The bong from the grandfather clock in the hall broke the silence. Tisha jumped. Da pressed a finger to his mouth for her to remain quiet.
“Mr. Dalton, where did Aidan take the women?” he whispered.
“The day salon facing the backyard. Rue likes to sit there and rock our daughter to sleep.” Mr. Dalton lifted a shaking hand and motioned down the hall.
“Tisha and I will head that way. As quietly as possible, go up the stairs and check on Daugherty and his nurse to see how they’re faring. Stay with them until it’s safe to come down.” Da opened his coat, showing off a firearm.
“Where did you get that?” she asked, startled he would have a weapon on him.
“I always keep my pistol on me.” He tapped the firearm.
They would have a long talk after this was all over. But first they had to settle things with Aidan.
“Please be safe, Mr. McGrath. Save my wife and child and the other two women. If anything happens to them.…” Mr. Dalton shut his mouth and clutched the staircase banister.
“You have my promise: I’ll try my best to keep everyone safe.” Da patted Mr. Dalton’s back. “Now, go upstairs and check on the old man.”
He nodded and slowly trod up the stairs. When he reached the second landing and turned down the hall, Da took her hand, and they moved toward the back of the house.
“What if Aidan is so far gone he won’t listen to us?” A foreboding she’d never experienced before bombarded her.
“Let’s not think of the worst.” He tightened his grip around hers.
They walked past the dining room and other rooms. Turning a corner, they came to a room with the door slightly open. Light shone from within, and there were voices and crying.
He thrust her behind him. “Aidan, son, it’s Teague. Tisha is with me also. We would like to come in and talk to you.”
No response. He lifted his gun and stepped forward.
“Aidan, I promise you it’s only me and Tisha.” He paused and waited. Still, no answer.
She dug her nails in his back. “Aidan, Da has never lied to you before.” She expelled a shaky breath and steadied her voice. “You can trust us. We’re here to help.”
The sounds of muffled movement from in the room reached the hall and then a man’s and woman’s voices, along with some floor creaking.
Abbie appeared at the door with Aidan behind her. The side of her mouth was marred by a purple bruise. Her hair was also snarled and her eyes swollen from crying. She whimpered as Aidan held the back of her hair.
“Hello, Abbie, may we enter?” Da asked politely.
She opened the door, backing away with Aidan to allow Da and her to enter.
Da shoved his gun in his jacket and curved his arm around her shoulder. They stayed side by side, only stopping when Aidan turned the gun on them.
She glanced at the couch where two women sat. One was older, the other much younger, rocking a sleeping baby. They sat together, silent, unlike Abbie, who sniffed and trembled.
Da lifted his hands. “Hello, son. As promised, it’s just me and Tisha. Why don’t you put down the gun so we can talk?”
Abbie sobbed as Aidan pulled her along until he sat on a chair and forced her to the floor in front of him. He looped his fingers in her hair and dug the edge of the gun under her chin.
“You can sit next to those two.” He nodded at the women on the couch.
Tisha sat next to the one with the baby. She smiled brightly, hiding her nervousness. “You must be Rue. Lucy’s told me about you,” she whispered.
Rue nodded, pulling her sleeping daughter in closer. “Yes.”
“What are you two whispering about?” Aidan asked.
“I’m just introducing myself to your sister.” She smiled at Aidan as if it was just a social call.
Rue gasped, along with the older woman.
“I haven’t had time to tell her about our association.” He curved his hand around Abbie’s throat. “This one won’t shut up, trying to make excuses for her whorish ways.”
Da sat on the arm of the couch. “Aidan, you’ve caused a lot of grief here. Why didn’t you come to me first? I would have—”
“Would have what, Teague? You couldn’t fix this or my Abbie fucking around with another man, my own brother!”
Abbie whimpered when Aidan sat her on his lap. He rocked and rubbed his mouth along her cheek and her hair, mumbling under his breath.
“So, instead of acting like a rational man and asking Abbie, whom you’ve loved and trusted for many years, what really happened between her and Mr. Daugherty, you overact and throw a tantrum?” Da asked.
“You don’t understand!” Aidan threw Abbie to the floor, jumped up from his seat and raised the gun in Teague’s direction.
“Abbie, come here.” Tisha beckoned the hysterical woman.
She crawled and landed on Tisha. She hid her face in Tisha’s lap.
Da didn’t act nervous as Aidan pointed the gun at him. He tapped his fingers on his knee and sighed. “You enjoy scaring innocent women like your sisters and your sweetheart?”
“No! I-I came here to talk to my bastard of a father. I’m sick of him ignoring me.” Aidan growled, slapping the gun on the side of his leg. He paced, running his fingers through his hair. “Where is he? They said they would bring him to me!” He landed back in the chair and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, staring at the entrance of the room.
“This was a way to get your father’s attention?” Tisha lifted Abbie up and had her take her seat. She approached Aidan even though Da said her name in warning.
Aidan sat back when she knelt before him. He ran the side of his hand down her cheek.
“You’re not afraid of me, are you?” he asked in a petulant tone.
“Not at all. I’m your best girl and the one who loves you the most.” She rested her cheek on his knee, showing him how much she trusted him not to hurt her. He spread his fingers through her hair, playing with the strands that had unraveled from her pins.
Someone moved next to Tisha. It was Abbie. She knelt in front of Aidan with her head lowered. “Aidan, I’m sorry for what you saw. I never kissed Colby Daugherty. You’re the only one who owns my heart. I would never dare kiss another man.”
“Abbie.” He said her name like a benediction and lifted her chin.
She gave him a watery smile when he lightly ran his fingers over her bruise.
“Oh, my Abigail, forgive me.” He slid off the chair and clutched her to his chest.
She drooped on his shoulder. Her stare at Tisha was filled with sadness and misery.
Da approached the three and also knelt down. He and Aidan stared at one another. It wasn’t until the baby whimpered that Aidan glanced away.
“Aidan.” Da lifted his palm up in an appeal. “It has gone on long enough. I’m going to be blunt here. Your biological father doesn’t deserve you. He left behind the best thing he ever created. All these years you raged at his rejection has rotted you inside. I should have stopped it, but I didn’t. I failed you and your ma. I promised her I would look after you. I thought I did, but I didn’t, and now we’ve come to this.” His eyes watered, and he blinked. “You have at least three people here who love you and only want to best for you. Why not turn away from your hate and forget that rat bastard who may have given you life but doesn’t deserve you as his son?” He tapped his chest with his fist. “I’m your father, not Daugherty. I’m proud to call you my son even though you’re not the child of my loins.”
Tears fell down Aidan’s face. Da’s cheeks were wet with his. Both men cried together.
Da held out his hand. “Give me the gun, son. Let’s stop this madness.”
Aidan wiped his eyes with his sleeve and dropped the gun on the floor. He cried harder and dropped to the floor with his head in Abbie’s lap.
Da took the gun and rose to his feet. He left the room.
Within minutes, men wearing black helmets with silver shields rushed in the room, guns raised.