Page 33 of Malevolent Hearts
“One.”
“Please.”
“Two.”
“I didn’t have anything to do with this.”
“Three.”
He holds steady but keeps his mouth shut, eyes on me as I pull back the hammer.
“Four.”
“I’m not leaving until you hear me out.”
My finger rests against the trigger, and a split second before I squeeze down, I jerk my hand to the left and fire over his shoulder. As the bullet flies past his ear, Cadden barely flinches, keeping his gaze locked on mine.
“Take this as a warning, arsehole. You come near me again, speak to me, even look in my direction, I won’t be so fucking gracious with my aim.”
I step around him and his neck cranes, following my every move with dual-toned eyes that bleed sorrow. “Why didn’t you shoot me?” His voice cracks, adding weight to his question.
“That shot was for the girl who loved you. Next time, the one that hates you won’t hesitate.”
I walk away from the shattered remnants of what once was, and I know my journey to justice for my twin’s death is far from over. But also, I know that no matter how far I have to go to make sure I rain hell on everyone involved—my future husband included—Liam’s spirit will walk alongside me, a silent companion in my quest for retribution.
Time to do what queens do best… Reign.
Nineteen
Cadden
The Past
In shadows deep, a lie we keep,
A secret we can’t tell.
But like Poe's dark tales of love and war,
I’m bound to her forevermore.
—Cadden James Connelly
The sun dips low on the horizon as Brodie, Lucas, and I cycle our bikes uphill toward the Connelly estate after a long day of slaving at my dad’s warehouse. Every muscle in my body aches, exhausted from the mind-numbing and laborious hours spent unloading countless narcotic shipments before refilling every container with a backload as payment.
Much like every Saturday, the weight of the day clings to me like a dark shadow. The last thing I want to be doing is entertaining these two arseholes I call my best friends. Alas, neither of them took notice when I said I wanted to chill out tonight, preferably without them loitering around like a potent smell. Unfortunately, Lucas refused to let me hide away in the solitude of my sanctuary, instead following me home after not taking no for an answer.
“Come on, man. You’ve been holed up in your lighthouse all summer. What is it about this girl that has you wrapped around her finger? School starts back in a few days, and we’ve barely seen you since the party. And that was months ago.” Lucas thinks I don’t know what he’s doing, but all fucking day he’s harped on and on, ribbing me about Beibhinn and how I’ve blown them off all summer long. Maybe he’s right, but the truth is I don’t care. Beibhinn and I only have two days left before she’s set to head back to Killybegs, and fucked if I’m wasting a second of the time I have left with her placating these two fools.
I’m aware my friends have had enough of me sneaking off to hang out with my Pretty Poison, but behaving like petulant children, won’t get them anywhere. If anything, it makes me want to avoid them more.
“She doesn’t have me wrapped around anything. Like it or not, she’s gonna be a part of my life. I have to put up with her for a couple more days, then she’s heading back to Killybegs for school.”
Only Brodie knows my true feelings for the Devereux heiress. Lucas thinks I’m hanging out with her to appease my dad, and honestly, I’d like to keep it that way. Sure, he’s one of my best friends, but the less people who know about Beibhinn and me, the better. After our meeting with Finn and Oliver, Beibhinn and I decided we can’t risk our fathers finding out, so with the exception of Brodie and Beibhinn’s brother, everyone is under the impression we still hate each other. Craning my neck, I peer at Lucas from the corner of my eye and flash him a teasing smile, deflecting away from my true feelings about Beibhinn leaving.
“So,” Lucas pants as he accelerates, forcing his bike to stay with mine as we tackle the steep hill. “What’s going on with you and the Killybegs hellcat, anyway? You know Meila is still pissed that you blew her off at the party, right?”
Choosing to avoid his question about Beibhinn, I pick the safer route. “I couldn’t give two fucks about Meila or what she thinks. She knows as well as I do she was never going to be anything more than a distraction. It’s why she was so hell-fucking-bent on trying to sleep with me.”