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I huff out a breath. “It’s either fight or fall in our family.”
“Aye,” she says, quieter. “And your da fell eventually…because of that family.”
“What d’ya mean?” I look over at her. “Did you know the woman who died out there too? Alasdair’s sister?”
Ma stops mid-scoop.
“She was found days after yer da,” she says, voice firm. “There was never anything to connect the two murders.”
“Don’t ya think it’s strange?”
“The case was closed because there wasn’t any evidence. But that bastard Harrington would kill his own ma if she got in his way. I’ll never trust any of them.”
“What about Keira?” I straighten. “Saint loves her.”
“That wee bitch has her name on our land,” Ma hisses. “She’s sitting in that cabin with my son, thinking she’s won.”
Her head turns, and our gazes lock.
“Harringtons are bad news, Sera. Don’t be fooled by the girl just because she smiles. You’ve always had a level head on your shoulders because you think with a brain and not a dick.”
Her eyes hold mine, fierce and knowing. “Don’t trust her, and don’t trust anything that comes out of a Harrington’s mouth. The girl is close to outstaying her welcome.”
“You won’t hurt her, right?”
“I learned to keep my hands clean.”
“Ma…” I look right at her. “Saint loves Keira. Don’t do something you’ll regret.”
She lights up a cigarette, draws in a lungful of smoke, and props her shoulder against the wall.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to protect my family.”
“Even if it breaks Saint?”
“Men are fickle,” she says, exhaling smoke. “Once the thrill dies, they learn to get it elsewhere.”
I fall quiet after that.
There’s no point talking when Ma gets that look on her face. So, I keep my head down as I work. Sweat cools beneath my shirt despite the chill creeping in through the open barn door.
I set the shovel against the wall and reach for the wheelbarrow handles.
Ma steps in beside me, her eyes settling on my neck.
The chain must have worked its way free while I was working.
Her gaze narrows. “That’s a pretty pendant. Looks expensive.”
I move my hand to the necklace too fast. “Eilish bought it for me…for Fury.”
Her gaze lifts to mine. “That’s a lot of black diamonds.”
She stares at the pendant as she inhales smoke. “Shame that kindness will be destroyed by the Harringtons.”
I swallow hard, knowing Fionn has a layer of kindness under all that arrogance.
“Maybe not all of them,” I say before I think better of it.
