Page 46 of The Celtic Resolution
“So you haven’t been investigating me and my people?” Rocky yells. “You haven’t been daring to tarnish my family'sstruggling reputation with disgusting accusations about having our hands in the skin trade? After everything I’ve done for you, after everything we’ve done for each other, I thought you would have treated me better than this.”
Cormac shoots me a furious glare but continues to try and calm Rocky down.
My heart rate increases painfully. Skin trade? Rocky knows what I’ve been up to? But surely he knows that I’ve been trying to help him, not accuse him? I’ve been careful not to point fingers at anyone specific, even in our own family. Unless he’s taking the Italian involvement personally but that can’t be denied.
Just behind Rocky and Cormac’s explosive argument stands Domenico Del Prete. He takes up the entire doorway and seems completely unfazed by the argument until Cian surges forward and grabs Cormac’s arm as if he fears fists are about to fly.
“Rocky, please.” Evelyn attempts to defuse the argument. “Can’t we talk about this? You know us. There has to be some misunderstanding here.”
“Are you calling me a liar?” he yells. “Have you not been investigating my family, huh?”
There’s a beat of silence. Will Cormac lie?
“We have,” Cormac admits. “But it’s not what you think.”
“Bullshit!” Rocky throws his hands in the air. “I trusted you, Cormac. I fucking trusted you. Why wouldn’t you just come and talk to me if you had any sort of suspicion? After everything we’ve been through, have I not earned that?”
“Listen to yourself,” Cormac snaps. “Coming to you with a rumor is a waste of both our time. I took steps to solidify the truth before alerting anyone although your reaction is making it feel like you’re pretty fucking guilty about something!”
“You son of a bitch!” Rocky surges forward but he’s stopped by one of his guards. “You take that back!”
“Rocky, it’s my fault!” I hurry up a few steps and try to redirect his anger. “I was the one with the information and I was trying to be delicate because this is… this?—”
Words fail me when Bruno appears next to his father. We lock eyes and in this instant, I suddenly understand. There’s only one way Rocky could have learned what I was up to. Only one way that the truth could become so twisted. If Rocky knew the truth then he’d know I was trying to protect him but instead, he seems under the impression that we’re the ones spreading the rumors to frame him.
What the fuck did Bruno do?
My silence gives Rocky a chance to reignite his argument with Cormac until Domenico steps forward.
“Leave,” he says coldly to Cormac. “And take your ilk with you. Consider this the end of any alliance between our families but in respect for the help you have given us in the past, I will allow you all to leave without bloodshed.”
Evelyn, while glaring at Domenico, gets her hands on Cormac and shoves him backward. While her presence is enough to defuse the fight, anger simmers between them like the charge before a storm and Cormac suddenly redirects his anger toward me.
“What the fuck!” he yells. “Quietly. I ordered you to handle this quietly!”
I have no words.
Cian rushes past me down the steps after Cormac and I’m left standing there with my heart hammering. Rocky is dragged back inside by Domenico and the doors almost close if not for Bruno standing there.
The cold grasp of betrayal steals around my heart.
“Saoirse.” Bruno steps toward me.
“What the fuck have you done?” I hiss, pouring every ounce of anger into my words. “What thefuck?”
“I can’t— it’s not my fault, I’m sorry okay? It just slipped out, I don’t know what happened!”
“I do! I know what happened. You’re a rat, you’re a fucking rat!”
“No, Saoirse please, that's not— we were just talking and I don’t know what happened, Saoirse. He was finally listening to me and the next thing I know, I’m telling him about you and your investigation?—”
“Ourinvestigation!” I yell. “One heart to heart with your absent father and you throw me to the fucking wolves?”
“It’s not like that! It just all got out of hand. Suddenly he was calling Rocky and thanking me, and everything was happening so fast.”
“Saoirse!” Cian yells from the street, waiting beside the car. “Get down here!”
“You couldn’t even warn me.” My heart’s pounding so fast that my legs wobble as I take a step down. “You fucking traitor.”
