Page 63 of His Deadly Devotion

“What?” I ask him.

“Your father has arranged a marriage. Your marriage. To Maeve. She’s here,” he tells me.

“What the fuck?” I hiss out. I don’t know what the old man is playing at. “Is she okay?”

“She seems fine. I don’t think she’s thrilled about the idea of becoming your wife, but can you blame her?” Patty chuckles to himself.

Meave and I had a thing, a long fucking time ago. It was never serious, just kids fooling around. Or at least that’s what I thought it was until she wanted more. Regardless, she doesn’t deserve to get caught up in my father’s games.

The moment I get out of the car, there are three guards on me. Patting me down. “Miss me, boys?” I ask with a raised brow.

When they don’t find anything, they step away with their heads bowed. They might be loyal to my father, but I am still his son. Still the heir. And that means I’m due a certain level of respect. Whether they want to give it to me or not.

“Time to party,” I tell Patty, who just shakes his head in reply.

I know he wants me to play along, to pretend to be my father’s puppet for a bit. He doesn’t get it. It’s not his wife chained up in a fucking basement.

I’m calm as I walk through the house, on the outside at least. On the inside, a storm is brewing. I clock all the guards and a smile forms on my face. My father either fears me… or her. Because I’ve never seen so many of his guys hanging around him before. He’d be right to be afraid, though.

I’m led into a dining room. Where my father sits at the head of the table, my mother at one side and an empty place setting on the other. There are four guards at the entrance, two outside the window that leads to the back courtyard.

“You summoned me?” I cock my head as I eye my father.

“Sit. Your mother would like us all to share a meal together.”

“I’d love to, but it wouldn’t be complete without the whole family, now would it?” I ask him.

“What are you talking about?”

“Family secrets run deep, Da, and you’re not the only one with the key to them,” I say, my warning silent as I take a seat.As much as I don’t want to wait to kill him, Patty is right. It’s not the time. I need to be able to make it from the dining room to the basement, and for that, I need him alive.

My parents share a look. I’ve never let on that I know their deepest darkest secret. The one they think they’ve kept in a closet all these years. The one thing that could be their undoing if it were to come out.

“Family secrets are just that, Connor, things that should be kept within the confines of the family,” my father replies.

“Yeah, what family would that be, Da? The one sitting around this table or the one that sat you up on that throne?” I ask him. The organization is supposed to come above all else. And for my father it always has, or so I thought before I learned what he did.

“It’s good to have you home, son. I’ve missed you. Eat before your meal gets cold. We have much to discuss.” He dismisses the question with the wave of a hand. But he’s nervous. I can tell.

“Where is she?” I ground out.

“You’ll see her in good time. Eat.” My father gestures to my plate. There’s no way I could stomach a bite of food right now. Even if I could, I wouldn’t put it past him to drug me. I’m not taking that risk.

After twenty minutes of sitting in silence, my father huffs, drops his fork with a loud clatter, and pushes to his feet. “Let’s go,” he says.

“Lead the way,” I tell him, following suit. I scan his body. He’s nothing if not predictable. I know where and what he carries. Then I begin to count down the minutes in my head. Until I can end this. End him.

30

When I hear footsteps, I straighten my spine. But something inside me feels more settled than it’s been in days. He’s here. Connor. He hasn’t said anything, but I can sense him. That or I’ve completely lost my mind and wishful thinking is taking over.

There’s more than just the calmness of him being here. Or at least thinking he’s here. There’s the fear of what they’re going to do to him.

My hand stretches towards the edge of the mattress. I can feel the hidden key. I might not be able to see, but I can still hear. And the moment I sense that they’re hurting him, this key will be getting used. I don’t know if I have the ability to stand and fight, but I will give it my all if I have to.

The footsteps stop. “Take a seat, son. You’re just in time for the show,” Mr. O’Malley says.

My head snaps up. Heishere. Connor. I can’t see him and he doesn’t say a word to confirm my suspicions—at least at first—as what sounds like a piece of wood scrapes across the ground. A chair.