She was just about to look away again when she caught him taking a gun from her father’s hands. Her eyes narrowed when the stranger turned to the hostage on the floor and pointed a gun towards his upper torso.
Her father always did this?made men prove themselves in the worst way possible. So she wasn’t sure why she was so surprised in this case.
Maybe it was because of the wicked tilt of his lips when he clicked the safety off. Maybe it was in the cock of his head, like the hostage on his knees was nothing more than an animal for the slaughter. Or maybe it was because there was barely any hesitation in his gaze before he pulled the trigger. So easily. So efficiently. Like it was breathing.
Maeve barely saw the blood before a wave of nausea slammed into her, wrapping around her throat and forcing her to look away. Her skin prickled with discomfort, her guts twisting with the same feeling she experienced when she watched her father take a life like it meant nothing to anyone.
They wore the same look?her father and that stranger. The same cold, dead glint in their eyes as they pulled the trigger.The same nonchalance as they barely spared the corpse a glance before looking away.
It made her sick.
And as always, it filled her with hate. Hate that ran deep in the marrow of her bones, that she locked deep in her mind when she remembered one of the men in question was her father.
She turned on her heel and bolted, pushing into the restroom. And she barely made it to the sink before she gagged and heaved. Her stomach lurched, and she tasted the pancakes she’d had earlier that day as it rushed out of her throat. She gripped the porcelain edges as she tried to steady herself.
She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the image of the man, the dull thud as the hostage’s body slumped to the floor. She flicked the tap on and rinsed her mouth before splashing water on her face.
Her reflection stared back at her?red hair that peeked out of her hoodie, pale green eyes, flushed cheeks, and nose.
For God’s sake, she was used to this. She was used to violence, to the blood her father spilled. But it didn’t matter because she could neverreallyget used to it, get to accept this as her own normal. There was nothing normal about murdering someone else. Not now, not ever.
The door swung open behind her, and she barely had time to straighten up before Margot stepped in and slammed the door shut.
“Margot?” Maeve said as she watched the woman hurriedly check the stalls like she was trying to confirm that it was just two of them. “What’s going on?”
Margot looked grim. “You need to leave. Right now.”
Maeve blinked, still wiping her mouth with a shaky hand. “What? I don’t?”
Margot stepped closer, grabbing Maeve by the shoulders. Her eyes were wide and blue, and for the first time since she’d known Margot, there was fear swimming in the ocean of her eyes. “Your father,” she gritted out, like the words physically pained her to say aloud. “That bastardis selling you off.”
Maeve’s head recoiled back, her eyes fluttering as she struggled to process Margot’s urgent information. They sounded like Xs and Qs. They made no sense to her.
“Margot, what are you saying?”
Margot’s grip on her shoulders tightened. “The arms dealer, Jonathan. Your father’s giving you to him as part of the deal. He asked for a trophy, and your father offered you.”
Maeve’s eyes widened like a deer in the headlights. Her chin wobbled, and her hands curled into fists. She shook her head, taking a step back like she was in denial.
“No, no?”
“Maeve, listen to me,” Margot chided, her voice rising with an urgency that kept Maeve’s feet rooted to the floor. “Now is not the time for you to pretend like you don’t know he can do this, because he very well can and has. I know you don’t like to hear it, but he sees you as a weight. A problem to be handed off, just like everything else he’s done in this business.”
Maeve’s heart ricocheted in her chest. She could feel her stomach turning all over again.
Margot gave her a small shake, forcing her to meet her eyes. “There’s no time to argue or think about why he’s done this. If you don’t get out now, you won’t get out at all.”
Margot was asking her to escape. It wasn’t like the thought had never crossed her mind before. It had?way too many times than she would ever admit. But knowing Cormac, knowing what he could do, what levels he could reach to find what he was looking for, always made her hesitate and think twice.
But Margot was right. There was no time to think, let alone deliberate on her decision. She needed to leave.
Right fucking now.
Margot squeezed her arm, cupped her cheeks, and kissed her forehead. “He doesn’t know you’re here. Leave now before he sees you. Okay? And call me wherever you get settled in.”
Tears stung at the back of Maeve’s eyes, but there was no time for crying. She nodded and hugged the one woman who had never left her side with all her might. Then, she swallowed and took a deep breath as she reached for the door.
Just get out, Maeve. Move fast. Go home, get your shit, and leave.
