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“Ma couldn’t afford the lifestyle she wanted to live, and after sellin’ all our things, we left our home so that Ma could move onto a new man. She tried to sell the castle, but she couldn’t.”
“And why not?” I ask, none of this making any sense.
“Because it wasn’t hers to sell. It’s yours, Puck. Da left everythin’ to you.”
The room spins, and I grip onto the table, scared I’m going to faint like a wee pussy.
“Here.” She offers a plastic cup of water, which I throw back as best I can while still cuffed.
“Cian came to see ye with a lawyer. But ya kept refusin’ to see anyone. The castle now sits abandoned, a place where kids go, expectin’ to see the Kelly ghosts.”
I can’t tell her why. I can’t tell her that was the deal I made to keep them all safe.
“I’m sorry, but there are things ya don’t understand.”
“Explain them then,” she poses, refusing to back down.
When I don’t elaborate, she shakes her head, a
“Ya think we could all just move on without ya? Like ye never existed? Well, we couldn’t. We didn’t want to. I know Co
I shift uncomfortably. I don’t want to talk about this. But Ha
“But neither is Brody Doyle.”
“Don’t talk about things ya don’t understand,” I gently warn as she’s bringing up memories I wish to forget.
Her tenacity makes me bleedin’ proud, even though I want to wring her neck.
“Officer, take me back to my ce—”
“No, not this time,” Ha
Looking over the paper, I see the test results I last saw ten years ago. I don’t know what’s changed. “Whose is it then? If it’s not Co
Ha
Why did she pause? Does she know what I did?
“It’s taken me ten years to find this, but I knew he was still alive. At first, I thought it was a ghost. Or that I was seein’ things. But when Ethan disappeared without tellin’ me where he was, I knew there was only place he’d be.”
“Ha
We flinch as the touch is foreign to us both.
Tears trickle down her cheeks as she passes me a leather-bound journal. There is a ribbon bookmarking the page she wants me to read.
“Read that and tell me what ya think.”
I have no idea what I’m about to read. I have no idea how this will change my life forevermore.
He will find out what I did. Sooner or later, he’ll know that I killed her. He’ll know that Cara died because she found out I was dealing to the Catholics. To the Doyles. She betrayed me after she told me she loved me. After she promised she’d never leave me. That I was the one she wanted, not him.
She was going to leave him, she told me so. But she lied. She was going to leave us both. All she wanted was to save her wain. That’s all she cared for. I couldn’t let her go. She had to die. She’d have told Co So I killed her, asking the Doyles to help me. Brody knew what that would do to Co I told Co
Her secret would destroy me, and I couldn’t allow that. I couldn’t allow her to ruin everything I worked so hard for. But there is no such thing as no strings attached with the Doyles and Brody has become greedy, seeing there is profit in Northern Ireland. He’s threatened to tell Punky what I did, so I have to take care of it…again. That wee hallion is in too deep. I know it was him who killed Aidan and Hugh, he painted their faces just like his. He trusts me. He shouldn’t. I watch him when he sleeps, he looks so much like Cara. So much like me… I will ask Brody to lie, ask him to tell Punky that he is his father as I need Punky to hate Co Brody will agree because he thinks he’ll benefit from this too. I’ve been in business with him for years. He trusts me. This won’t fail. He believes if he does what I say, he and I will share Belfast together. But there is room for only one leader. I was the one sending our men to Brody. They trusted me as Co She confided in me, thinking she was doing the right thing. But all she did was let me in on Brody’s plan—he wants me dead. He doesn’t trust me as I thought he did, and so he shouldn’t. He, Punky, he was always Brody’s backup plan. Brody has what I want—Dublin. And I have what he wants—Belfast. But now that I know, I have the upper hand over everyone. I will rule both Belfast and Dublin, and no one will stand in my way. There was never going to be a partnership. Punky’s loyalty will either get him killed or sent to prison. I’m fine with either outcome. The ambush will play out how I plan it. I will “die,” allowing everyone to believe the Kelly name is dead. But a smart predator awaits their prey. I’m pretty certain Punky will bring Co Punky is headstrong and smart—I need someone I can control. Brody will believe he’s won, but I have a plan…just how I did with Co And when I do, it’s then when I’ll strike. It doesn’t matter if it takes five, ten years. I’m going to build my own empire, and when it’s impenetrable, I will be king. No more coming second best. Co Forgive me, Cara, I needed a fall guy, and that guy is Punky…our son. Although I’ve seen the words with my own two eyes, I ca “Punky?” Ha This journal belongs to Uncle Sean, and his sins are written on pages upon pages. My mind is racing, but one thing is clear—Sean is the puppet master. He was playing us all. He is responsible for everything.