Cillian, Rowen, and Fallon were somewhere in the mansion. I thought they might be with Conall. Fionn had recently come home from the hospital, and he was like a whirlwind, ordering men around in a way that surprised me. He was more like Sloan than I’d expected, and instead of fighting with Conall for leadership, they’d quickly begun to work together. Fallon had become best friends with Conall, and he took every opportunity he could to help.
A knock made me raise my head. “Enter.”
The door to our suite opened and Mr. Hopper, the butler, stepped through it. Since Sloan went to jail, Mr. Hopper’s deep-seated hatred for everyone else had lessened, and while he looked much older with his shoulders slumping more, his determination to protect the Company made him fonder of the loyal men, like Conall, Fionn, and us. “Mr. Kavanagh. There’s someone at the front door for Mr. Shaughnessy. Rowen. However, I can’t find him.”
I stood. “I’ll be down there immediately, Mr. Hopper.”
The butler nodded and left again.
Vail straightened and grinned, ignoring Justice, who cleared his throat.
I shook my head before he could speak. “No, baby. I don’t know who’s down there. Stay here.”
“Mr. Hopper wouldn’t have come to get you if it was anyone dangerous.”
I laughed and stepped over to him, cupping his cute face between my palms. Laying a kiss on his mouth, I closed my eyes and basked in his taste. I’d missed him so fucking much when we were in Miami. Now I took every chance I got to kiss him. “Stay here.”
I didn’t wait for him to argue, striding across the room and out the door. I took the stairs two at a time, and when I reached the door, Mr. Hopper was waiting there with it wide open. Outside was a man I didn’t know, with a rounded belly, a jovial smile, and a receding hairline. Beside him sat a fluffy golden retriever that couldn’t have been more than two years old. Its mouth was open in a small pant and it stared up at me with wide eyes.
“You are?” I asked deeply.
The man’s grin only widened. “Are you Mr. Rowen Shaughnessy?”
“Aspen Kavanagh. Mr. Shaughnessy is my partner.” It was easier to lie in situations like this. If he wanted to drop something off to Rowen, he’d be more likely to give it to me if he thought I was Rowen’s boyfriend.
“Ah. Good.” He waved his hand toward the dog. “This is Danu. I messaged Mr. Shaughnessy to let him know that she was ready, and I was going to drop her off today. He confirmed with me and gave me this address.”
“Really?” I dropped my gaze to the dog. “And she is—”
“A service dog, yes. A DAD. Diabetic alert dog. As requested from Mr. Shaughnessy. She’s been trained to smell the compounds released from a diabetic’s body when their sugar is high or low. She lets people know when they need to check their glucose levels.” He clapped his hands. “Usually you have to wait years for a dog, but I fast-tracked her.” He winked, and I suspected there was money exchanged—a lot of it.
I held out my hand, and he passed over the dog’s leash. “Her name is Danu?”
“Yes. That was destiny. Danu was named after the Celtic goddess, and when I heard Mr. Shaughnessy’s Irish accent, I just knew Danu was meant for him.”
I grunted, and Danu walked into the house as though she knew I was going to order her to do that. She sat beside me and her eyes never left me. The man passed me a bright green vest with the wordsService Dogon it.
“Well, my job’s done.” He patted Danu on the back. “Be a good girl and do your work. Oh, almost forgot this.” He passed over a business card with a website address listed on it. “There’s an online training you can take to let you know which commands she’s good with. She’s a gentle dog. Shouldn’t have any issues. Don’t hesitate to contact us.”
Danu’s fluffy golden tail wagged and her tongue rolled out of her mouth. The man nodded at me before he turned and walked back to a van, which was a Mercedes-Benz. I hadn’t even known they made vans. I rolled my eyes. Yep, Rowen had paid him a lot of money. Did Fallon know about it?
“What isthat?” As though my thoughts conjured him, Fallon stalked to my side, staring down at the dog with wide eyes. His gaze darted from Danu to the vest in my hand. “What the fuck? I told him no!”
I winced. Well, that answered one question.
“Rowen!” Fallon’s tone turned icy. He was dressed in a simple T-shirt and shorts, and sweat drenched the front of his shirt.
A moment later, Rowen came running from down the hallway to the right of the split staircase. He stopped when he saw the dog, and Cillian followed, then stood beside him.
Cillian’s mouth twisted into a smirk. Unlike Fallon, they were both dressed in suits. Cillian’s was black with a blue vest, while Rowen’s was a deep maroon. “What did ye do?”
“I have the same question,” Fallon hissed. His face turned red and he crossed his arms. I’d never seen him so mad. “Itoldyou I didn’t want one. I fucking told you.”
Rowen blinked and sighed. He strode over to me and took the dog’s leash, and I let him, curious about what he had to say. “Who says the dog’s for ye?” He tilted his head. “She’s mine.”
“Yours?” Fallon laughed and gestured at the vest I was holding. “Since when do you need a service dog?”
“Since now. I’ve got bad PTSD from all the action I’ve seen.” He gave Fallon a smile, and I was impressed. He had balls. It was obvious to everyone that he was lying, but could Fallon really argue with him? Sure, I could tell him that the trainer mentioned Danu was a diabetes alert dog, but I supported Rowen on this. Fallon needed all the help he could get, and it wouldn’t hurt anyone if he got a dog for support.
