Page 45 of Retribution

He laughs, the sound deep and full as it bounces around the kitchen. “I said you were smart.”

“Actually, you said I wasn’t dumb.”

His laugh subsides to a chuckle. “That’s not the same thing?”

“Not quite.”

For the first time, his face is alight with something like genuine amusement, and my chest warms at the sight.

“What time is Carys arriving?”

“Before dinner.” I remove the sauce from the stove and observe Finn, trying to decide. “I have enough for you, if you want.”

“Ooh, yes please.” He rubs his hands together as I dish out the rice, chicken from the oven then layer my sauce over it.

I pass the plates and then move around the island to a seat while Finn gets the cutlery.

“Where’d you learn to cook?”

“My mother.”A lie. It was my father. My mother couldn’t cook anything. She even burned toast.

He takes the seat beside me and holds his fork poised before his lips, ready to take his first bite. “You’re not in touch?”

“No.” Even though she isn’t dead, the woman she used to be is dead to me, gone. She’ll never be recovered.

Finn cuts a piece of his chicken and chews. “I don’t remember much about my mother. Lorcan’s mum was more like my mother.”

“And your dad?”

Picking up his coffee, Finn takes a long drink. “My relationship with my father was complicated.”

“Were you surprised he died?”

One side of his mouth quirks up, the opposite side to Lorcan. “I sure as hell hope so. Otherwise,” he says, glancing at me, “it’d mean I had something to do with it, wouldn’t it?”

When he says that, I look down at my plate, and it takes me a moment to meet his gaze, but when I do, I’m careful to keep my features neutral. “Would it?”

His eyes narrow, and he shoves another piece of chicken in his mouth. “Lorcan actually thinks it was me?”

There is no way I am answering that question. “Should he?”

Finn scoffs. “What did I gain I wouldn’t have gained by waiting?”

“I don’t know. Maybe the satisfaction of knowing the person responsible for your mother’s death was dead?”

“I took care of that a long time ago. My father didn’t kill her. He only ordered it.”

“That matters?”

“It does when you’re talking about family.”

“You think it was the O’Malleys?”

Finn shakes his head. “No, I don’t. I had to tell Lorcan something, didn’t I? We were being attacked on all fronts, and I needed him to get back in the game. At least with someone to hate, he was focused for a while.”

“Why not tell him that?”

“He’s not going to listen to me. He thinks I did it. I’ve known for a while—but it’s impossible to convince someone you didn’tdosomething.”