But he was a liar, and that might be a deal breaker for her.
He had mentioned being away several times to her, but when she’d asked, he’d changed the topic or found a way to answer her without really answering anything. She’d never thought much about it, never worried that there was more she didn’t know. Never known that hours, or days, before they’d met, he’d been sitting in a prison cell.
“Thank you, Casey,” Fiona said softly. “You’re the first one to really tell me what’s going on. To open up. I appreciate it more than you know.”
“Of course, Fiona. You’re my friend. He’s like a brother to me, but you’re still my friend.” Casey leaned against the doorframe. “I hope you’ll still consider coming to the gala tomorrow. Get your mind off things.”
Fiona dropped back onto the bed, her head hitting the pillow. “I can’t even think about the gala right now, so probably not.”
“Well, I’ll still see you at breakfast. Try to get a good night’s sleep.” Casey gave her a small wave before closing the door behind her.
Fiona got up and turned off the bedroom light before crawling back into bed. She was still fully dressed and hadn’t done any of her normal bedtime routine, but she couldn’t tonight.
She just needed today to be over.
—
“Monday morning at best, man.” Jimmy stared at him in the dank, cold interview room of the local jail, a frown pulling his face down.
“Is that a fucking joke?” Kieran fisted the top of the table as best as he could with his wrists shackled to a steel bar in the center of it, between his two brothers and him.
“No, it’s not a fucking joke, K. It’s Saturday morning, and you got arrested on a Friday night,” Jimmy explained, looking as frustrated as Kieran felt. “What did you think would happen?”
Kieran ran his hands through his hair. “Fuck.”
“I’ll go check again, see if there is a magistrate willing to do it this weekend, but I doubt it,” Jimmy said before leaving the room.
Kane slumped quietly in his chair across the table. Kieran sighed, feeling the pain he’d caused his twin brother now that they were alone.
“K, what the hell happened?” Kane finally asked.
Kieran took a moment before he responded. “It was a misunderstanding. They found a joint in my pocket.”
“Since when are you back to drugs? I mean, I thought you only played around with that stuff occasionally back before your arrest. I didn’t think you were seriously on them or anything.”
“I’m not, now or then.” Kieran shook his head. “Back then, it was just a party thing. I haven’t touched it since I’ve been out.”
“Well, that’s obviously not true,” Kane pointed out, his hand dropping to the table’s surface.
Kieran rolled his eyes. “Fine, yes, I’ve physically touched a joint, but I never smoked it. I haven’t done any shit like that.”
Kane threw up his hands in frustration. “Then why the fuck did you have a joint?”
Kieran knew he was being dodgy. He didn’t want to answer his brother’s questions. He deserved the punishment—no one else—and he didn’t want to bring anyone else down with him.
Shea was eight. She most definitely didn’t need a single thing about this associated with her, especially since if the police knew Shea had been involved, Child Services would have to investigate. After everything Fiona had been through, and how hard she’d fought to gain custody, he couldn’t risk letting something like this tear the sisters apart. It would devastate her, and he couldn’t allow that.
No matter where their relationship stood at the moment, Fiona was still his. And he’d protect her with everything he had.
“I took it from someone who shouldn’t have had it, then was going to toss it out. Didn’t get a chance before my PO got me,” he finally admitted.
“Who had it?” Kane asked, but Kieran stayed silent. Kane sighed and shook his head, realizing his twin wasn’t going to tell him. “This isn’t a fucking joke, K. This is your life. This is Fiona’s life, and Shea’s.”
Kieran glared at him. “You think I don’t know that?” The irony was, they were exactly the ones he was protecting.
“You’ve got something great going,” Kane said. “But if you’re in here thirty more days—or, God forbid, six more months—do you really think she’ll be waiting for you when you get out, when you’ve only been dating a few weeks?”
Kieran dropped his head, stared down at the table. The idea of Fiona never being in his life again hurt so bad that he could feel it throbbing in his chest. “I don’t want her to wait,” he said, not sure if he even believed himself.