Unchosen Ruler by Maggie Cole

17

Hailee

"Orla?"my mother gasps.

"You know her?" Gemma asks.

My mother squeezes her eyes shut, as if reliving a painful experience. "Yes. Your father had an ongoing affair with a woman named Riona. Her daughter is Orla."

"Mom, how could you keep all of this from us?" I accuse. My twin sisters Ciara and Ella haven't said much after Gemma and I told them we're Baileys.

My mother stares at me with no color left in her face. She quietly replies, "I warned you to stay away from Liam and the O'Malleys."

"Don't you dare put this on Liam or his family," I reprimand.

"The O'Malleys are the only option we have for protection," Gemma insists.

My mother's eyes widen. "Your father and his thugs will kill them if he finds out you have anything to do with them."

"He already knows Hailee is with Liam," Gemma blurts out.

My mother's hand covers her mouth. Tears form in her eyes. She closes them for several moments then steps in front of me. "You have to break it off."

My insides quiver. I stand straighter and firmly reply, "No."

She puts her hands on my shoulders. "You don't understand. A full-out war will occur. No one is more powerful than the Baileys. You will never be safe again and—"

"So I break up with Liam and marry the gangster my father has lined up? Is that what you want?" I angrily fire back.

"And what do you think Liam is?" My mother's eyes drill into mine.

"He's nothing like the man you fell for," I remind her. She isn't an innocent angel, either, when it comes to her past dating life. I know nothing about it, but from what I've tried to forget and what Gemma and Liam told me about our father, I don't see how she could have ever loved a man so vile.

My mother turns away, and her hands shake.

The normal sympathy I would show toward my mother is nowhere. I've always been proud to be her daughter, but I suddenly don't understand how she could have ever made the choices she did. All night, I tossed and turned. I barely slept, replaying all the details I learned about whose blood runs through my veins. I ask, "How could you think you could hide this from us, and we wouldn't find out?"

She continues not to face me. "I-I didn't think he knew where we were. I was so careful. I changed our last name. Anyone I knew when I was with him, I no longer spoke with, including my closest friends and family. Everything I did was to protect you from him and his clan."

I wish I could control the anger I can't seem to shake. I spit out, "They're the mob. I'm sure they know everything."

My mother spins. The same rage I'm feeling is on her face. "And what do you think Liam is a part of, hmm? I begged you to break up with him. I told you about his family, and you still stayed with him. What makes you think it is okay to continue seeing the future head of a crime family?"

Rage spins so fast, I hurl back, "I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, right, Mom?"

Pain ripples through her expression. The room turns silent, and my heart beats faster. She finally bites out, "You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"Maybe I don't. But at least you didn't have to tell me about Liam. I already know everything he's capable of. Hurting me isn't part of it. But regardless of my relationship with him, it doesn't negate the facts. The minute we were adults, you should have told us the truth about who we were. They stalked and threatened Gemma for months, so badly she quit her job," I reveal.

My mom gapes at Gemma then her tears fall. She puts her arms around my sister. "I'm sorry, baby. Why didn't you tell me?"

Gemma scrunches her face. Her voice shakes. "Orla said she'd kill all of you if I told anyone."

"Then why are you telling us?" Ella shrieks. Out of all of us, she's the one who's the biggest scaredy-cat.

Gemma pulls out of my mom's embrace. "The O'Malleys are protecting us. They were as soon as Hailee started dating Liam. Nolan said you all need to be aware and tell them if you see anyone suspicious following you, but their men are watching over us."

"Who's Nolan?" my mother asks.

"Liam's cousin."

My mother swallows hard. She lowers her voice. "Please tell me you aren't dating an O'Malley, too."

A line forms between Gemma's eyebrows. She puts her hand on her hip. "No. But I'm staying with him."

Confusion fills my mother's face. "What does that mean?"

Gemma sticks her chin out. "He's going to protect me."

"Why? And for what in return?" Suspicion laces my mother's voice.

I nastily interject, "Why do I get the feeling you would rather we be with the Baileys than the O'Malleys?"

Betrayal fills my mother's expression. Her anguish fills the room. "You don't know anything about the Baileys or O'Malleys."

"You didn't tell us," Ciara snaps.

My mother spins toward the twins and cries out, "It was for your protection."

"A lot of good it did for Gemma," Ciara points out.

My mother closes her eyes again. "I thought I was doing the best for you. I didn't want you to know anything about who your father is. It's not a world I want you in."

"But it's part of us. We deserved to know the truth instead of being blindsided," I state.

My mom walks to the window and stares out at the Chicago skyline. My sisters and I exchange glances. Several minutes pass, and my mother turns. "We need to leave Chicago. Now. You can't take your phones or anything traceable. I'll go to the bank and cash out my accounts. No one leaves, and you only take what's on your backs. When we get wherever we're going, we'll buy new things."

"What? No!" I cry out.

"Are you crazy?" the twins say in unison.

"Orla will track us down and kill us!" Gemma exclaims.

My mom picks up her oversized brown purse. "This isn't a choice. I'll be back as soon as possible. Do not do anything stupid." She walks toward the door, and we all follow her.

"Mom, stop!" Gemma pulls on her arm.

My mother's voice gets loud. "No! You don't know what they are capable of. Do not test me on this." She opens the door, takes a step out, and Liam steps in front of her with his arms over his chest. Nolan stands next to him.

Liam's eyes turn to slits. In a firm voice, he says, "Go back inside, Jane."

My mother freezes. Her hands shake again, and she grips her purse strap so tight, her knuckles turn white.

Liam's tone becomes calmer. "I'm not here to hurt you, but go back inside."

Time seems to stand still. Liam and my mom's eyes stay locked in battle until tears fall down her cheeks. She finally speaks but her voice cracks. "You-you need to go."

Liam raises his eyebrows. The green in his eyes grows brighter until they look like a wild animal's glowing in the dark. "I'm sorry, but I can't. Go inside, Jane."

My mother doesn't retreat. I reach for her arm. "Mom."

She stands straighter. "You need to stay away from my daughters. Both of you."

Liam shakes his head. "That won't be happening. Now please go back inside so we can discuss this situation."

"Mom," I try again, squeezing her biceps.

Her eyes never leave Liam's. Her voice grows stronger. "I won't have my daughters be part of your world."

A flash of hurt crosses Liam's face, but it disappears quickly. "They are already in it. All of them were born into it. But it doesn't have to be what you experienced."

A laugh flies out of my mom's mouth. Tears fall fast and drip off her chin. "Is that—"

"This isn't safe to discuss in the hallway. For your daughters' safety, please go back inside," Liam says.

"Mom! Come inside," Gemma demands.

I tug on her arm, and she finally retreats into the apartment. Liam and Nolan follow and shut the door. Liam motions to the living room. "Please, sit. We need to discuss how to keep all of you safe."

"They will kill us. All of us," my mother warns.

Liam tugs me close to him. In a no-nonsense voice, he states, "They aren't coming close to any of your daughters or you. My family will protect all of you, but we need to set some ground rules."

"You don't know who you are dealing with," my mother claims.

"I know exactly who I'm dealing with. And the only ones dying will be the Baileys," Liam states.

My mom's eyes widen. She stares at me. In a quiet, pleading voice, she says, "This isn't what you want for your life."

Liam's body stiffens next to mine.

I lean in closer to him. "Liam is who I want. Whatever comes with him, I'll deal with. I'm not naive or a child, and this isn't up for debate."

Silence fills the air. Disappointment fills my mother's expression.

Liam finally breaks the awkward quiet. "I know the monster you married. I was in prison with him for fifteen years, but I knew of him even before then. I'm not him. I'll never hurt Hailee. You have my word."

His words don't seem to satisfy my mother. She looks between us, and all I see is helplessness, frustration, and fear.

"Can someone tell me how you're going to keep us safe? I'm not into all this mob crap and like my life as it is," Ciara declares.

"Seriously?" Gemma scowls at her.

"What? It's true."

Nolan clears his throat. He points to the couches. "Please sit down."

My sisters obey, but my mother stays planted.

Nolan gently says, "No one can change this situation. All we can do is move forward."

My mother turns to him, as if noticing him for the first time. "Who are you?"

"I'm Nolan O'Malley."

"What do you want with Gemma?"

Nolan glances quickly at my sister. Then he pins his gaze back on my mother. "Information. Rory Bailey orchestrated the death of my father. The Baileys are coming after all of us. The O'Malleys will keep you and your daughters safe. But Gemma is going to tell me everything she knows, even the little details she thinks are insignificant."

My mother's lips tremble hard. "So my daughter is your prisoner?"

Gemma cries out, "Mom! Stop! That's not—"

My mother spins fast and cuts her off. "You do not know what you are doing or what these men are capable of. This isn't a game or a wild night out, Gemma."

Gemma's eyes fill with tears. "You don't think I know that? They've destroyed my life in the last nine months. I've lived in fear, quit my job I worked my ass off for and was good at—no, I was amazing at it—and now I've become a hermit to the point my friends won't even talk to me. My half-sister infested my home so badly, I can't ever walk in there again without the feeling of rats crawling on me because the one night I took a sleeping pill, I woke up with them all over me. Every night, I get in bed and can barely sleep. My stomach feels like an acid pit eating at me all day. So don't stand there and tell me what I know or don't know. I'm fully aware this isn't a game, Mother."

Horror fills all of us. It erupts on our faces, and Liam tightens his arm around me. My mother covers her mouth with her hand and whispers, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know. You should have told me."

"Like you should have told us who our father is?" Gemma fires back.

My mother breaks down in sobs, and Gemma brushes past her.

"Gemma!" I follow her into her bedroom and pull her to me.

Her body shakes. "I'm not letting Mom take us who knows where. They'll find us. I know what Orla is capable of, and we'll all end up in the whorehouse or dead."

"Shh. We aren't running. We're going to do whatever Liam says."

Gemma pulls back. "Nolan hates me. But at least I slept last night, knowing someone was watching over me. Plus, he had other O'Malleys keeping watch over his house."

I wipe the tears off her cheeks. "Was he mean to you? If he was, I'll get Liam—"

"No. It's my fault he hates me anyway."

"What did you say to him?"

"I don't want to repeat it. Don't ask me again."

I sigh. "Fine. But if he's nasty to you in any way, you'll tell me, right?"

"Of course. But I don't think he would hurt me," she claims.

"Liam swears he never would, but all I keep seeing is him grabbing your neck."

Gemma sarcastically laughs. "You're a hypocrite sometimes, Hailee."

"What are you talking about?" I defensively reply.

"Liam hasn't done that to you? Or some other crazy shit?" She arches an eyebrow.

My flutters erupt thinking of last night when he spun me into the wall after we got into the house and when he tied me up for hours when I tried to defy him and go home on the bus.

"Yep, that's what I thought. You act like a Goody Two-shoes, but I know you, Hailee. We aren't so different like you think," she claims.

"Meaning what?" I ask but don't need to. I already have an idea about what she's going to say.

Her lips twitch. "You're with Liam. You finally went for the bad boy. I see how possessive he is. I'm pretty sure nothing with him is ordinary in or out of the bedroom. I might be a year younger, but I'm not naive. Just be careful. Bad boys don't stick around forever."

My heart races faster, thinking about the possibility of Liam leaving me one day. All of Gemma's previous asshole boyfriends who broke her heart fill my mind. I blurt out, "Liam isn't like that."

A sad, agonized look passes in her eyes. "He would be the first. I hope he proves me wrong."

There's a knock on the door, and we spin to find Liam in the doorway. His gaze tells me he heard what Gemma said. "We need you both in the other room."

Gemma's cheeks flush. "Sure. Sorry." She rushes past him.

I take a deep breath and move toward the door, but Liam steps in front of me. My heart pounds harder. I stare at his chest, trying to think of anything but him someday breaking it off with me.

He tilts my chin so I can't avoid him any longer. In a firm voice, he says, "She's wrong, little lamb. You know this deep down. My love for you isn't wavering."

Relief fills me.

His thumb strokes my jawline. He opens his mouth, shuts it, studies me, then says, "I need to hear you say you believe me. That no matter what, you won't ever question my devotion to you."

I reach for his head and move his face an inch from mine. "I believe you."

His face stays solemn. "Your mother hates me. Tell me it's not going to cause you to question us."

I wish I could deny my mother's feelings and distrust toward Liam, but I can't. However, I do know there isn't a choice in being with him. Instead, I tease, "If I can handle your mom scheduling me into confession and not running, I think I've proven I can deal with my mother's disapproval."

He stays silent, staring at me.

I do the only thing I can think of to squash his concerns. I press my lips to his, giving him everything I have, trying to show him I'm not running due to anything we're facing. I'm a Bailey, his archenemy, and he still loves me. If he can accept me for my faults, I can love him unconditionally for all of his.

In our kiss lies a promise. We don't have to say it. I feel it. When his mouth leaves mine, he says, "Let's get this over with and get out of here."

I stroke his cheek. "What are we doing the rest of the day?"

"Killian and Declan are working on the walls. I need to help them."

I trace his lips. "While you do that, I'll get the treat box ready."

He arches an eyebrow. "Do I finally get to see this treat box?"

I coyly reply, "If you earn it."

"And what would earning it involve?"

I softly laugh. "You'll have to wait and see."

He smiles, pecks me on the lips, and takes my hand. "Let's go talk to your family." He leads me out to the other room, and I stand in front of him. The entire time, he's behind me, with his arm wrapped around my waist.

Over the next hour, Liam and Nolan make it clear they will have eyes on us at all times. They discuss what to do if a Bailey contacts any of us. Nolan disengages the microphone and location features on our phones. He shows all of us how to check our cells for basic trackers.

No matter how much Liam and Nolan try to help my family, my mother's expression never changes. Her distrust in the O'Malleys runs deep, and I wonder if it will ever change.

The only thing I'm confident in is Liam and me. Everything about our families means we shouldn't be, yet every part of us fits perfectly together. I don't understand it, but I'm determined not to dwell on how it's possible or how it can't end up in disaster. And maybe that's where I go wrong.