Page 63 of Redemption

I’m opening the last one when Lorcan dumps the others into the envelope and says, “We’ve gotta go. I need to relock this drawer.”

Jade’s final passport is in my hand. She’s younger in the photo, and the passport is close to expiring. It’s not her picture or the date that causes the low whistle to escape me, it’s the name. “Well fuck me,” I whisper. My gut clenches. “I know who she is. We need to get to Belfast.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Carys

We’reseatedinourown section of the quiet, upscale restaurant, and we’ve been here for hours. We’ve exhausted the polite chitchat topics, and Jade’s bodyguards have rotated out, so everyone has had a chance to eat. The bill has been paid, and we’re sipping our tea and coffee. Used cotton napkins litter the gray tablecloth.

Jay slouches back in his seat and pats his stomach. “I’m not sure I’ve got any more room in here.”

Jade’s phone pings, and her rueful smile slips when she glances at whatever is on the screen. She taps her manicured nail on the case and seems to be running something through her head. She types out a quick message and drops her phone into her purse.

“You okay?” I peer at her, trying to read her mood. She’s been quiet and reserved during the meal—more observer than participant.

“Lucas. That’s your son, right?” She meets my gaze, but there’s been a shift in her brown eyes. The open naivety is gone, replaced with a more sinister slant. The directness of her question is surprising. Despite the amount of time we’ve spent together, our talks have been superficial. Until this minute, I hadn’t even noticed. A frisson of unease snakes down my spine. Kim, who has been lounging beside me, sits up straighter.

“He is, yes.” Lucas isn’t a secret, though I have been very careful not to video chat with him in my room or anywhere people might overhear.

“But Finn’s not the father?” She cocks her head, and her chestnut hair swishes around her shoulders.

“He’ll be his father in every way that counts.” I sip my wine and flick my gaze to Jay to check if he feels the heaviness in the air too. Alert. Listening carefully. We’ve noticed the unspoken swing in power. I focus on Jade. She’s fishing for something, but I’m not sure what.

“Eric, right? Eric is Lucas’s father.”

“Biological, yes.”

“Hmm…” She drums her fingers on the table, her nails making a soft tap on the cloth. “How did he die?”

Kim’s eyes narrow, and she tucks her phone into her pocket. She’s read the new tension too. Behind Jade, three of her bodyguards appear.

Did Finn and Lorcan get caught? Kim checked her phone almost an hour ago and gave me the nod to tell me the search was done. Something has tilted, and not in our favor. Anxiety pools in my stomach. None of us has dared to look at our phones while Jade’s been at the table with us for fear of tipping our hand. Even Jay has kept his in his pocket.

“Eric was shot in Russia during a raid on a house my father owns.” The details are public knowledge, and the way she’s behaving, she must already have the particulars.

“By whom?” A hint of a smirk appears on her face. This is not the same woman I’ve spent so much time with the last week and a half. This is the woman Kim and Finn warned me about.

“I—I don’t know.” I shrug.

“Mmm. You never bothered to find out? The father of your only child and you dismiss his death like it’s nothing?”

I clench my jaw. “You don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”

“What if I told you Finn shot him?” Her gaze is calculating, angling for a reaction.

“He didn’t.” I narrow my eyes.

“Oh, Carys. You poor, naïve soul. I almost feel bad for what’s coming.Almost.” She rises from her chair and drops some bills on the table. “If only Eric had lived, you would have known what to expect. Of course, you would have been afraid this whole time.” She grins. “Would’ve been glorious as far as I’m concerned.” She sighs. “Finn’s bullet put a wrench in my plans, so I sent you a going away present to your office.” She stares at me a beat, waiting for me to catch up. “I must have watched the security footage a million times.” Her Irish accent is gone, and in its place is one I don’t recognize. Not American. European of some sort.

“The confetti bomb,” I whisper.

Kim draws her gun, leveling it at Jade. The three men behind her point their guns at each of us. “I could kill you and save us all some trouble.”

Jade tsks. “Murdering me wouldn’t solve your problems. Oh, sweetheart. The path is set. Finn didn’t mention how empty the mansion was today? The pawns are in place. If you’re dead, because you tried to take me out, who’s going to rescue Lucas, Rosa, Luciana, Sofia, and Lena?” She shifts her gaze from Kim to me. “The walls have closed in, and you didn’t even see them moving.”

I want to scream at her, try to call her bluff, but the woman rising from her seat across from me isn’t the person who walked in here after a day of shopping. She’s cool and calculated. Whatever version of her this is, it’s real. All pretenses are gone.

Her bodyguards circle her, creating a protective barrier for her to make her exit. Their guns are still raised, and the few other customers in the restaurant cower under the tables. The restaurant staff is absent. Has someone already called the police? If Jade’s threat is real, we have to get everyone moved no matter what we have to do to accomplish it. My body runs hot and cold, and I dig into my purse for my phone.

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