It’s not a question. He knows me better than I sometimes like to admit.
“He can’t get away with this,” I say, my voice low and steady. “Not with what he did to Lana. Not with what he tried to do to Kori.”
Declan sets down his glass. “What exactly are you suggesting?”
“I’m going to find him. And I’m going to make sure he never hurts either of them again.”
“And how do you plan to do that?” he asks, his tone neutral but his eyes sharp.
“I haven’t worked out the details yet,” I admit. “But I need backup. Someone to make sure I...” I trail off, not wanting to voice what might happen if I’m alone with Mark.
“Cross a line you can’t cross?” Declan asks.
“Something like that.”
He considers this, then picks up his phone. “Rory, Connor. My study, now.” He hangs up without waiting for a response. He looks at me and says, “I know you’re not a killer.”
They arrive within minutes, looking rumpled but alert. Rory takes one look at my face and sighs.
“This is about Mark, isn’t it?”
“You saw what he did to Lana,” I say simply.
Connor leans against the desk. “What’s the plan?”
I explain my thinking—find Mark, confront him in a private place, and make it clear, in no uncertain terms, what will happen if he ever comes near Kori or Lana again.
“And if he doesn’t listen to reason?” Rory asks, though I can tell from his expression that he already knows the answer.
“Then we move to plan B,” I say grimly.
“Which is?” Connor presses.
I look at each of them in turn. “We make sure he understands that the MacGallans protect their own.”
Declan nods slowly. “And Kori and Lana are now under MacGallan protection.”
“Exactly.”
“I’m in,” Rory says immediately.
“Me too,” Connor adds. “No one should get away with what he did.”
Declan finishes his whiskey and places the empty glass on his desk. “We move in sixty minutes. Do you have his home address?”
“Not exactly. Kori only mentioned Glen Road.”
Rory’s eyebrows lift. “Rosedale? Those propertiesstart at seven figures.”
“Your point?” Connor asks.
“Just surprised,” Rory says, leaning against the wall. “Hard to believe someone with that much to lose would risk it all by assaulting women.”
“Money doesn’t buy character,” Declan says, rising from his chair.
“Clearly,” Rory replies with a laugh. “Otherwise, you’d be a saint.”
Connor clears his throat. “So, we’re just going to cruise the neighborhood until we spot his vehicle?”
