Total pages in book: 184
Estimated words: 188108 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 941(@200wpm)___ 752(@250wpm)___ 627(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 188108 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 941(@200wpm)___ 752(@250wpm)___ 627(@300wpm)
Riordan’s eyes widened. He looked worn down. Exhausted. On a different day, Salem might have felt sorry for him. But he had other worries.
“Who?”
Salem shook his head and led him into the office.
Nerves filled her.
She couldn’t believe they were doing this. She didn’t think she could ever let Riordan know who she was.
He might still reject you.
“If he hurts you, I’ll kill him,” Alexei said.
She patted his hand as she strode past him.
Roman was sitting on the sofa while Alexei stood in the middle of the room. And she paced up and down the room.
Then the door opened. Salem stepped in first, looking worried.
Should she do this? She was causing them so much worry. And she’d given them enough of that.
“Have faith,” Roman said. “I think everything will be okay.”
Riordan walked in. He was a handsome man. But he looked exhausted. As though he could use several weeks’ worth of sleep.
“Why am I here? To meet Ms. Clemens?” he asked.
“Actually, that’s a false last name. And I have a new one,” she explained.
“A fake name? Who are you?”
“Once upon a time I was Tamsyn O’Shea,” she said. “And my mother was Molly O’Shea. My father, well, he was Patrick O’Connor.”
She watched as Riordan went pale.
“Apparently, he loved my mother but hated me. After she died, he sent me to live with my grandfather on a remote island. It wasn’t a fun place to live. Then when my grandfather died, he came for me. And he took me to his island where he tortured me. Where he turned me into his spy by threatening people I cared about. The people who were my family. I was used to gain information on his enemies so he could bring them down. Something I have to live with for the rest of my life, even though I tried to do what I could to mess up his plans and protect who I could.”
Riordan was still staring at her so she kept going.
“And then, when I fell in love and openly defied him, he had me kidnapped and brought to him. I was there when he took his last breath and I’m not sorry he’s dead. I can’t be sorry.”
Riordan stumbled to a chair and sat. Then he leaned his head forward between his knees. Should she go to him? Was he all right?
He straightened. “You’re my niece.”
“Yes.”
“No one can know,” Salem warned. “No one can know about her. Pinky made her a ghost.”
Riordan stood and glared at Salem. “Why the fuck would I tell anyone?”
“Well, technically, I worked for a criminal.”
“Because you were threatened,” he said fiercely.
“Yes. I did try my best to protect anyone who was innocent,” she said. “And I tried to give him information that was fairly useless. However, most people won’t see it like that.”
“Most people aren’t me.”
Had he really just said that?
“I knew him, not well as we got older. But I often thought there was something behind the façade and I did nothing. Does that make me an accessory? Maybe. But you were trying to protect people and I’m certain you’re glossing over the worst of it.”
“So you don’t think I’m wicked like him? Because we share blood?” she whispered.
Riordan’s face grew fierce. Almost scary. “Don’t you ever say that about yourself again.”
Alexei stepped between them. “Don’t speak to her like that!”
“Get out of my way!” Riordan snarled.
She stepped between them before things grew more tense.
“Tamsyn,” they both snapped at her.
“You never get between me and someone else,” Alexei scolded.
“He’s right, niece,” Riordan said.
Good Lord.
“I just want to talk to Riordan,” she said to Alexei.
“Uncle Riordan. At least, if you want to call me that,” Riordan said awkwardly. “In private.”
“I’d love that very much,” she whispered.
“Would you also like a hug?” he asked, holding out his arms.
She flew into his embrace, ignoring the growls from Salem and Alexei.
Riordan hugged her and it felt like something that had been missing inside her appeared.
“I would have taken you in,” he whispered. “Had I known, I would have protected you from him.”
“Ditto,” she said.
He let out a surprised laugh. “One day, I want you to tell me it all, okay?”
“But not today.” She just couldn’t tell him it all yet.
“No, not today. Although I do want to talk about what you’re doing getting involved with three men.”
More growls from her men, but she smiled. “They’re good men.”
Riordan sighed. “You’re not going to let me do the fatherly thing and warn them that if they hurt you, they’re dead men.”
She giggled. “I can’t let you hurt them. Not when I love them.”
“That kind of takes the fun out of it.”
“Are you excited about going to Escana for the first time?” Erica asked her as they all started boarding the private plane that the princes had sent for them.
“Um. Yes. Of course.”
Tamsyn felt Alexei come up behind her as Erica walked off.