I’m sitting in my truck, parked down the street from Aoife’s house. I remain hidden because no one can know we’re here. Ethan and Eva are with me. Hannah is at Fiona’s in case. She said she’d phone if anything seems out of place.
I’m thankful I gave Aoife the phone as it’s a secure line. When I called her, she confirmed that Babydoll was there. What she didn’t explain was how she knew to be there when we needed her to be. The issue I have is getting Babydoll out of there undetected because there is no chance in hell I am leaving her at Aoife’s.
This is why Eva is here.
I hate this plan, but I’ve learned that you can’t stop people from doing things they want to. Eva wants to go into Aoife’s and have Babydoll come out in place of her. This will work because the sisters look alike, and also, I doubt whoever is watching Aoife’s will know the difference.
I know Babydoll will hate me for allowing her sister to take her place, but I need to get her out of there.
Eva will eventually sneak out when we’ve scouted the place to make sure the coast is clear. But for now, I just need to make sure Cami is all right.
“Be careful,” I say to Eva as she slips into a raincoat. It’s raining, which helps with the disguise as she slips on the hood. “Y’ve got the gun?”
“I will. And yes, I do.”
“If anything looks suspicious, ye get out of there, all right? We will find another way to get Cami out.”
Eva’s dogged expression reveals that option is one she does not accept. She reminds me of her sister—both are strong, determined women, which is why I know this won’t fail.
Ethan looks over his shoulder at Eva, his concern clear.
Their love is new. It’s young love. I’ve almost forgotten the innocence, but when I think back to when I met Babydoll and the feelings she stirred in me, I remember the unbreakable bond we formed and how I promised myself to never let any harm come of her.
Young love is really a beautiful thing.
“Don’t put yerself at risk. Promise me that,” Ethan pleads with her, and I suddenly feel like I’m encroaching on a private moment.
“I promise,” she replies, leaning between the front seats and placing a kiss on Ethan’s cheek.
She doesn’t cower—another trait she and her sister share—and opens the back door, reaching for the huge floral arrangement on the back seat. She closes the door, and Ethan and I watch as she walks toward Aoife’s house.
The tension spills from him, and all I can do is touch his shoulder in assurance. “She’ll be okay. She’s smart.”
He nods, but that doesn’t lessen the weight pressing against his heart.
We watch in silence as Eva knocks on Aoife’s door. This plan will work. To onlookers, it appears that Eva is simply delivering flowers. The door opens, and I sigh in relief when Aoife answers with Shay in one arm and a box in the other.
I instructed her to answer the door with her hands full as this gives Eva an excuse to enter Aoife’s home, which she does. The window is small because anything over two minutes will rouse suspicion. So I can only hope Babydoll goes along with the plan.
Aoife nudges the door wide with her shoulder, allowing Eva into her home. She doesn’t close the door fully but subtly closes it enough to conceal what’s going on inside. Ethan leans forward, his nose all but pressed to the windscreen as he waits for someone to re-emerge.
Two minutes soon become three, a sure sign something is wrong.
“Fuck,” I curse, reaching into the glove compartment for my gun.
Ethan already has his in hand and just as he opens the door, someone steps out of Aoife’s. We both pause in our tracks, barely breathing as we watch the woman, donned in the raincoat, leave Aoife’s and make her way toward us.
“Calm down, cub.” I gently grip Ethan’s forearm to stop him from launching from the truck. The energy vibrating off him almost burns me.
The woman’s head is bowed, so I can’t see who it is. The closer she gets, the faster my heart beats. She quickly opens the back door, and when she gets in, both Ethan and I turn to look at her. With her chin still drooped, she slowly removes the hood.
Raindrops somersault into the air, and if this was some romantic movie, this would be the moment the couple lock eyes when caught in a rainstorm and everything fades to black. But it’s not because all I can feel is Ethan’s heart crushing.
“Drive,” Babydoll orders.
I can’t read what she’s thinking, but I know she’s pissed.
Turning back around, I start the truck and slip into the night.
The drive back to Fiona’s is filled with nothing but uncomfortable silence. Ethan’s attention is focused out the window, and as I risk a glimpse at Babydoll in the rearview mirror, it seems she too would rather peer into the night skies than look at me.
As I pull up by the curb, Ethan opens the door, but Babydoll doesn’t move.
“I’m not staying at Fiona’s,” she states blankly. “Take me to a hotel please.”
Ethan doesn’t bother to stay for this fight and closes the door, leaving us alone. I wait until he’s inside before pulling away.
The silence continues.
“Babydoll—”
“I don’t want to talk to you right now,” she interrupts sharply. “I just want to sleep. I am so fucking tired. Of everything.”
My heart sinks.
This is the first time she’s admitted defeat. Is she tired of this? Of us?
I get why she gave me the cold shoulder when she returned. She was held captive by the woman who gave birth to my son. It’s a lot to process. I thought giving her space would help. But have I pushed her away? I don’t understand anything anymore.
I wish I could take her back to my house, but I simply cannot. Sean will be watching the castle more than ever now. We have to be so careful.
“What hotel?” I ask, flinching at how harsh I sound. But I don’t know how to approach this. I don’t know how to speak to her without saying something wrong.
“Kavanagh’s Bed and Breakfast.” Before I can ask how she knows of this place, she adds, “It’s where I used to stay when I came back to Belfast to try to help you.”
There is no malice behind her words. Merely exhaustion. She’s been fighting for almost eleven years. I can’t blame her for being worn out.
I know the B&B well, so we drive there in silence.
Kavanagh’s is an 1800s family home on five acres of gardens. The white two-story home has been preserved to accommodate guests, but I don’t think Babydoll stayed here for the comforts. I guess the fact that it’s in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but silence, is the reason.
It saddens me that she mourned me so much that she too lost ten years of her life.
A part of me was angry with her for moving on with Rory, but Kavanagh’s is a sure sign she never really left. She was always hopeful something would change, that a miracle would unite us, but as years passed, she realized that was a fantasy.
Everything is so fucked up.
Although I’m out of prison, we’re still shackled to the past. So much has happened, and I wonder if maybe it’s too much to overcome. I thought our love could prevail everything—was I wrong?
The moment I put the truck into park, Babydoll opens the door without looking at me. But I can’t let her go. I switch off the engine and follow her as she walks toward the front door. She doesn’t acknowledge me. But she doesn’t send me away either.