Page 10 of The Celtic Resolution
“Oh, Bruno.” Mary guides me backward with her gentle hands until my knees hit the edge of the bed and I’m forced to sit. She sets aside her bag and shrugs off her coat as she speaks. “He cares about you.”
“You don’t need to pretend.”
“I’m not pretending! He does care.” Mary buries her hands in her bag in search of something. “He’s just…” She pauses and glances at me through the parted curtain of her hair. “I think he’s in shock that you’re back.”
“Most parents would welcome their kid with open arms if they hadn’t seen them in fourteen years.”
“Sure, but we’re not most families,” Mary replies. “Plus, things have been… insane. But I know he cares. He just needs time.”
I can’t hold back my scoff of disbelief. “How much more time can he possibly need?”
Mary sighs as she pulls several cotton balls, some bandages, and a small tube of antiseptic cream from her purse. “You told me you were banged up, but I didn’t know it was this bad, so I only brought these.”
“I didn’t expect you to come at all.”
“Of course I came!” She sits beside me on the bed and snatches up one of my hands. “I’m glad you’re back and safe. I’ve missed you.”
“Thanks, Sis.”
“And Dad has too. I think he’s just… ashamed of how things went down.”
“What?” Despite the pain radiating through my ribs when I breathe and the sharp pull of my split lower lip each time I talk, Mary’s words somehow hurt more. “How can he possibly be ashamed?”
“You… you were caught with all those stolen drugs, Bruno. And you killed a cop. You broke a lot of rules.”
It hits me like a tidal wave. After all these years, Mary still doesn’t know the truth about what happened that night. And why would she? There’s no world in which he would admit to those crimes, or the fact that he allowed me to take the blame in some misguided attempt to get him to notice me.
I was such a fool thinking he’d be proud of me for protecting him. I was just a scapegoat. “Yeah,” I say eventually. “Guess I broke a lot of rules.”
“Let’s not talk about him,” Mary decides, releasing my hand.
“Because you want to tell me he cares while also sneaking out to see me because you’re worried?”
She narrows her eyes and pouts. “Maybe.”
“Tell me again he cares about me?” It’s a lame joke, one that hurts because deep down, that’s all I want. Fourteen years in prison did nothing to soften the urge of the boy eager for his father’s approval.
“That’s not theonlyreason I shouldn’t be here,” Mary replies stiffly. She focuses on the cotton in her hand and unscrews a bottle of water from her bag. “Now stay still.”
I remain obediently still as she starts to clean up my face, her brows knitting together as she studies me. “What’s the other reason?”
Her fingers hesitate against my cheek and she can’t look me in the eye as she continues. “You… remember what I wrote to you about?”
My heart sinks and I catch her wrist. “Mary, please tell me you came here with security.”
“Why should I?” She snatches her hand away then grasps my chin and forces me to look away while she cleans up blood around my eyebrow. “The serial killer is dead. It’s all sorted. And why should I be scared to go out just because some psychopath bore a grudge against blonde women? He’s dead. Rocky made sure of that. So I have nothing to fear.”
Receiving her letter last year was terrifying. I’ve missed out on so much of Mary’s life, but to learn that a serial killer hungry for Rocky’s fiancée, Sarah, was targeting blonde women and happened to attack Mary was horrifying. In one letter, I nearly lost the chance to ever see my sister again. It was excellent motivation, however, to rock my appeal and gain early release.
“I’m not saying you have to be scared,” I say softly. “You’re my little sister and it’s my job to worry about you even from behind bars. You shouldn’t go anywhere without security.”
“I’m not a child.”
“Mary.” I turn to face her and catch her wrist, not letting her pull away this time. “There are more dangers out there than him. Promise me you will call security before you leave and you won’t do something this reckless again!”
“Hey, you texted me!” she snaps back. “I didn’t have to come!”
“I didn’t ask you to. I can take care of myself!”
