Page 34 of Bad Bishop

Though Fermanagh’s sparkled like a diamond in a pile of mud, everything around it still looked like it came from a horror film. Chain-link fences plagued with trash, graffiti everywhere, and faded shop signs.

Tiernan’s bone-chilling gaze met mine. “Not in Kansas anymore, are you, Dorothy?”

This was a far cry from the green pastures, country clubs, and mega-mansions I was used to.

I followed him out to the entrance of the pub, where two massive Irish soldiers stood on guard. They bowed their heads at my husband, clearing the way for us. A couple of errand boys jogged to the car to fetch our suitcases. Mama had sent most ofmy stuff to the apartment before the wedding, so I didn’t pack a lot.

We stepped into the pub, which was warm and candlelit. A huge Irish flag covered the domed ceiling. The place was packed, the stench of alcohol, piss, and sweat assaulting my nostrils. I swallowed back bile, clutching my belly. Tiernan advanced to the bar, leaving me behind. His brother manned the bar, wearing a suit and barking orders at the staff. They exchanged a few words, after which Tiernan clapped his brother’s back and motioned for me to follow him.

We went up a side stairway near the kitchen, where two more soldiers waited. The place seemed as guarded as my Long Island home. Somehow, it did nothing to ease the knot doubling and tripling in the pit of my stomach. I watched my husband’s muscular back, clad in a black dress shirt and charcoal slacks, as he took the stairs two at a time. We arrived at a corridor with two doors facing one another.

He slid a key into the left-hand keyhole, pointing at the opposite door. Since he had his back to me, I couldn’t see what he was saying. I bit my lower lip and followed him inside. A thousand questions swam inside my head.

The apartment was scarcely refurnished, clean, and as cold as a freezer. I guess that’s what Mama meant when she used the term bachelor’s pad. Blacks and grays, modern fixtures, and a kitchen more virginal than Mother Mary. His errand boys disposed of our suitcases and scurried away without a word. Tiernan filed into the hallway, and I trailed behind him hesitantly, drinking in my new reality.

It was a short, stuffy corridor, with only two doors. The first one led to my room. He pushed the door open and stepped aside, expecting me to enter my new cage.

I peered inside. Mama’s servants must’ve prepared it beforehand. It had my pink duvets, huge dollhouse, wood-carved chairs and table with my tea and china set which I loathed. Her silent way of reminding me I needed to keep the charade alive. I wondered if she sent me any books. My Kindle. My sketchpad. My pencils. The things I loved and what kept my sanity intact.

My back was to Tiernan. When I turned to look at him, a scathing scowl was stamped on his face. He shook his head. He must’ve been talking to me, and I completely ignored him.

Oh, well. He better get used to it. That was my strategy for our entire sham of a marriage.

The more he believed he couldn’t communicate with me, the better the chances he’d leave me alone. I needed a way out of this place and back to my parents’ house. I had to speak to Mama.

Offering him an empty stare, I drifted to the dollhouse at the foot of my bed, crouched to my knees, and plucked two Barbies from their pink lounge chairs by the fake pool. I picked a smiling wax figure, taking a small brush and running the comb through her synthetic hair.

A few moments later, I threw a glance behind my shoulder.

Tiernan was gone.

But the knots in my stomach remained.

CHAPTER TEN

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

OYMYAKON, RUSSIA

The little worm was finally going to die.

It only took three years.

And, well…yes,fine,slipping poison into his formula bottle and, later, food every now and again.

Igor couldn’t put a bullet in his head. Killing a baby in cold blood felt like shedding the last layer of civilization separating him from being a demon.

It was a mistake to take the twins. This fact he willingly admitted, but only to himself.

He should’ve let them die in the bitch’s womb.

But the temptation had been too strong, the sorrow too raw, the pain too fresh.

Tyrone Callaghan had taken the one thing Igor couldn’t replace—his heart.

“You should come see him, sir.” Olga nudged her swinelike face between his office door and its frame. “His fever hasn’t broken in five days. The closest hospital is a two days’ journey away. I doubt he’ll make it.”

Igor set his pen down and plucked his shuba from the back of his chair. The turndown fur collar tickled at his whiskers as he trudged out of the wooden cabin. He picked up his rifle on his way out.Mercy killing,he told himself.Luba would not be mad at me for that.