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“Don’t piss them off. Find the weak link and befriend him. Make them see me as a person. Comply.”
I nod. “Good.” I press my hand against her neck, right over the necklace she’s wearing. “You hold on until I can get to you. If you think you can get away, do it. But only if you’re positive.”
She closes her eyes, focusing on breathing. “I’d rather this didn’t happen at all.”
I press a kiss to her lips, holding her against me, savoring the way she feels in my hands. “I’d rather that too but you need to be ready for the worst.”
She nods, nuzzling her cheek into my hand. “Okay,” she says through a cracked whisper.
Theringburnsahole in my pocket while I wait rather impatiently for Declan to enter the dining room at O’Doul’s. The bar is owned by the Murphy boys, and the room is specifically designed for them. Sound-proof walls, a circular booth table that juts up against the wall, and the only room that stays locked and away from other employees. There are five men who hold keys to the room. Callum, Paddy, Declan, Sean, and me.
I press my lips against the pint of Guinness, waiting for his arrival.
After Haley and Finn showed up, I slipped away and hurried to my mother’s for the ring. I spent as little time there as I could, avoiding questions and promising her she’d love the woman who’d be wearing her ring.
Finn could tell I was tense about something, and tried to pry it out of me. I got out of there before he could spot the matching bandages on our palms. He’s aware of my thing with Saoirse, knows how much she means to me. He put it together well before the shooting, and warned me to stay far the fuck away. Naturally, I didn’t listen.
The door to the parlor swings open, and Declan steps in. He drags a hand down his face, then tugs at his dark beard. Worry lines around his eyes, and tense shoulders. He’s got a sense of why he’s here, and he’s not happy about it.
Still, I know he will hear me out. He’ll give me a chance.
“What the fuck is going on?” he asks once he’s settled in the booth.
“Tell me about the deal Callum and Corbin have,” I demand, refusing to answer his question before I have the answers I need.
Declan rests his elbows on the table, leans forward, and pinches the bridge of his nose. His eyes clamp close and he shakes his head. A soft sigh leaves his body. “I’m getting too old for this shit.”
“We aren’t that old, bro.”
He peers at me through the corner of his eye. “You’re too old for my sister.”
“She’s a grown woman. She can decide that for herself.”
Declan squints, assessing me with his bright blue eyes. I sit and wait for his questions. “When did it start? When she was a kid, man?”
I shake my head. “Never made a move on her until this week.”
“But you still had feelings that you didn’t act on. When did those feelings start?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Hard to pinpoint,” I say.
He inhales a breath, then swipes the glass of whiskey in the center of the table. “Before or after the shooting?”
I wince. Had I really been that shitty at hiding what I felt for her? “Honestly? Probably all around the same time. I think the shooting made me realize.”
“And she was in Seattle so you couldn’t figure those feelings out. Then you were in Virginia.” He nods slowly, as if the pieces are all finally clicking together.
And I inhale a stupid ass breath, remembering Darcy is currently sitting at my house, waiting for me to grab her for dinner. God damnit. I pull out my phone and shoot her a text to let her know I’m running late.
“I pushed her away. I sent her to Seattle. I knew what would happen if she stayed here. I wasn’t prepared to face Callum.” I set my phone face down on the table. “I was lying in a bed, unable to move with a hole in my chest. I couldn’t protect her, and I knew war was coming.”
“Wecan protect her. That’s our job as her brothers. You don’t need that burden on yourself, Scotty. You never have.”
I steel myself for the next topic of conversation. I peel the bandage back, revealing the fresh cut across my palm, and lay it flat against the tabletop. Declan grabs my wrist, pulling it toward him. He inspects it, as if staring hard enough will erase what I’ve done, like it will change the outcome of this meeting. It won’t.
After a long moment of silence, of waiting for him to punch me, or shoot me, or something, he finally drops my hand. “She’s engaged to Corbin, Scotty. You shouldn’t have done this. There’s a god damn contract in place.”
I shrug, then take a swig of beer, trying to seem calm and collected. But on the inside I’m swirling with too many emotions to pinpoint one and focus on it. “Doesn’t matter. She’s my wife now.”
