Page 7 of Shattered Hearts
My skin crawls as greedy, uncaring eyes sear my face, and my own eyes lock with my father’s. I haven’t been alone in a room with him in three years, and the last time…
I stifle a shudder and pivot toward the exit, but my father never ceases to shock me.
“Your sister’s disappeared.”
My feet stop moving. “I’m sorry?”
It sounded like he said Harper disappeared, but that can’t be right. My sister’s only been planning her wedding day since kindergarten, when she started coercing the other kids and me to take part in her pretend nuptials at recess and lunch. Guess who always played the bride? There’s no way she would ditch her magical day.
“This morning, I foundthis.”
I swing back around to face my father. A small slip of paper peeks out from between his thick fingers.
The blood drains from my face. A ransom note? Did one of the Kings’ enemies kidnap my sister for leverage? Or worse, revenge?
My nails stab my palms as I brace myself for the worst. Cold surprise washes over me when I find only two words on the note, written in my sister’s loopy script.
I’m sorry.
“She’s gone.” He spits the words like a curse.
I didn’t think my sister had it in her, but all evidence points to Harper running away. She escaped our crazy world on her own two feet. I almost applaud the glorious defeat on our father’s face.
He looks like shit, tension tucked into the creases of his face. Even in a tuxedo, he mirrors the ugly person he is on the inside. Only now, he’s uglyandtense because his favorite pawn took herself off his chess board.
A selfish and ridiculous part of me brings my attention to Finn being back on the market.
Not that I’m interested in him anymore. Not when he chose my twin as a bride.
I clear my throat to cover the incredulous laugh lodged in my throat. “Thanks for the update. Not sure what you expect me to do about it though.”
My father shoots to his feet without warning. “Watch your mouth.”
A frisson of fear sweeps over me, but I hold my ground. I refuse to give him the satisfaction. The expression on his face tells me he’s plotting something, and that he intends to rope me into his scheme somehow.
Oh, no. No, no, no.
Right on cue, he opens his mouth. “Our family has a lot riding on this wedding. Shane wants his son to produce an heir. I’ve worked too damn hard to arrange this marriage for Harper to fuck it up by giving Finn time to rethink his choice.”
A chill slithers down my spine at his admission. “What does that have to do with me? I’m not the one who stood him up.”
He gives me a calculating glare that makes my skin crawl. “Everything today needs to go as planned. Which is why, for the next several hours,youare going to be your sister. You’ll act like Harper, and then whenever she screws her head on straight and comes back, she’ll marry Finn in private. No one outside of our families will ever be the wiser.”
And one day your grandson will be the heir to the Irish Kings. Power hungry bastard.
It takes serious work to school my incredulous face back to deadpan. “Out of the question.”
“I’m not asking.”
The cold steel of his voice brooks no arguments, and I take an involuntary step back from him.
“I’m not your daughter anymore, remember?” Throwing his words from the last time we spoke back in his face doesn’t carry nearly as much of the triumph as I’d imagined.
My father’s dark, powerful gaze is his weapon of choice. He doesn’t say a word, just levels me with the stare that’s no doubt caused countless men to crack.
“You owe me.” It takes conscious effort not to flinch at his growling words. “After all,you’re the reasonwe’re in this mess.”
Page one of the Thomas Brennan playbook. Guilt, trick, and manipulate to get your way. Nice to see nothing has changed.