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Not our Gibs.
He took ahold of that stage like he was the headlining show. He could move his body like nothing I’d ever seen. His coordination was phenomenal, and he seemed to feel the rhythm in his bones.
He didn’t put a foot wrong throughout, and even when Claire faltered on her solo, he was right there to spin her back into the rhythm, taking on the lead in a dance that would see them win the entire tournament.
It was a complicated pattern, one way more advanced than their age, but they nailed it. Not only did they nail it but they nailed it with smiles on their faces.
Ignoring their much older competition, Gibs and Claire glided across the floor, taking on the complicated dance routine like it was second nature to them. They kept their eyes on each other the whole time, dancing for each other and not the judges. I thought their dedication to one another on the stage might be why the cabinets at home were bursting to the seams with trophies and medals.
When the song ended and the dancers froze in their final positions, the cheers from the crowd were deafening. Everyonewas on their feet, clapping and whistling their approval, and as I predicted, Claire and Gibsie were quickly crowned the winners.
“Yes, Thor!” Lizzie screamed at the top of her lungs when one of the judges placed a medal around Gibsie’s neck, while another thrust an enormous trophy into his hands. “You’re the champion!” Hooting and hollering like a maniac for her friend, she bounced on her feet before flicking her attention to my sister, who was receiving her matching silverware and screamed, “You’re the best, Claire!”
When they finally left the stage and Liz flopped back down on the blanket, she had a smile on her face as big as the moon. “I’m so proud of them.” Her eyes were sparkling with excitement. “That was the best thing I’ve ever seen.” With her legs sprawled out in front of her, Liz planted her hands on the blanket behind her to support her weight as she continued to speak to me.
I tried to listen, but I couldn’t concentrate on anything except the way Mark kept playing with her braid.
Lizzie didn’t seem to notice, she was too engrossed in whatever she was saying, but I did.
I noticed, and I didn’t like it.
Not one bit.
I tried to keep smiling and ignore it, because he’d been in Lizzie’s life so long that he was practically her brother, and I, myself, often ruffled my sister’s curls with playful affection. But Icouldn’tseem to shake off the protective feeling roaring to life inside of me. Maybe it was because I knew just how badly Mark bullied Gibsie and seeing him near Liz made me feel protective, or maybe it was something else, but I couldn’t shake off the bad feeling.
When he pushed her braid aside and placed his hand at the nape of her neck, I felt myself snap. “What are you doing to my friend?”
My voice was loud enough to startle both Caoimhe and Liz, who looked at me like I’d lost my mind. Meanwhile, Mark arched a brow at me. “What?”
“With your hand,” I argued, voice rising right along with my temper. “You’re touching her.”
“What are you talking about?” Mark shot back, looking taken aback. His gaze flicked to Liz who had a blank expression on her face before returning to me. “I’m not doing anything.”
“I’m not blind, asshole,” I instructed, gesturing to where he was still gripping Lizzie’s neck. “Take your hand off my friendnow.”
His brows shot up in surprise and he quickly dropped his hand. “Relax, Biggs. I was only playing with her.” He nudged Lizzie’s shoulder before adding, “Isn’t that right, munchkin?”
“Yep,” Liz replied, looking at me like she didn’t understand why I was annoyed. “Mark always plays games with me.”
“Aw, look at you, getting all protective and jealous over my baby sister,” Caoimhe cooed, clearly thinking this was hilarious. “Don’t worry, Hugo Boss-Man, the whole of Ballylaggin knows Lizzie’s heart belongs to you.”
Ignoring them both, I looked at Lizzie. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she replied, looking up at me with confusion. “Are you?”
“Yeah,” I muttered, attention flicking back to Caoimhe and Mark, who were both laughing at me like I was a stupid child.
I wasn’t.
I knew all about Mark Allen and how he liked to hit kids. Kids younger and weaker than him. I also knew if he eventhoughtabout pushing Liz around like he did Gibs, I was going to lose my mind.
I saw the bruises he’d left on my friend when he beat him up. He might have had everyone else tricked into thinking he was the golden boy of Ballylaggin, but he couldn’t fool me. Andunlike Gibsie, I had no problem calling him out on his bullshit. I had done just that on countless occasions but to no avail, because he was a clever bastard who had managed to pull the wool over his stepmother’s eyes.
Thing was, I didn’t care if anyone believed me; I was more than willing to keep screaming his indiscretions from the rooftops.
Narrowing my eyes, I glared at Mark, while mentally promising,One of these days, the grown-ups are going to see your true colors, and when that day comes, I’ll be right there to watch your fall from grace.
SACRED VOWS, SCARY LADIES, AND SECRETIVE SISTERS
