Irish Deception

Chapter Three

Hugh

"Come'on Ma get up the twins'll be getting up any minute and they're desperate to spend time with you" I attempt to rouse her from sleep as she lays sprawled out on the sofa where she passed out last night after drinking herself to black out yet again.

I don't get much of a response from her, all I get is a garbled groan and the stench of whatever alcohol she practically drowned herself in hits me causing my face to screw and look at her with pure disgust.

Cause that's what I am. I'm fucking disgusted with who she is and what she's become.

She doesn't even try to hide it anymore and the term functioning alcoholic went out the window ages ago. This is the daily for her now.

From the moment she wakes up to when she eventually passes out somewhere there'll always be a bottle in her hands and she unable to function like a decent human being.

Most fathers that are fully aware their wife is an alcoholic wouldn't send her and her young children away to the middle of fucking no where for over a month every summer but then Faolan isn't most fathers.

The twins are nearly 8 and Blake is 12 now so there's no real way to hide the full extent away from them but where most 17 year olds would spend their summers partying with friends, mine is spent ensuring my younger brothers aren't just left to completely fend for themselves and still get to at least enjoy their summer.

I guess that's my role as their big brother.

To look out for them and keep them safe no matter what sacrifices I have to make.

So to shield them from this as much as I can I carry Ma up to her room, washing the vomit off of her and helping her into bed before any of them can see her in this state.

By the time I've done all that my brothers are up and already down in the kitchen helping themselves to cereal.

Even though I can't think of anything worse than putting on a brave face and pretending that everything is fine, that's exactly what I do when I walk in.

"Who's up for swimming today?" I say as cheerfully as I can and the twins faces light up instantly which reminds me exactly why I do this.

"YEAH!" They both shout at the same time with cereal going absolutely everywhere.

"Is Ma coming?" Blake asks and I can see he struggles the most with this.

Where the twins have never known any different he's seen the change, seen how much our Ma has withered away over the years so when I shake my head the disappointment I see on his face is soul crushing.

I'm abruptly brought back to consciousness by freezing cold water being frown over me and I don't know what worse at this point.

Reliving the memory or the fucking chill that seems to bury deep down into my bones as my teeth chatter and I attempt to gasp through the shock.

"Ah good you're awake" a deep Russian voice cheerfully echoes through the room and when I manage to blink the water out of my eyes they land on Dimitri as he sits in a chair across from me.

His suit immaculate and his ankle crossed over his knee as he reclines back in quite possibly the most relaxed stance I've seen.

I grind my teeth together to stop myself from showing anything in my expression as I glare at him and then quickly glance around the room to see who else is in here with us.

I'm surprised to find that neither of Anastasia's brothers are here just some bulging short bloke that I've never seen before.

When my eyes land back on Dimitri he smiles as if he's simply sitting down for a chat with an old friend.

"Don't worry I'm not going to kill you yet" he says emphasising the last word then he smiles again showing his cards way before he even says anything else.

"No, I'll wait until my little printsessa comes for you then I'll make her watch me kill you" he then says as if he's formulated a grand plan without so much as a hint of fault and despite the fact I'm tied to a chair, freezing and completely fucked at this point I laugh.

I laugh because if there's two things I know for sure about my brothers. The first being that the moment they figure out I'm gone they'll come for me despite recent events and secondly there's not a chance in hell they'll let anyone get close enough to get to Anastasia.

"Good luck with that she hates me" I scoff to try and show that his threat is pointless.

He clicks his tongue and shakes his head and he uncrosses his leg and stands. "That's where you're wrong, my daughter doesn't have it in her to hate. She loves and wants to be loved" he says as he takes slow calculated steps in front of me.

"She's weak and about as useful as a prized pig. I had been considerate enough to let her go on to live her life freely but then she turns up here with you and your brothers of all people, and now I have five very significant men missing" he says with a shrug as he looks at me.

"What the same ones you had rape her" I say and where most fathers would be affected by the thought of their daughter being raped he seems completely unfazed by it.

"Teach her a lesson" he attempts to correct me.

"And what fucking lesson was that?" I sneer at him showing my frustration despite my attempts to keep my expression as masked as possible.

"To follow the rules or there's consequences" he explains and then sighs as he goes on to say "but then she had to get herself pregnant and well we don't agree with abortion in this family"

"So you draw the line at abortion" I say in complete disbelief that he actually acts as if he has some kind of moral compass.

"I don't have to explain myself to you, and when it comes to my daughter she'll do exactly as I say" he then turns to leave and that's when where again I know he's wrong.

Anastasia never willing does as she's told, hell trying to get that woman to do anything against her will has been the bane of my life since day one.

He doesn't know her at all and he clearly doesn't know the lengths my brothers will go to so they can protect the ones they love. Anastasia being one of them now.