Shattered Hearts (Irish Kings #1)

Prologue

Finn

I stand alone in my black suit, watching the group of mourners from across the cemetery. The gray clouds shrouding the sky and light mist echo my mood. A woman wearing a dark dress wails as her husband guides her to where the casket holding their daughter waits for their final good-byes.

Where my wife waits. But her parents don’t want me there.

Not that I blame them.

After all, I’m the reason she’s dead.

I rub the jagged pain in my chest and try not to choke on the guilt that’s flooded me ever since I saw what our enemy did to her. Saw how he painted the floor red with her blood.

There was no viewing of the body. Not when she was hacked into pieces like a piece of meat by that fucking butcher, De Luca.

I bow my head, drowning in a fresh wave of guilt and despair. It was my job to protect her, and I failed. I’m an enforcer for the Irish Kings, and I couldn’t even keep my own wife safe.

From my solitary post beneath the tree, no one can hear the agonized noise that rips from my lungs. Loving Brianne was a mistake that cost her life. A fatal risk that I will never repeat.

I should have known better. Monsters like me don’t deserve love.

After one last shuddering breath, I straighten.

“Goodbye, Bri,” I whisper. “I’ll avenge you if it’s the last thing I do.”

I take a final glance at the casket before turning and walking away.