Thy Kingdom Come (Deliver Us From Evil Trilogy Book One) Read online

  It must have given him great satisfaction seeing Connor beat me time and time again as I hated the wrong man and only he was privy to that secret.

  He sent our men to the enemy, knowing full well that he’d need them on his side when he took over Brody’s domain. He was sick of coming in second best. He was sick of living in Connor’s shadow. This was all about greed, pride, and his wee ego being bruised.

  Babydoll only did what she had to do to save her ma. I can’t be ragin’ over that because look at what I did to avenge mine. We were both puppets to Sean and Brody who used us to wage their war over one another.

  And I also know that…

  “Brody isn’t my father,” I say aloud, needing Hannah to confirm what I just read.

  “No, he isn’t.”

  A thought suddenly hits me, and I sit back, winded. “And that means…”

  “She isn’t yer sister.”

  So she does know.

  This entire time, I was so disgusted with myself, thanks to Sean and Brody punishing me and Babydoll for something we never wanted a part in.

  “Have ye shared this with anyone?”

  She shakes her head. “I found that in a box in storage. They all tried to help, but there was just so much. Ma wouldn’t let anyone near those boxes, but I broke in and searched every night until I found that.”

  “I saw him get shot,” I say, shaking my head, incredulous.

  “I don’t know who we buried, but it’s not him. No doubt Uncle Sean fooled someone else to do his dirty work.”

  “How do ye know he isn’t dead?”

  Hannah looks away, ashamed. “At night, I would sneak out and go back to the castle. It reminded me of happier times. It reminded me of you.”

  I reach for her hand, and this time, the touch is easier.

  “I was certain I saw him there, but didn’t want to believe it, not after I’d lost so much. But I followed Ethan to the castle one night. He was talkin’ to a man, and that man was Uncle Sean.

  “Uncle Sean is trying to mold Ethan into ye. He wants a righthand man he can trust and with Da dying and ye being gone, Ethan trusts him. And what scares me the most is that Ethan is lyin’ to me. When I ask him where he’s been, he tells me he’s been out with friends.

  “He’s never lied to me before. He’s my twin, but I feel like I don’t even know him anymore.”

  She bursts into tears, but quickly sniffs them back as my brave Hannah won’t let anyone see her cry.

  “Punky, what does this mean?” She brushes over the cross tattoo on my wrist.

  I’d forgotten this marks my skin because I had forgotten who I was. “Why, wee one?”

  “Because Ethan has one. Right where you do.”

  The blood drains from my face because this mark—it’s the mark of death, and sooner or later, Ethan will be me.

  Sean’s plan is to take over Dublin and Belfast, knowing his past efforts have failed because he was too exposed and he relied on others. But this plan will work because he’s had years to perfect it. Rome wasn’t built in a day…

  I know what this means, and my stomach turns at the thought. There is only one person who can help me, the last person I ever want to ask for help. But I need an inside man, and that man is Brody Doyle. He is clueless to Sean’s plan. He has no idea he’s still alive.

  He’ll work with me because we both need the other to get what we want. And when I do…I will finally finish what I started ten years ago.

  But first things first, I need to get the fuck out of here.

  “Thank you for never givin’ up on me.”

  “We never did,” she says, not wanting credit.

  Clearing my throat, I need to ask the inevitable. “How’s Cian? Rory? Babydoll?”

  When Hannah tongues her cheek, I know she’s hiding something. She was never a good liar. “They’re grand. Ya can find out for yerself when ye get out.”

  “How do ya propose I do that? In case y’ve forgotten where I am.” I gesture around the room.

  “Darcy wants to help.”

  “Duffy?” I ask, pulling a face.

  “Aye. She’s a lawyer now. A fancy one too.”

  “Who would have thought it.”

  How things have changed. The world continued to turn with or without me. I was the one switched off to change.

  “She’s gone over yer case. She thinks she can get ye out. Something to do with Chief Constable Moore being a dirty pig.”

  My mouth drops open. “Yer jokin’ me?”

  “Maybe if ye read my letters, ye’d know this already.”

  “Aye, yer right.”

  “I’ll organize for Darcy to come see ya then.”

  I can’t believe my wee sister has done this for me. “I don’t deserve this, Hannah. I’m sorry I left ya. There was a reason, I promise ya.”

  She nods, but her hurt is still clear.

  “I cannot believe how grown y’are.”

  “I cannot believe how old y’are,” she teases, laughing when I’m left with a mouth full of nothing.

  But she’s right. I’ve wasted so much time.

  The officer alerts me I have five minutes left.

  Hannah gathers her things, ensuring to pack the journal away safely. She stands, looking awful awkward, and I realize why. I turn to the officer, who nods. I offer him my hands and when he unlocks my cuffs, the invisible manacles holding me back break free as well.

  “I haven’t done this in a very long time,” I confess, while Hannah gulps, unsure of what I mean.

  When I open my arms, I give her the choice—but there never was a choice to be made.

  She steps into my embrace and hugs me tight, transporting me back to better times. “I’ve missed ye. So much,” she whispers into my ear, her tears wetting my cheeks.

  “I’ll make it right. I promise ya.”

  As I hold onto her, my world finally comes back into focus, and I realize who I am. I don’t know what I’m walking into, whether Brody has taken over Belfast or if someone else has taken his place. I don’t know if Cian and Rory will ever forgive me. And I don’t know what this means for Babydoll and me.

  But whatever faces me, no more hiding in the darkness, for I’m a Kelly. They all thought I was dead…but the real story has only just begun.

  Book Two Coming Soon!

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  My author family: Elle Kennedy and Vi Keeland—I love you both very much.

  My husband, Daniel. Love you. Always. Forever. Thanks for putting up with my craziness.

  My ever-supporting parents. You guys are the best. I am who I am because of you. I love you. RIP Papa. Gone but never forgotten. You’re in my heart. Always.

  My agent, Kimberly Brower from Brower Literary & Management. Thank you for your patience and thank you for being an amazing human being.

  My editor, Jenny Sims. What can I say other than I LOVE YOU! Thank you for everything. You go above and beyond for me.

  My Irish Queens—Shauna McDonnell and Aimee Walker, your advice was priceless. Thank you so much for allowing me to pick your brains.

  My proofreaders—Aimee Walker and Rumi Khan, you are amazing!

  My Beta Reader—Rumi Khan. Thank you for loving Punky as much as me.

  Michelle Lancaster—you took this story and created an image which is utter perfection. Your vision and talent are absolutely mind-blowing, and I feel so blessed to have worked with you. Your photos SLAY! Actually, YOU slay!! That makeup was FANTASTIC!! I love your face! #mytribe

  Lochie Carey—dude, like wtf?! You are incredible! You are my Punky. Thank you for bringing him to life.

  Giana Darling—thanks for your rubber stamp. I adore you.

  Lauren Rosa—this cover was born because of your suggestion. I thank you so much for always being there for me.

  Conor King—Thank you so much for everything. Your narration was perfect! PS. I owe you a pint
. Or two. And I’m excited to see Milk play a gig soon!

  Sommer Stein, you NAILED this cover! Thank you for being so patient and making the process so fun. I’m sorry for annoying you constantly.

  My publicist—Danielle Sanchez from Wildfire Marketing Solutions. Thank you for all your help.

  A special shout-out to: Bombay Sapphire Gin, Ashlee O’Brien, L.J. Shen, Christina Lauren, Natasha Madison, Tillie Cole, Lisa Edward, David King, Cheri Grand Anderman, Louise, Kimberly Whalen, Ben Ellis—Tall Story Designs, Nasha Lama, Heyne, Random House, Kinneret Zmora, Hugo & Cie, Planeta, MxM Bookmark, Art Eternal, Carbaccio, Fischer, Sieben Verlag, Bookouture, Egmont Bulgaria, Brilliance Publishing, Audible, Hope Editions, BookBub, Paris, New York, Sarah Sentz, Gel Ytayz, Jessica—PeaceLoveBooks.

  To the endless blogs that have supported me since day one—You guys rock my world.

  My bookstagrammers—Your creativity astounds me. The effort you go to is just amazing. Thank you for the posts, the teasers, the support, the messages, the love, the EVERYTHING! I see what you do, and I am so, so thankful.

  My ARC TEAM—You guys are THE BEST! Thanks for all the support.

  My reader group—sending you all a big kiss.

  My beautiful family—Mum, Papa, Fran, Matt, Samantha, Amelia, Gayle, Peter, Luke, Leah, Jimmy, Jack, Shirley, Michael, Rob, Elisa, Evan, Alex, Francesca, and my aunties, uncles, and cousins—I am the luckiest person alive to know each and every one of you. You brighten up my world in ways I honestly cannot express.

  Samantha and Amelia— I love you both so very much.

  To my family in Holland and Italy, and abroad. Sending you guys much love and kisses.

  Papa, Zio Nello, Zio Frank, Zia Rosetta, and Zia Giuseppina—you are in our hearts. Always.

  My fur babies— mamma loves you so much! Dacca, I know you’re hanging with Jaggy, Dina, Ninja, and Papa.

  To anyone I have missed, I’m sorry. It wasn’t intentional!

  Last but certainly not least, I want to thank YOU! Thank you for welcoming me into your hearts and homes. My readers are the BEST readers in this entire universe! Love you all!

  Monica James spent her youth devouring the works of Anne Rice, William Shakespeare, and Emily Dickinson.

  When she is not writing, Monica is busy running her own business, but she always finds a balance between the two. She enjoys writing honest, heartfelt, and turbulent stories, hoping to leave an imprint on her readers. She draws her inspiration from life.

  She is a bestselling author in the U.S.A., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, and The U.K.

  Monica James resides in Melbourne, Australia, with her wonderful family, and menagerie of animals. She is slightly obsessed with cats, chucks, and lip gloss, and secretly wishes she was a ninja on the weekends.

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