James Pov
I stalked through the house, each step heavy with purpose and regret biting at my heels like an unwanted shadow. There was no room for second thoughts now—not after my brother’s catastrophic attempt to prove himself. That impulsive bastard had sealed our fate the second he pulled the trigger on an Connolly.
If he’d come to me, I might have stopped him. I had a plan—leverage the oldest Connolly daughter, Sophia, to put this feud to rest. But it didn’t matter anymore. His idiocy had written a new script, and we all had to play our parts.
Turning the corner, I quickened my pace as raised voices filtered through the air. My gut twisted when I realized they were coming from the room I’d left her in. Damn it. Nothing was going right today.
The door slammed open under my hand, revea
