Page 94 of Shameless Royalty

The fuck?

“That’s not—” I break off, shaking my head, trying to piece my fucking reality back together. “That’s not what she told me.”

Da chuckles again, but it’s quieter this time. “Aye, well. Not the most romantic of stories to tell your children, now is it?”

I stare at him, my thoughts racing, my entire fucking understanding of my parents’ relationship cracking like shattered glass. I shake my head, completely fucking lost. “What the fuck do you mean, you were sent to kill her?”

He breathes out a long sigh and, sets his glass down. “She was married to Michael O’Connell. Head of the O’Connell family.”

My stomach fucking drops.

O’Connell.

A rival family.

Adeadrival family.

I’ve heard the stories—how they were wiped out years ago, how no one even dares to mention their name anymore. I just never fucking knew why. Or that my own mother had been married to the fucking head. Da watches as I piece it together, his green eyes sharp and knowing.

“She was the enemy’s weakness,” he says simply. “And I was sent to put a bullet in her head.”

My pulse thunders in my ears, and my breath comes a little too fast. “But… you didn’t.”

He shakes his head, a small, almost wistful smirk tugging at his lips. “No. Icouldn’t.”

I swallow hard, my mind still struggling to fucking comprehend. “Why?”

Da tilts his head slightly. “Same reason you can’t let go of Malachi.”

His words slam into me, knocking the breath right out of my chest. I open my mouth, then close it, shaking my head. “That’s not—”

“It is,” he cuts in, his voice firm. “You think I don’t see it? You think I don’t recognize what’s happenin’ to you?” He exhales sharply, his gaze turning more serious. “I’ve been there, Connor. Standin’ in front of a person I was supposed to end, feelin’ my whole fuckin’ world shift beneath my feet, knowin’ that if I walked away, I’d be changin’ my whole goddamn life.”

I stare at him, my chest tight, my heart pounding. I always knew my parents had a story. I just never knew it was this one.

He shakes his head, rubbing at his jaw. “I took her and ran. The O’Connells never forgave her. My own fuckin’ father didn’t speak to me for years. But I knew. I knew if I walked away, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.”

My throat feels dry, my hands clenching at my sides. “And you don’t regret it?”

He looks at me, his expression softening just slightly. “Not for a single fuckin’ second.”

I exhale sharply, my whole body tight with something I don’t even know how to name. I don’t know what I expected when I came here. I don’t know how I expected my father to react. But this? This wasn’t it.

He leans against the bar, watching me closely. “So, tell me, son. Before you stand there and tell me I wouldn’t understand, ask yourself this.” He pauses, his voice dropping lower. “Are you ready to do the same?”

I inhale slowly, exhaling through my nose, my mind racing.

Am I? Am I ready to risk everything for Malachi?

I already fucking know the answer.

I chose him.

And I’d choose him again.

The second I walked into Malachi’s room and saw those bruises on his face, the second I knelt at his feet and held onto him like he was the only thing keeping me fucking sane—

I chose him.

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