Page 92 of Irish Betrayal

A couple of months away from giving birth to her son, and she felt like she was suffocating in guilt and regret instead of that fun nesting phase a lot of pregnant women went through.

Bébhinn’s mom called from the plane to tell them that they had the video of Blair’s professor abducting her and that her phone had pinged at a landfill. They were currently trying to track the car Peter Samson was driving.

So, basically, even when they landed, they had no idea where to look. Then to find out that Samson was some sort of…of child predator…

Her mom hadn’t given her very much, only that in the bag of belongings of Blair’s that Mags had given to Daniel, there had been several childhood journals, and Peter Samson had starred in them.

Her biggest regret—all of their biggest regrets—was that none of Blair’s friends had liked the man but never confronted Blair. They weren’t honest with her, and maybe if they had been, she might have questioned the relationship earlier.

The fact that one of her closest friends ran away to America, leaving her friends, family, and Daniel just to escape whatever hell that man had been putting her through, hurt her viscerally.

She and Dagr just walked into Gray and Ciar’s home. All the friends agreed to meet there since they had two young children, and it was easier to go to them.

The moment they walked into the living room, Gray and Mags enveloped her in a hug, bringing a hiccupping cry to her lips—all of them were crying.

“Goddamn it, Gray,” Ciar cursed. “Stop crying. You’re killing me.”

“Mags,” Jonathan admonished, “you couldn’t have known.”

“That’s what I told Bébhinn,” Dagr growled, the three men standing shoulder to shoulder, worried looks pointed toward the women they loved.

Gray pulled back to glare at their men. “You don’t understand,” she started, dragging her sleeve over her eyes and runny nose, “Blair has always been there. For all of us. No matter what she was doing or where she was. Always there.”

“She was no less busy than anyone else, yet she always made time,” Bébhinn added, looking at her husband, hoping he understood just how devastated she was.

Dagr pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. “I know you’re hurting, Bébhinn. I’m worried about Blair too. I just…I lose my shit when I see you cry.”

Bébhinn let her husband comfort her because she needed it even though she felt guilty for even thinking about her own feelings when Blair was who knows where with a psychopath.

“I blew off her bruises, even when I felt something was off,” Mags whispered, turning to Jonathan, her fiancé.

Jonathan wrapped his arms around Mags as Ciar pulled Gray close to his side. Jonathan said what they all were thinking. “Between Coll Barr and Daniel, Blair will be coming home to us.”

Gray gave her husband a look that had Ciar pulling her close. They whispered to each other until finally Ciar held Gray’s face and said, “Blair will survive anything.” Gray looked at him a moment longer before shaking her head in agreement. Bébhinn had always believed that Ciar had something in his past that none of them were aware of, but perhaps whatever trials Ciar had endured would help their best friend find her way past Peter Samson.

forty-five

THOMAS MACGREGOR

Thomas didn’t know the details, but according to her father, his best friend, his precious niece had been hurt for years, and her abuser had kidnapped her.

He watched the kidnapping video as Blair had her mouth taped and her hands cuffed. The love of his life, his wife, sat by him at his bank of computer screens, simply holding his hand.

They had wanted to go with Coll and Thomas’ sister, Catriona, but had chosen to stay home, knowing the family was better served by him staying focused on tracking Samson’s location and staying in constant contact with Detective Jeffreys in Tulsa.

He and Josephine sent their son instead, knowing he would be a comfort to Blair’s brother, Laith. Both boys would do anything to help Coll and Catriona.

Thomas knew Coll was a hairsbreadth away from losing his shit; any parent would in that situation. His only hope was that his friend could stay focused until they found Blair.

He heard murmuring coming from the kitchen. Charles and Aileen were cooking, not that any of them were hungry, but it kept their hands from being idle. Aileen spoke to her sister-in-law, Thomas’ sister, an hour ago. She said that Catriona didn’t speak much because she couldn’t stop crying. As selfish as it sounded, Thomas was thankful he wasn’t there to see her in such a bad way.

Thomas was right to stay home. His sister didn’t need to deal with her feelings, her husband’s feelings, and her hotheaded brother. He could be as volatile as Coll, and that wouldn’t help anyone.

“How bad do you think the abuse was, Thomas?” Josephine asked. “Did Coll give any indication? Raven called me, but they only know it’s been going on for years. She did tell me that Daniel admitted to Coll that he’d taken Blair’s virginity four months ago.”

“Christ Almighty!” Thomas exclaimed. “And Coll didn’t kill him dead?”

“I thought the same, but like Raven said, it was only four months ago. They do love each other, and once an O’Faolain falls in love, they never stray.”