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16
“So how doesit feel to be an almost-married man?” Ronan asked from across the table in thecourtyard.
Aiden wiped his mouth on his napkin. “It feels good other than the nonstop stress of thewedding.”
They were eating dinner outside, the big table crowded with Murphys and Walshes — including Beth — even though they’d bought a new, longer table the year before. It was a sign of things to come. There would be another month of dinners in the courtyard and then their Saturday get-togethers would have to move indoors forwinter.
The table groaned with food: the burgers and barbecue chicken Nick had cooked on the grill, corn on the cob, crab legs with lemon and melted butter, and Kate’s famous lobster salad. They’d invited Annie Walsh and Thomas Murphy, the patriarch of the Murphy clan, but both had begged off, citing other plans. Declan couldn’t help wondering if Kate’s mom just wanted her house to herself for awhile.
“I thought you hired a wedding planner,” Alexa asked Aiden. “That really good one that was featured in theGlobe.”
“I loved that feature!” Elise said, tucking a strand of long blond hair behind her ear. “The pictures weredreamy.”
Declan was happy to see Elise’s eyes take on the shine of excitement. She’d been in therapy ever since MIS had rescued her from Manifest, and while she seemed okay most of the time, working at a boutique downtown and attending night classes, Declan wondered if she was reallyokay.
She and Nick had become close, but Nick never talked about his private conversations with Elise. That was the thing about Nick: he had a stick up his ass when it came to following the rules, but it had worked for Declan as often as it worked against him so he couldn’t reallycomplain.
If he needed to tell someone a secret, Nick was at the top of thelist.
Aiden laughed. “Oh, we hired a wedding planner, but apparently that doesn’t mean you don’t have to make a milliondecisions.”
“Isn’t it fun though?” Julia asked. “I mean, stressful for sure, I remember that part, but kind of funtoo?”
“It has been,” Aiden said, “but with Miguel gone, I’m drowning in musical options and seating plans. He’s helping from afar, but it’s not thesame.”
“Wedding planning by video conference doesn’t sound as fun,” Alexa said. “But I’m excited to see how it all turns out. Are younervous?”
Aiden grinned. “Not even alittle.”
It was a happy topic of conversation. Aiden and Miguel were in love and getting married, starting their lives together. But all Declan could think about was the fact that Connor Ferguson was out there, ticking names off his list of loose ends. Beth had done his dirty work for him with Neil, but Connor had undoubtedly been behind the murder of JimmyRyan.
Who else was on his list? Declan had to think Beth was at the top, one reason he’d been worried about Beth moving into the big house with Kate and Griff. It wasn’t something he could say —hey, do you think your sister could stay somewhere else so if someone tries to kill her you’re not caught in the crossfire?— but that didn’t mean he wasn’t worried aboutit.
Did Kate rank on Ferguson’s list? How about Griffin? Or Aiden? Declan looked around the table. It stood to reason he, Ronan, and Nick might be targets. They’d been nosing around Neil’s plans for WMG for over ayear.
But was Alexa on the list because of her relationship with Nick and her work at MIS? What about Julia and John Thomas? Was Ferguson cold-blooded enough to come for the wholefamily?
He thought about the firebomb that had been thrown through the window when they’d gone after Frederick Walker, the man who’d hit Alexa in the car accident that had almost killed her, the man whose father had paid off key people in the Boston Police Department to close theinvestigation.
They’d amped up the house’s security system after that, but the Molotov cocktail had been a warning. Declan knew a security system was no match for an enemy who really wanted you dead. They couldn’t afford to think any one of them was safe until Ferguson was out of thepicture.
Ronan had posted two men across the street from the house as a precaution — the best they could do given the fact that Julia and Alexa refused to have armed guards in the house — but there were other ways in if someone really wantedin.
“Can I have cookies now?” Griffin asked, his face smeared with barbecuesauce.
“Cookies?” Kate feigned confusion, her eyes scanning the empty plates and platters on the table. “I don’t see anycookies.”
“Cookies!” John Thomas said, stretching out hishand.
“They’re in the kitchen!” Griff protested. “I sawthem!”
Declan laughed, grateful for the distraction, the reminder that it was all for them. All the worry, all the planning and precautions. “Your mom’s trying to pull one over on you. I saw themtoo.”
Kate rolled her eyes. “Way to sell me out.” She looked at Griffin. “You can have cookies if Aunt Julia says it’s okay for John Thomastoo.”
Julia rose to her feet but Ronan stood and held up a hand. “You sit.” He pulled John Thomas from the high chair, then scooped Griff, shrieking with joy, out of his chair. “I’ll take care of these little cookiemonsters.”
He disappeared into the kitchen and Julia reached for the wine on the table. “Anybodyelse?”
