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I stare at the beautiful ring he’s holding. A large emerald as green as Ireland surrounded by diamonds that remind me of the lights of New Orleans. A perfect pairing. Just like us. “Yes, I’ll marry you,” I tell him. He slides the ring on my finger and leaps up to wrap me in his arms again. I hear faint sounds of clapping around us as he kisses me. He lifts me off my feet and swings me around in celebration.
“I want you to meet someone, well, two someones, and I want them to meet you,” Dixie says, lowering me to the ground. “Danny and Conor, this is my woman, Delphine. Delphine, these two men are the ones I told you about. Danny Flynn and Conor Byrne.”
“You’re here?” I announce unnecessarily. “I’m so glad. Are you visiting or staying?” I ignore their outstretched hands and give them each a hug.
“They’re staying. They had to get out of Ireland and I thought, what better place to go than here? Hex and I have talked them into prospecting for the club.”
“That’s great news!” I tell them. “Welcome. Let’s get you set up. Do you have any luggage?”
“Just this. Thanks,” Danny says, shouldering the duffel bag Jack handed him. Conor takes his with a nod at Jack.
“You should have warned me, but luckily we have two rooms ready,” I chide Dixie before leading the boys inside and up the stairs. “This will be your room. You’ll share while you’re prospects,” I explain. “Jack and Levi are next door.”
Conor and Danny enter the room and each selects a bed.
“Thank you,” Danny says. “Dixie said you’d welcome us here. I guess he told you who were are?”
“He did,” I say and glance at both boys. Conor doesn’t meet my eyes, and I notice the concerned look Danny’s giving his brother. “He told me everything, including how much he wished you two lived closer. I’m glad you took him up on his offer to come here. You’ll love New Orleans. I’ve lived here all my life, so if you have questions, please ask.”
Danny thanks me while Conor stares at me, his mouth open. “What?” I ask.
“When did Dixie mention wanting us nearby?” Conor asks.
“Several days ago. Before he went to Ireland. When he told me your stories. We talked about going for a visit. I wanted to see the farm where he grew up and he wanted me to meet you both and see if you wanted to come visit us. Why?”
“No reason,” Conor says, turning and walking toward the window. He’s staring outside, but I’m not sure he’s seeing the view.
“Is he okay?” I ask Danny.
Danny nods. “He is. He’s overwhelmed right now. We had to leave Ireland because some guys he was in prison with are after him. When Dixie learned about it, he insisted we come back with him. Even got Pirate to create fake identities for us. I think Danny thought we were a burden. So, hearing that Dixie wanted us here before he heard about the trouble is a relief.”
“I want you here,” Dixie says from the doorway. “Both of you. I wouldn’t have invited you if I didn’t. Okay?”
Conor and Danny both nod and follow us back downstairs. Jack meets us and takes the other two to introduce them to the Levi and the other women.
“Is Conor safe here?” I ask Dixie, who nods.
“Should be. Pirate got him a new identity with some help from Sigil. The assholes after him won’t think of looking here.”
“Sigil helped? I take you worked things out with them?”
Dixie nods before taking a swig of beer from the bottle Levi handed him. “I got lucky with them. They weren’t happy with what I did and I’ll have to regain their trust, but they didn’t kill me. Obviously. Once I explained that the person who ordered the hit won’t be complaining, they showed me leniency. I still have my position with them, but I need to complete the next three jobs pro bono.”
I wrap my arms around his waist and lay my head against his chest as I look up into his pretty hazel eyes. “I’m glad you’re home and safe.”
“Me, too,” he says before giving me a soft kiss. “Let’s say we go upstairs and I can show you how happy I am to be back home.”
As we head toward the stairs, Lake’s shouts draw us back downstairs and into the common room. When we arrive, Lake is standing with Levi, who is making a call. The fear on Levi and Lake’s face hits me just as I sense Olivia’s fear.
“Olivia,” I whisper as both Levi and Lake turn toward me. “She’s in danger.”
The End
