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“Mind if we take a look around?” Johnson asks, already beginning to step past me into the penthouse.
“Of course not,” I say, forcing a smile as I step aside to let them in.
The detectives step further into my penthouse, their eyes scanning every inch of the place for any sign of Cathal.
“Nice place you got here,” Johnson remarks, eyeing the lavish décor with admiration and suspicion.
“Thanks,” I reply, keeping my voice steady. “But as I said, my brother isn’t here.”
“Right, we’ll see about that,” Franks grumbles, beginning to move towards the hallway which leads to the bedrooms.
Just as I’m about to cause a distraction which will probably get my ass hauled down to the nearest station, a familiar face appears in the doorway as if expected.
“Hey, Ruby,” I murmur, wondering what the fuck she is doing here right at this moment in time.
“Ciarán,” she says, her eyes flicking past me to the detectives. “Am I interrupting something?”
“Not really. These detectives are just asking some questions about Cathal.”
“Really?” Ruby feigns innocence as she walks into the penthouse, sizing up the officers with a daring smile on her lips. “Isn’t he back in Ireland?”
“Yep.”
“Is that so?” Franks smirks, clearly unimpressed. “And what makes you so certain?”
“Because I know,” Ruby replies confidently, crossing her arms over her chest.
A sudden movement in the hallway catches their eye.
My heart hammers as I watch the detectives’ eyes fall on Summer, who stands at the entrance to the hallway, still half asleep.
“And you are?” Johnson asks, his gruff voice cutting through the tension like a knife.
Summer looks terrified—and with good reason.
Before either of us can answer, Ruby interrupts. “You know,” she says, her expression deadly serious. “I was talking to the Police Commissioner at lunch just the other day about this car bombing. He mentioned how important it is to be thorough in these investigations.”
The mention of the Police Commissioner sets the CID officers on high alert, which is deeply suspicious. They exchange uneasy glances as I frown at Summer. She runs a hand through her hair, biting her lip as the tension goes up by several hundred notches.
Ruby throws a challenging glare at the detectives, and for some reason known only to them, they back down.
“I see,” Franks mutters, his voice noticeably less aggressive now. “Mr. Gannon, if you hear from your brother, you need to inform us straight away.”
“Of course.”
As the detectives finally leave the penthouse, my relief washes over me like a tidal wave. Cathal remains hidden and Summer’s identity remains protected, and while I know the danger isn’t over, at least we’ve bought ourselves some time. I glance over at Ruby, silently thanking her for stepping in.
“Care to share what that was about?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.
“Nope, above your paygrade.”
“Funny.”
“Always happy to help,” Ruby says with a small smile.
“Summer, you okay?” I ask softly, turning my attention to her. She nods, but I can see the fear still etched in her eyes. I wrap an arm around her, pulling her close to me.
“I’ll leave you to it. This was lucky timing, Gannon. Get your house in order,” Ruby says before she strides off, leaving me wondering who the fuck she is in bed with so high up in the city that she can scare off the CID.
