Page 23 of Not Your Romeo
“Try,” I insisted, causing her to blink and pointedly stare.
I didn’t mean to put her on the spot about her family business, but this shit was serious!
“He’s not my blood brother. The one I lost, Keefe–he was my real brother. Our mom had an affair with Sean’s dad, that’s how Keefe came to be. When Sean’s mother died, his father moved my mother in and after that we were all one big not so happy family.”
Her expression soured about the same time her story did and she went to poking around at her biscuits a while.
“So, the guy my brother killed was Sean’s brother?” Henny slowly caught on. “And you’re his sister, but you’re not Sean’s sister.”
“Correct.” Ro nodded, as she rose from her seat and went to the refrigerator.
She grabbed a glass of juice and returned, “My mom tried to move on, after Keefe was born. I mean, obviously, I’m here, right? But, uhm– I guess Mr. Morgan wasn’t so keen on the idea. I’m sorry– Did you really just freely say that?”
Henny studied her face, his brow raising in silent question.
“Did you really just say that, like you were talking about last night’s game? Your brother killed my brother…”
I sat up and so did Henny, “Hey–” I reached for her hand, but she jerked it away, not taking her eyes off Henny.
“I’m not stupid. I know the Savage known as Menace Zade killed my brother, I just didn’t expect to hear it discussed so flippantly at the breakfast table. That’s why you’re worried about Sammy, she ran with him?”
She glanced to me for confirmation, but her gaze lifted and widened at the last minute. Zeus sounded off from behind the gate causing me to turn in search of their upset.
“The Nash woman was abducted from her home weeks ago, Roisin. Honestly, your gossip is tiring and much beneath you.” Sean sighed. “Her father and she had a falling out over her discharge from the military, nothing more.”
He put his hand on my shoulder as I set my jaw against his intrusion.
“They hadn’t spoken in some time, but neighborhood cameras around her residence show she was removed from her home forcibly, in the wee hours of the morning that fateful day. Yes, she was forcibly carried away, it appeared. A tragic, missing-person case, it seems. Unfortunately, it’ll be seen as further evidence of the need to secure Mr. Zade, and to do so swiftly. Another charge, another warrant.”
He smiled at Henny, who looked ready to charge, and then sighed in a satisfied manner, “I told you, Wyatt, your daughter is fine.”
Henny glanced toward me, and I subtly saluted him with my chin, all but praying his ass didn’t leave the chair.
“It’s true.” Sean nodded, “You should probably let me escort you to the police station. They’ll be wanting to speak with you, no doubt.”
“Right.” I grunted, pushing my breakfast away.
“Bring the wife, it’s a further excuse for your being out of the loop with your daughter’s whereabouts, yeah?” Sean recommended.
“You told the police my brother took her by force?” Henny roared, and that tall frame of his shot out of the chair about the time I rounded the table. Zeus went wild in the utility room, his vicious barking echoing through the kitchen. Each wave of it left me closing my eyes and cringing against the sound as I quickly put myself between them and put all of my strength into keeping Henny off Sean.
“At young Lennox’s request, aye. I did,” Sean snapped back at him.
I could feel the hate radiating off of Henny, that one good eye was narrowed so tightly, I doubted he could even see the mobster.
“Un-fucking-believable,” Henny cursed, before storming toward the utility room and snatched Zeus by the collar on his way out of the house.
Chapter Twelve
Melting Stone
Roisin
Police stations made me nervous, even if I was perfectly clean. I’d never been past the front window, so being summoned to an interrogation room to revisit the details of my wedding not once, but twice in the span of three hours was a little overwhelming.
I had my hood pulled over my head and was doing my best to disappear inside of it and myself. I’d have counted the bricks on the wall if it gave me an excuse to avoid another round of small talk with Sean, who was seated to my right.
Ziggy was doing round three with the detectives. I couldn’t make out the occasional spiked voices, but I had no doubt they were coming from his interrogation room.
