Page 41 of Stolen Mafia Vows
“Is Kyle home?” No answer. My brain cells are scrambling to find a way out of this situation; it’s all my fault. I was supposed to be there with her. “He’s not back yet, is he?”
“Emily…” I can hear the desperation clawing at my name. “I’ve got to go.”
“We’ll send a car for you! Sienna, don’t go anywhere?—”
My screen goes black as my battery dies.
8
EOGHAN
Emily stares at me,wide-eyed, like a frightened animal cornered by a predator. At the moment, she looks so young, so bewildered, that I’m at once filled with the overwhelming need to protect her and burning rage at her family for not allowing her some independence. How did they think that she would cope with real life, if real life had been presented to her in a neat package tied up with a pretty red bow?
Got a problem, sweetheart? Don’t worry, your brothers and I will fix it.
They might have sent her off to college when she was eighteen, but I can imagine she had an invisible security detail following her every move, and the instant shit got real, Mommy and Daddy stepped in. I will protect her with my life. I’ve already made that promise to Emily and to myself, but she has no idea that the Byrnes and the Murrays flirt with danger on every fucking street corner.
Still, this is not the time to question her family’s parenting skills.
She needs me to take control.
“I’ll call home. My Gran will be there. She can arrange for a car to get Sienna to the hospital.” I’m already sliding my phone from my pocket.
“I should’ve been there with her.” Emily’s voice is small, scared.
“You can’t think about that, Emily.”
She doesn’t look at me. She blames herself when I know that this is all my fault. I shouldn’t have brought her to Scotland. I should’ve insisted on taking her home. Only, I had no idea that the baby was due now.
Emily tries to switch her phone back on, a groan escaping her lips when nothing happens.
Before I can dial the landline number for our house, my phone vibrates with an incoming call. My father.
“Pa?” I force a smile and shake my head reassuringly when Emily’s eyes grow even wider.
“Eoghan. Where are you, son?”
“I’m on my way home.” I deliberately keep the lie vague.
I’d hoped that, after our recent conversation at the golf course, the news of our marriage would’ve been received with excitement and enthusiasm, but my gut is screaming at me that this isn’t the right time to tell him.
“Stay there and don’t do anything without running it by me first. Do you understand?”
“Why?What’s happened?”
The pause is excruciating. I can feel my father’s negative energy radiating through the phone.
“Your brother has been shot.”
“Ruairi?” Emily’s gaze snaps to meet mine when I repeat his name. “Is he… How bad is it?”
“It’s bad.” Silence. “He’s dead.”
There’s a click, and my father is gone.
I stare at the phone. My mouth is dry, and I can’t feel any part of my body. I’m not even sure I heard him correctly.
“Eoghan?” Emily covers my hand with hers, the diamonds in the ring creating spangles in the sunlight. “What’s happened?” The color has drained from her face, and I realize that she probably looks how I feel.
