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“Macushla.”
Just his warning tone was enough to prompt her on. “Your guys, I trust. McDade men are loyal. They’d go to any lengths for you and know how to keep their mouths shut. Your people—”
“You want rid of your father’s grunts? Done.”
As he inhaled, probably ready to call out a command, she coiled her leg around his. “No, they make my dad feel safer, fine, whatever.”
“Safer?” he asked, wearing a frown. “Everyone is safe. I don’t want shit going down in front of you.” And, God, her stomach bottomed out in the most rapturous way. Wasn’t that exactly what she’d said? “Any shit goes down, you get your ass to our bedroom and wait for me. Understand?”
She nodded. “We don’t have to kill my dad’s guys. But if we could find out more about them, who they’re talking to…” She sighed. “We have to protect you and the family. I don’t know these people or trust them not to use what they learn during this against the McDades. Maybe it’s paranoia and if I’m being stupid—”
“I’ll put tails on them.”
Her brows rose, as did her chin. “You will?”
“Aye,” he said, peering at her. “Shit, Macushla, you have no idea what I’d do for you.”
“If they share something or we find out they’re working with—”
“I’ll take care of it,” he said, his thumb gliding down her jaw.
Since they were doing so well… “Evander says if he finds my grandfather’s killer, he wants me as payment.”
His thumb stopped.
A beat passed.
“You agree to that?”
“No,” she said.
“You went to him before you came to me.”
“I didn’t have to come to you,” she said, proud of her smile and her guy. “I knew you’d be on it. You don’t need my prompt to do what’s best for me. You do it automatically.” Her hands came back around, this time to undo one of his shirt buttons. “And I’m already yours. We don’t need any shady deal to cement that.”
“If Vex’s proposal is nothing, why tell me about it?”
Okay, so it could come to naught and mean nothing, or not. “It’s Evander,” she said, insinuating her hand into his shirt to draw a fingernail around his stag tattoo. “I don’t want you blindsided. He can be cruel and hears what he wants to hear. I’m not interested in double dealing or causing conflict.” Heightening it may be a better description. “If I respect your world, and your position, more likely both will respect me.” In the grand scheme of things. “And if you know, you can laugh in his face. If you don’t, you might doubt me.”
“Never,” he said, seizing her jaw to force her head back. “Never, Macushla.”
“Hey!” another shout. Her father. “Take your hands off my daughter!”
“Please don’t,” she whispered in a tease that elevated the corner of his lips. “Will you fuck me on this bar later?”
“I’ll fuck you on it right now,” he murmured.
On a laugh, she pulled him down for a quick kiss, then slid off the stool, pouring herself against him.
“Dad,” she said, threading her fingers through Connel’s, drawing him away from the bar. “Maybe you haven’t met, but this is my boyfriend.” Her father kept on seething. “You don’t know him, I know. Lach already made that clear.” She stopped between Niall and Razer. “Obviously, you didn’t believe what Conn said, so let me say it. There’s nothing he values more than my safety.”
“I didn’t raise you to be this naïve.”
Conn yanked her behind him to put himself in her former place. “Watch your tone when you talk to her.”
Her father’s shoulders went back as he stormed closer. “You’re a scum-sucking, low—”
“Okay!” Lach said, leaping in front of their father to stop him. “Both of you need to sit on your shit or this goes nowhere.” Thank God for her brother. “Let’s just sit down and take a breath.”
