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“Show’s over,” he barks at the assembled people. “Fuck off now.”
That’s enough to make the crowd disperse. Ronan turns and takes my arm, pulling me close, but not into an embrace. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I glance at Niall, and he looks grim. “I should leave too.”
“Fuck that. You weren’t doing anything wrong.”
“Ronan—” I shake my head and gently pull myself away. “This is bad enough already.”
His jaw flexes. He’s pissed, and I can’t blame him. From his perspective, he came to my defense, and now he’s getting shit on from all directions.
But I’m not sure he understands yet what just happened. He will soon—but right now, he’s still angry.
I love that he came for me. I love that he protected and defended me, even if Seamus was just being a drunk prick and not actually trying to hurt me. My heart swells knowing Ronan will be by my side if something bad ever happens.
That doesn’t erase the bigger picture.
“I’ll get her back to your place,” Niall says and squeezes Ronan’s shoulder. “Damage control now, cousin. You got me?”
Ronan takes a breath and slowly nods. “Make sure she gets home safe.” He turns and stalks back to his table where more of the family has converged, and I can tell he’s already dealing with more frustration.
I feel like my chest is cracking open as Niall escorts me outside.
Chapter 31
Valentina
Ronan comes home a couple hours later. He looks haggard and exhausted, and heads straight to the refrigerator to pour himself a drink. I watch him slug it back before he notices me waiting by the couch.
His eyes lock on mine. They hold me, and I’m tempted to get up and go to him. I want to touch his jaw and tell him everything will be okay. I want to kiss him, slowly, deep, and for a long time. I want to make him feel better, but I know that would only put off the real difficult conversation we need to have.
My father taught me a lot growing up. One of his main lessons was don’t put off difficult conversations. Don’t let wounds fester. Deal with shit now, and deal with it seriously. Don’t hide, don’t run, stand up and handle business.
“I should move out.” I decide to jump straight into it. I know it’s basically dropping more stress on him during an already stressful time, but we can’t keep going on like this.
“Seamus will be dealt with. The cousins understand.” He stares at me, face impassive. I hate it so much. I want emotion fromhim—but that’s just selfish of me. He’s dealing with a lot right now and maybe he doesn’t have the energy for a big display, and it’s not like I’d deserve it even if he did.
“Ronan, everyone saw you choose me over someone in your own family. You know that’s bad.”
His eyebrows narrow only slightly. “Everyone saw one of my men shove over a woman.”
“Come on, that’s not how they’ll interpret it. I’ve been the enemy for a while already, and when the Matteo job went bad earlier tonight, they all blame me for it.”
“No, not everyone.”
“Don’t lie to me. I’m not blind.”
He comes toward me. Only a few steps, but there’s a menace in him. My arrogant, cocky Ronan, with his smirks and his jokes, he’s gone right now, replaced by Ronan the boss of his dangerous criminal organization. A thrill runs into my core, and I’ve never been more attracted to him before, but I also know that doesn’t matter. It’s selfish to want him right now. Even if I do.
“Some of the cousins blame you. But the ones who matter know what happened, and there’s a lot of talk about how Julien’s group even found out about our plans. Yes, some of them blame you, but that’s only secondary to the real problem. Someone talked.”
Anger plays across his expression. His lips tighten. His eyes narrow. I want to get up and go to him, put my hands on his chest, feel his heartbeat, kiss him and try to comfort him, butthat won’t help. That’s a short-term solution, and I have to think about the future now.
“You’re right, someone talked, but why would someone betray your family like that? Because they’re unhappy, and I’m a big reason.”
“They were unhappy before you, love. I brought you in because of your skills, and you haven’t disappointed.”
“Except for tonight.”
