instructed,” says Von, her voice shaking as she speaks. I want to move to her and give her my strength, but I am quickly learning that if everyone else is as still as a statue, I should be as well.

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