Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 105065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 525(@200wpm)___ 420(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 525(@200wpm)___ 420(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
Lachlan leads me around the room to make introductions. After the tenth unfamiliar face that I meet, a little bit of panic seeps into my chest. Any one of these men could have visited the club and met Talia. I never realized the full scale of this outfit, or even their Russian alliance for that matter. Defeat weighs heavy on my shoulders. There’s no way I can ever find out who all these men are and clear their names off my list. It would take me years.
“How’s the big size a ye, mate?” an older gentleman asks Lach.
Lachlan slaps him on the shoulder and they banter back and forth for a few moments before the man’s eyes fall on me.
“Well would you look at that!”
I glance up at Lachlan, and he’s grinning.
“Look at what?” I ask.
“Black hair and blue eyes,” the man says.
“She’s a treat,” Lach agrees, stroking his fingers over my neck possessively as his eyes lock onto mine. “My Galway Girl.”
For a moment, I forget everything else around us. The pride in his voice is unmistakable, the affection in his eyes authentic. My heart squeezes and then explodes inside of my chest.
“Ye’ve got yourself a real fine one there, lad,” the man agrees, but something in his voice is off as he nods behind us. “But ye best go see Niall now, he’s expecting ye.”
Both Lachlan and I turn, and his entire body tenses when our eyes fall on the table across the room. Niall’s there, sitting beside a woman who I presume to be his wife. But beside him is another man. An unmistakably powerful man with brown hair and a cold gaze that’s fixed directly on Lachlan. My eyes roam over the table in confusion, noting the three beautiful blonde girls sitting next to the man, with an empty space between them. Two empty spaces.
I glance up at Lachlan and try to understand what’s happening.
“Fucking Christ,” he grunts, his eyes finding mine.
I don’t like what I see there. Regret. He’s regretting bringing me here, but I don’t understand why. Before we even get a chance to discuss it, another man appears with a serious expression on his face.
“Dom…” Lachlan greets him, and a silent thought passes between them. Dom’s eyes fall to me, and he gestures to the bar across the room.
“Why don’t you come meet my wife, Cara?” he suggests. “She always gets bored at these functions and would love the company if you don’t mind.”
I glance back up at Lach, and he’s avoiding eye contact. Something about this feels really weird, but it’s obvious he wants me out of the way for whatever reason. So I nod and follow Dom across the room.
Cara looks like she might be just a couple years older than me, with long chestnut hair and green eyes. She smiles when I take a seat beside her, and then Dom just disappears.
“Hey,” she says. “It’s Mackenzie, right?”
“Yeah, but you can just call me Mack.”
She nods and flags down the bartender, and we both order a drink before she turns her attention back to me.
“I can see why Lachlan likes you,” she says. “You seem like you’d suit him.”
“Thanks.” I give her a forced smile and then glance back at the man in question.
He’s now seated between two of the blondes at Niall’s table. And something inside of me breaks a little at the sight of it.
“They aren’t nearly as pretty as you,” she says solemnly. “It’s such an archaic thing, isn’t it? What Niall wants him to do. I just don’t understand it.”
I have no idea what she’s talking about, but I’m liking the sound of it even less by the minute. And I know if I let on that I don’t know, she’ll probably shut up. So I need to keep her talking. I decide to try to play off what Lachlan and I have as casual.
“It doesn’t bother me,” I tell her. “Lach and I are just messing around.”
“I figured,” she says. “He wouldn’t have brought you if he’d known they would be here tonight.”
I force out a jerky nod. “I am curious though, naturally. How is it going to work?”
She glances back across the room, and I follow her gaze reluctantly. Sean is now sitting on the opposite side of one of the girls, but they are all focused on Lachlan. Like he’s a prize to be won. And I don’t like it. I don’t like it one fucking bit.
“I guess Niall will choose between Lachlan and Sean soon,” Cara says. “And then whoever becomes the underboss chooses one of them as a wife. Once they’re married, the alliance will be sealed.”
The entire room spins around me, and I have to grip the bar to hold on. Cara gives me a curious look, and I try to smile.
I’ve been so fucking stupid. These last few months, I’ve been getting so wrapped up in Lachlan. Using Talia as my excuse to get close to him. I’ve let him under my skin. Inside of me. And he’s been playing me this entire time. My heart- the one I swore I didn’t have- feels like it just dropped out of my chest. I’m struggling to breathe, to even sit upright. There’s pressure behind my eyes, but I can’t let onto it. I need to get a frigging grip.
When I meet Lach’s eyes across the room, he looks away in shame. And it steels me with all of the ammunition I need. The bitter reminder of what I’m doing here and how little he means to me. In fact, I’m glad this happened. This is exactly what my father tried to warn me about. How people will always fuck you over. He was right.
And I’m done playing with Lachlan. Fuck him. I’m here to find out what happened to Talia. And I don’t care who I have to hurt now to do it.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Cara says softly. “It’s how did I get myself into this, right?”
“He means nothing to me,” I tell her again.