Thy Kingdom Come

He made out like my mum was some whore, but in reality, she made one mistake which cost her her life. I know how charming Sean can be. Look at where I am, where I’ve been for the past ten years because of him.

There was never an affair, well, with Brody. But there was one, with Sean…my father.

Every conversation which never made sense smashes into me, and I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner.

“Ya have no idea who yer fightin’. This is bigger than ya can ever guess.”

Aidan’s words echo loudly because I finally know what they mean. He never told me what he knew, thinking Sean was their friend, but they were all using one another.

Brody merely went along for the ride as he wanted me out of the picture for his own selfish reasons. I needed to believe I wasn’t a Kelly so that he could take what is rightfully mine when he killed Sean. I may not be Co

I am a Kelly.

For ten long years, I carried this guilt with me. I thought Co

These ramblings are from a madman, but from what I can decipher, Sean was always going to backstab Brody, as was Brody to Sean. Babydoll was Brody’s pawn, his way to get information on me.

“’Cause I knew it’d eventually come to this. Yer collateral, and I needed a backup plan, just in case. It doesn’t make sense. But it will.”

Now it does make sense—Brody knew Sean would double-cross him, which is why he wanted to get there first. He used Babydoll to learn everything there is about me, about the Kellys, so he would know what Sean’s next steps would be.

Co

Brody and Sean were merely using one another because both needed the other to get what they wanted. And it was a race to the finish line, where the wi

They never trusted one another. They played nice because they had to. There are so many things I don’t know because this story has only just begun. But there are two things I do know.

Sean is a psychopath.

He is responsible for everything. He killed my mum because she uncovered his dirty secret. He slandered her name to Co

He hated me because he was jealous that my ma loved me more than him, and as punishment, he made me—his own flesh and blood—watch him kill her. Then, to punish me further, he tricked me into thinking he cared about me.

It must have given him great satisfaction seeing Co

He sent our men to the enemy, knowing full well that he’d need them on his side when he took over Brody’s domain. He was sick of coming in second best. He was sick of living in Co

Babydoll only did what she had to do to save her ma. I can’t be ragin’ over that because look at what I did to avenge mine. We were both puppets to Sean and Brody who used us to wage their war over one another.

And I also know that…

“Brody isn’t my father,” I say aloud, needing Ha

“No, he isn’t.”

A thought suddenly hits me, and I sit back, winded. “And that means…”

“She isn’t yer sister.”

So she does know.

This entire time, I was so disgusted with myself, thanks to Sean and Brody punishing me and Babydoll for something we never wanted a part in.

“Have ye shared this with anyone?”

She shakes her head. “I found that in a box in storage. They all tried to help, but there was just so much. Ma wouldn’t let anyone near those boxes, but I broke in and searched every night until I found that.”

“I saw him get shot,” I say, shaking my head, incredulous.

“I don’t know who we buried, but it’s not him. No doubt Uncle Sean fooled someone else to do his dirty work.”

“How do ye know he isn’t dead?”

Ha

I reach for her hand, and this time, the touch is easier.

“I was certain I saw him there, but didn’t want to believe it, not after I’d lost so much. But I followed Ethan to the castle one night. He was talkin’ to a man, and that man was Uncle Sean.

“Uncle Sean is trying to mold Ethan into ye. He wants a righthand man he can trust and with Da dying and ye being gone, Ethan trusts him. And what scares me the most is that Ethan is lyin’ to me. When I ask him where he’s been, he tells me he’s been out with friends.

“He’s never lied to me before. He’s my twin, but I feel like I don’t even know him anymore.”

She bursts into tears, but quickly sniffs them back as my brave Ha

“Punky, what does this mean?” She brushes over the cross tattoo on my wrist.

I’d forgotten this marks my skin because I had forgotten who I was. “Why, wee one?”

“Because Ethan has one. Right where you do.”

The blood drains from my face because this mark—it’s the mark of death, and sooner or later, Ethan will be me.

Sean’s plan is to take over Dublin and Belfast, knowing his past efforts have failed because he was too exposed and he relied on others. But this plan will work because he’s had years to perfect it. Rome wasn’t built in a day…

I know what this means, and my stomach turns at the thought. There is only one person who can help me, the last person I ever want to ask for help. But I need an inside man, and that man is Brody Doyle. He is clueless to Sean’s plan. He has no idea he’s still alive.

He’ll work with me because we both need the other to get what we want. And when I do…I will finally finish what I started ten years ago.

But first things first, I need to get the fuck out of here.

“Thank you for never givin’ up on me.”

“We never did,” she says, not wanting credit.

Clearing my throat, I need to ask the inevitable. “How’s Cian? Rory? Babydoll?”

When Ha

“How do ya propose I do that? In case y’ve forgotten where I am.” I gesture around the room.

“Darcy wants to help.”

“Duffy?” I ask, pulling a face.

“Aye. She’s a lawyer now. A fancy one too.”

“Who would have thought it.”

How things have changed. The world continued to turn with or without me. I was the one switched off to change.

“She’s gone over yer case. She thinks she can get ye out. Something to do with Chief Constable Moore being a dirty pig.”

My mouth drops open. “Yer jokin’ me?”

“Maybe if ye read my letters, ye’d know this already.”

“Aye, yer right.”

“I’ll organize for Darcy to come see ya then.”

I can’t believe my wee sister has done this for me. “I don’t deserve this, Ha

She nods, but her hurt is still clear.

“I ca

“I ca

But she’s right. I’ve wasted so much time.

The officer alerts me I have five minutes left.