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“How bad is it?” Connor asks idly, but I can see that he’s got his fists clenched. Seamus’s eyes meet mine; worry etched across them.
“Bad,” he confirms. Jesus fuck. I want to punch something. “You’ll be taking a dive, Paddy.”
Fuck. What is it with the Italians and fixing fucking fights? They want me to take the dive that Josh Carmichael wouldn’t? Fucking fine.
“Consider it fucking done,” I grit out through my clenched teeth as Seamus stares me down.
“Yer pride’s going to let ye take a dive, Paddy?” Ronan sounds shocked.
“If it keeps Lauren safe, I’ll take a million fucking dives,” I spit out, and Seamus nods. “They’ll recoup their fucking losses from Josh’s reneging, and we’ll be clear.”
“Not quite,” Seamus sighs. My eyes snap back to his, fucking fury pulsing through me. Of course that’s not enough.
“What else?” I snap. Seamus taps his fingers on his iPad again.
“Four hits.”
“Jaysus feck,” Ronan breathes. “Gianni’s milking this.”
“He is,” Seamus agrees.
Niall speaks up from where he’s leaning against the wall in the corner of the room. “Give me the names. I’ll take care of them. The Italians will want bang for their buck. They’ll want the Reaper carrying out their murders.”
“One dive, four hits, then we’re clear, yeah?” Connor squints over at his cousin, grimacing as Seamus slowly shakes his head, and they lock eyes.
“You’ll have two houseguests for the foreseeable future, Lucky,” he grunts at his cousin. “Aunt Siobhan can look after them.”
“Jesus fuck,” I curse. “Collateral?”
“Moldovans. Seven and four.”
Children. Fucking children. Everyone in the room looks sick at the idea.
“They’ll be more comfortable with Aunt Siobhan than any of us. Pa’s already agreed to put guards on the house. Connor, you can stay here with us.”
Seamus turns back to me. “Paddy, you and Lauren should come and stay here too. I don’t like you being in the city. You’re too exposed there.”
“We’ll leave the city,” I growl in agreement. “But we’ll go to my place. It’s about time it had someone living in it.”
Seamus blinks in surprise but meets my eyes and nods.
“I’ll stay with them,” Connor suggests. “That way, Lauren will always have someone with her.”
My eyes flash over him, and I swallow. Lucky jokes around a lot, and he’s usually more annoying than a splinter, but right now, I’m reminded why he’s one of my best mates.
“It’s too much to fucking ask you lot,” I groan. “I’ll fucking sort it. Give me the list.”
“Fuck off, Paddy,” Connor snaps at me. “Just say fucking thank you and be done with it.”
“She’s your woman, Paddy,” Seamus nods to me. “‘That means she’s one of us. And we take care of our own.”
Before I can say anything else, Ronan stiffens, standing near the door to keep an ear out for Tiggy.
“Everyone shut the feck up,” he snaps. We all turn to him in surprise as he cracks open the door, cocking his head and frowning. “Can anyone else hear crying?”
Seamus is out of his chair in the blink of an eye, storming out of the room and hurrying into the kitchen as we follow. But it’s not Tiggy who is sobbing her heart out. It’s Lauren. Again. Jesus fuck, this is not good for my heart.
“It wasn’t me this time,” Liam mutters from behind me, a smack ringing out as someone whacks him upside the head.
