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Liam is late, and I know that’s no coincidence. I also know they’ve found Aidan’s body.
I was expecting this call, seeing as I was technically the last person to see him alive. They’ve called bullshit on his story, which means they’re looking for answers. And they’re thinking those answers sit with me.
He’s testing me, as this pub is full of Doyle spies. If I look nervous, then he’ll assume I know more than I’m letting on, which is why I calmly sip my pint, pretending to be engrossed by a game on my mobile phone.
How my life has changed. I’m living a double life, but then again, it seems everyone is—Connor, Uncle Sean, and Babydoll.
I can still taste her, and it’s been three days. But I’ll never be able to rid myself of the taste.
She scares me more than the Doyles, and that’s ’cause she can hurt me. Even though I know she’s a liar and a thief, I can’t stay away. Her being an American is merely the tip of the iceberg, and when I uncover who she really is and why she’s here, I know I’ll have to deal with it.
But hurting her, I don’t think I can.
What we shared wasn’t just sex; it was something else entirely. I’m in way over my head, and I’m fearful for what’s to come. This is why I haven’t thought about it. My life is complicated enough.
When Liam finally makes an appearance, I quit thinking on this nonsense and become the character he thinks I am.
“Bout ye?” he asks, taking a seat at the table. It’s hard to believe this bastard could be my half-brother.
His tone is far from friendly, but I look up from my phone and smile. “Hey. What’s up?”
“We’ve got a fierce situation, Mike. My uncle Aidan is dead.”
No foreplay, it seems.
I knew this was coming, so I slip on my surprised face. “What? You’re fucking with me?”
“No, I wish that I was. But we found his mutilated corpse not too far from his house. Whoever did this wanted us to find his body.”
“Fucking hell, man. I’m sorry.”
Liam nods, watching for any signs of deceit. He won’t see any. “I need ya to tell me everythin’ that happened that night.”
Peering around, pretending to scope out our surroundings, I lean in close and say, “I took care of yourproblemuntil he was barely breathing, and then left. Aidan said he’d handle the rest.”
“He did not say what he was doin’ with ourproblem?”
We’re speaking so flippantly about a human life because thatproblemis Ronan. It sickens me. But I shake my head.
“No. He said once he was done, he was seeing a lady friend. That’s all.”
Liam mulls over my admission. “Ye see, the funny thing is we’ve found Uncle Aidan’s body, but not that of Ronan.”
“You don’t think…”
I leave the question open, but what I’m hinting at is that Ronan was the one responsible for Aidan’s death. Ronan is long gone by now, so the Doyles won’t find him. He’s the scapegoat. That’s what he gets for being a fucking traitor.
“I don’t know,” he confesses, leaning back in his seat with a sigh. “The usual place Uncle Aidan would dispose of our problems is undisturbed. That leaves you and that pile o’ shite the last people to see my uncle alive.
“He called me afterward and said I could trust ya. Says him to me that he was with some floozy. But when I called his mots, they said they haven’t seen him.”
Nodding, I remain calm because Liam has nothing on me. He’s searching for any signs of betrayal in my mannerisms.
“I don’t know what to tell you. Anything you need help with, I’ve got your back.”
Liam isn’t convinced, but he doubts I have the bollocks to go up against his uncle and win, which gives me the advantage. He’s underestimated me, and that’s what’ll allow me to take the Doyles down.
His phone rings, and when he sees who it is, something comes over him. I listen to the conversation discreetly, and when I find out who he’s speaking to, I understand his strange response. “It’s under control, Dad.”
