Page 18 of The Mech Who Loved Me
"I'll let you die," he whispered, "though I can't watch it. Ican't."Not again. He'd seen men die a hundred times over in the enclaves and he wasn't certain what was better—a sudden, brutal accident, or this long, slowdecline.
First his brother, then his uncle on his mother's side. The Kincaid men laughed at the Kincaid curse in a show of bravado, but it was only when he was alone his laughter turned bitter andhollow.
"I won't ask you to," Ian said gently, and that was even worse, because it should have been him comforting his uncle—not the other way around. "I know what it cost you to hear of William'sdeath."
Will's face flashed into mind, pale and gasping for lack of breath, his dark eyes pleading. Kincaid hadn't been able to say goodbye, as the enclaves had only granted him one day of leave to visit his brother before the end—and the end came shortly after, Will slipping away before Kincaid even knewaboutit.
It was a kind death. A merciful one, Orla said. But he felt the weight of it on his soul everydamnedday.
"You should find some joy with your girl," Ian said breathlessly. "It's a long, lonelylife,Liam—"
"Or a short one," he said brutally, shaking his head. "And I find joy on a regularbasis."
"An anonymous roll in the hay's all well and good... butthat'snot—"
"It's the sort of thing that doesn't destroy people’s lives. I provide a widow or two with a bit of fun on a lonely night, and I don't make promises I don't intend to keep. It works for all of us. But Ava's not... not like the others. She's the type of girl who wants things I can'toffer."
"Likelove?"
"Like a husband, a home, and a family," he saidbluntly.
"You could give her allthree."
"It would be better if the bloody curse died with me, so let it. I promised myself nochildren."
"It's only... a bit of bad luck," Ian said, with a cough. "No such thing as curs... curses—" He broke into a hackingcough.
Kincaid hastily reached for the glass of water on the side table, and helped his uncle sit up just enough to sip it. Ian spluttered until the fit finallysubsided.
Lowering him back down, he tucked the blankets up underIan'schin.
"Curse or not, I can't offer her a future." Pressing a kiss to his uncle's forehead, he pushed away from the bed. "I'll fetch Orla for you." Then he strode from the room, and nearly flattenedpoorOrla.
"What are you arguing with him about?" shedemanded.
"Nothing."
"If you've set him offagain—"
"He's fine." Kincaid shoved his hands into his pockets, shuttering the sorrow that punched inside his chest like a fist trying to hammer its way out. His voice softened and he barely got the words out. "I agreed to lethimdie."
"Oh,Liam."
He shook her off and tugged his money pouch out of his pocket. Orla started to protest, as he'd expected. "Shut up and take it. He's my blood too. And you need to paytherent."
Ignoring the suspicious gleam in her eyes—Orla never cried—he folded her fingers around the coins he poured into her palm, and forced her toacceptthem.
"You're a good man, Liam Kincaid, and don't ever let anyone else tell you otherwise,"shesaid.
He tugged on the end of her braid with a sad smile, hoping she didn't see through him. "Stop ruining my reputation. I'm a devil, and the ladies love meforit."
That earned him a narrowed look. He'd grown up with her, and they could read each other likebooks.
"What?" he demanded, opening up a new script, one that was easier to deal with than theotherone.
"And does herself downstairs love youforit?"
Bloody hell. Not Orla too. He should never have brought Ava here. "It's not like that." He scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "We worktogether—"
