CHAPTER 26
AIDEN
Me
I want an update every half hour. How is she?
Bren
Same
Ipocket my phone reluctantly the following morning, with all my instincts screaming at me to turn around and go back to the cottage immediately. But she’s safe there. Cian has never learned of the property and wouldn’t dare kill us before he had a chance to do it publicly, now that we’re in arm’s reach. He enjoys the spectacle too much.
And I’ll deal with him.
Soon.
But first, there are a few final details to put my safeguards in place.
Pointing my rental car in the direction of town, I drive aimlessly, pausing every now and again to glance in my rearview mirror. The car that had followed us from the airport is still a few lengths back. Fuckin’ amateurs.
I know it’s not Cian, but it could be any number of Clans loyal to him. The Carrolls and Moores come to mind. They’ve all been placed in positions of favor since Cian came to power. Or it could be one of the others trying to make a power play to gain more esteem. Because that’s what happens when you build a house of cards on blood. Everyone is willing to kill to get to the top.
I’m willing to kill, but I couldn't give a fuck about becoming a leader. Power corrupts absolutely, and I’m corrupt enough without that mantle.
I lead my pursuer on a winding, leisurely route through Doolin, before finally pulling to a stop at a local pub. One that wasn’t here the last time I visited over a decade ago. Despite that, when I walk inside, it still feels like home. Worn, durable red oak bar top. Gleaming brass rails. The scent of hops, sweat, and wood polish.
I glance around for the person I’m waiting to meet, but it takes him a while to arrive. I make myself at home while I wait. Studying the faces around me to see if one of them is the tail who’d been following us. No one I recognize.
All too soon, the door jangles a greeting, and I glance in the mirror, dread pooling in my stomach as a familiar face takes a seat next to me.
“O’Connor,” Niall Cleary says. “I almost didn’t think you’d have the balls to show.”
“You seem awfully concerned about the state of my balls.”
“He could kill us for this, you know. Don’t fuck with me.”
“I wouldn’t dare.”
“Of course you wouldn’t. The only reason I agreed to this is because you have something I want. Do you have it?”
I swallow hard. Wishing I could do anything else. “I spoke with Mara. She’s agreed to marry you like you wanted. Provided that you do what you said you would.”
“Oh, I will. I’m not a pussy like you. I know how to go after what I want.”
I ignore him. “And the rest of the Clans? Do you have any willing to work with us?”
“Murphy agreed, of course. He’s terrified of his brother. Burns and Kelly as well. They’re tired of being so afraid.”
The clock ticks on the wall behind the bar, but he doesn’t continue. “That’s it?”
He levels me with a glare. “You’re lucky you have that many. You better be worth your word, O’Connor, or I’ll make you regret it.” Niall downs the rest of his drink. “That is, if we make it out of this alive. You tell Mara I’ll be in touch so we can finally set a date for the fucking wedding.”
God help him, she may kill him before he gets her down the aisle. But that’s a problem for another day. I stay long after Niall leaves, hoping I’m doing the right thing. Trading Mom and Catriona’s safety for Mara’s freedom makes me feel about an inch tall. But when I brought it up to her the Tuesday following my meeting with Cian, she agreed. “It was going to happen sooner or later,” she’d said. But that doesn’t make me feel any better about any of it.
It doesn’t take long for the tail that had been following us from the airport to make himself known once Niall leaves. He appears next to me, his face grave and determined. I recognize him immediately. This is the man Catriona was with on the night of the reception, and the one she’d gone to see when she gave the guards the slip. He’s tall, almost gangly, with unremarkable features and short brown hair. I dismiss my jealousy almost immediately. She wouldn’t want him. He’s far too soft. She’d break him the moment she sank her claws in.
There aren’t many other people on a Wednesday morning, but he takes a seat next to me, eyes on me instead of the beer and liquor behind the bar.
