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“Enough.” Arnie steps between us to address me. “We have a meeting with Connor. Let’s go.”
“Connor’s already in a meeting.” Diane pipes up. “Martin and Calico went up a few minutes ago.”
Arnie registers this information with confusion. “Without me?”
Diane peers around Arnie to whisper patronizingly. “They’re his little underlings, by the way, in case you didn’t know.”
“Thanks so much for your help, Daphne,” I say brightly. “We’re going to go head up now.”
I’m pulling Arnie away as she yells after us. “My name’s Diane!”
“Who the hell was that?” I hiss as we take the stairs two at a time.
“You’re the one who forced us to go over there,” Arnie counters.
“I thought she said she was a friend.”
We come to a stop just outside the door and he turns to me with a sly smile on his face. “You jealous, Maguire?”
I bite the inside of my cheek. “I just took you for a man with some taste, that’s all.”
I knock on Connor’s office door before he can respond, and he simply stares daggers at me as a voice tells us to come in.
Arnie heads in first, but I follow quickly on his heel. The only thing that has changed since the last visit is the fact that two other men are now occupying our seats. Both heads snap up as we enter, clearly pausing mid-conversation.
“Arnold!” Connor says from the desk. “I thought you’d still be asleep.”
Arnie strides forward. “You didn’t think this would be more important?”
“I didn’t want to disturb you.” Connor looks over at me. “And I didn’t wanthertagging along.”
And I take that personally. “Why not?”
“Because this doesn’t concern you.”
“This is a meeting of the Maguires, isn’t it? Why wouldn’t I come?”
Connor pinches his nose as the other men sit back uncomfortably. “This is a family meeting.”
“I’m your sister.”
A man with dusty blonde hair glances at me uncertainly. “We don’t usually let women sit in on these meetings.”
“Well, that’s changing immediately, Calico,” Arnie snaps at the dusty-haired man, who shrinks further into his seat.
“These are confidential matters,” Connor jumps in. “It’s best you don’t get involved for your own safety.”
“You think I’m not going to just ask him–” I jerk a finger at Arnie– “to tell me what happened? May as well let me hear it firsthand.”
Connor coolly turns on his business partner. “Arnold should be resting.”
Arnie meets his glare with his own. “Well, I’m here now, and there are some pressing issues we all need to discuss.”
“We haven’t quite reached that point in our agenda,” the other man pipes up.
Arnie rolls his eyes. “Then, by all means, continue, Martin.”
He throws me a wry look before getting a nod of approval from a disgruntled Connor. Finally, Martin sighs and continues where he left off. “The shipment should be coming in three days from now.”
