Perfect Sinner by Maggie Cole

Epilogue

Nolan

A Few Months Later

The music endsfor our first dance as Mr. and Mrs. Nolan O'Malley. My perfect, beautiful bride beams. Over the last few months, we've focused on the future and not the past. Her anxiety is almost gone. Sometimes she has a nightmare, but whenever that happens, we talk through it. I remind her everyone who ever threatened her is dead. She hasn't gone to the therapist her mom recommended. I can't say I'm not relieved. Discussing what she did makes me nervous. But she doesn't hesitate to talk to me and sometimes her mom.

I lean down and kiss her.

Colin comes up and holds out his hand. He declares, "I'm stealing you before anyone else does."

Gemma laughs.

Colin locks eyes with me, and my gut drops. "Your brothers need to talk to you for a minute. They're in the bar."

I wink at Gemma then say, "I'll be right back." I make my way into the side room and find my brothers, Liam and Finn, talking to Tully.

Shit. What does he want?

I nod. "Tully. When did you get here?"

"Sorry I'm late. I had some issues pop up."

I glance around. "Where are Bridget and the kids?"

"They didn't come."

Anger seeps through me. "Why? We agreed they could come since you were here, and we have security everywhere."

He nods. "Yes, we did. However, Bridget didn't want to come. So before I go to war with my daughter, I need my end of the deal fulfilled."

Killian tosses his whiskey back and sets it on the bar. "You think I'm going to screw you over? I'm an O'Malley. We're men who keep our word. You know this."

Tully nods. "I'm counting on it."

A chill moves down my spine. I bark, "Stop being evasive, Tully. And I'm not allowing Killian to do whatever it is you have up your sleeve. It's my debt. I'll do it. Now, what is it?"

Tully chuckles then pats my back. "No need to get all worked up. And you can't step in at this point."

"Why?"

He points to Gemma. "Because of her."

My blood boils. "What does Gemma have to do with this?"

"Nothing."

"Tully—"

Declan steps between us. "Spit it out."

Tully turns to Liam. "You know we've needed to form an alliance with the Marinos."

Liam's eyes turn to slits. "Your alliance is not ours, nor is it Killian's."

"Mmm, I beg to differ. The DA dropped the charges against Nolan. But as easy as it went away, something else can pop up."

I step closer. "Are you threatening me?"

Finn puts his arm across my chest, stopping me from going closer.

Liam seethes, "No matter what your daughter thinks, we're family. However, if you do anything to harm an O'Malley, we'll go to war."

Tully crosses his arms. "We had a deal. If you had an arrangement, as leader of your clan, you would hold whoever it was to it, or hell would come down over their head. I am no different."

Liam stays quiet, unable to deny the accusation.

Tully steps closer and lowers his voice. "I have made an alliance with Angelo. Neither he, nor I, can afford to break it. Things in New York are not like they were. Now I have promised him a favor, and Killian is going to keep his word to me and follow through."

Killian rises off the barstool. "Just get your lady fight over with and tell me what it is. Name the time and place. I'll show up and do whatever it is you want. Then we're done, Tully. You get one thing from me, and that's it."

Tully smiles and pats him on the back. "That's all you need to do. One thing, then you've fulfilled your promise to me."

Killian tosses back a mouthful of whiskey. "Fine. What is it?"

Tully taps his crystal tumbler full of scotch. "Angelo doesn't want his daughter, Arianna, in New York anymore. It's getting too dangerous."

"Surely, he has security," Declan states.

Tully nods. "He does. However, she got herself involved in some circles he's not happy about."

The hairs on my arms rise. I interject, "Then he should get her out of them."

Tully snaps his fingers and points at me. "That's exactly what he's going to do."

Killian rolls his eyes. "So I have to babysit this woman or something?"

Tully shakes his head. In a nonnegotiable voice, he states, "No. You're going to marry her."

READ BRUTAL DEFENDER - FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED