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Oh, now that possibility would fester. She hadn’t known there was a lover until Lachlan gave it away. Finding out more about the woman jumped up a couple of places on her mental to-do list.
“Debts. Family. Any feuds we should know about?”
“All families argue.”
“No judgment here. Fights at the Doherty house growing up always got bloody.”
“Sometimes that’s better than staying quiet and keeping the peace.”
“The McLeods aren’t that different to the McDades or the Dohertys. We’re just more… direct.”
“Yeah. What’s it like being married to your blood enemy?”
“You asking as a McDade or a reporter?”
“I’d never print anything that could hurt the McDades.”
“Then we’re on the same page, even if your guy does have a stick up his ass,” Whisper said and raised a shoulder in a half shrug, while still working. “Much as I hate to admit it, he’s right. I call it uptight, he calls it smart. I like to stir the pot, but I’m impressed actually. He’s smarter than a lot of other guys at the top. My father got himself killed; my father-in-law is in prison. Didn’t work out so well for them.” The McDade wife made eye contact. “You know that’s how this ends, right? Your guy gets dead or goes up the river. As long as your guy’s in it, that’s the only way out.”
“Are you warning me off?”
“No! God, no.” Whisper poured the margarita and handed her a glass. “Their relationships with their fathers are difficult. Zay kept quiet during the trial, yes, but he hasn’t had love for his father for a long time. Taking him down, it changed things. Now the Doherty crews run with the McDades and with the Gambatto family imploding, there’s a lot of opportunity. Ire’s done good seizing those opportunities.”
“Are you and Razer staying to have his back?”
“I’m saying your ass is valuable. And as the McDades gain more power, you become more valuable.”
“Meaning…?”
“And Ire? Well, he’s in demand and seriously protected.”
“I’m not getting it. Conn makes sure I’m protected. If you think I should be scared—”
The woman turned fast, slamming her back against the wall, landing a blade at her throat.
“You make sure you can protect yourself,” Whisper growled against her cheek. “You never go anywhere unarmed.”
“A gun?”
Whisper backed up, showed her the blade, then picked something up from the bar to shove it against her. “My daddy always said, ‘you pick up a gun, you shoot to kill.’” Mrs. McDade downed her drink in one and dropped the glass in the sink. “Sometimes it’s more fun just to scare them. Come on.”
A blade, in a sheath on a strap, that’s what she’d been given. Whisper was halfway to the stairs.
“Where are we going?”
“Basement,” Whisper said, stopping at the top of the stairs. “Forget what you learned in your self-defense classes and daddy’s helpful hints. You’re going to learn to fight like a Doherty.”
“What way is that?”
Satisfied pride spread on Whisper’s face. “The best way. Dirty.”
TWENTY-TWO
EVERY MUSCLE ACHED, and that was with stretching. Thank God she didn’t get jumped on her way to work or she’d have been too stiff to resist. The guys might have snickered, but they didn’t jeer her. How long would that last? If she kept sparring with Whisper, she’d have to insist on it being a private affair. And would check Connel had no camera in the gym.
Yes, they had a gym down there. More than one. With weight benches and cardio machines. There was also a boxing ring and sparring mats. The McDades kept in shape.
Daly stayed at her back with Strat not far behind. They didn’t say anything in The Chronicler elevator. With the memorial service planned and a dozen people on the investigation, it was time to show her face at work. She’d neglected the office for too long. When the elevator doors opened on her floor, it was a relief the reception desk was absent flowers. Maybe Evander figured she’d take a few more days off.
