“We’ve met briefly, sir, when I came to Australia about six or seven years ago. I became friends with your brother, Ransom.” He chuckled. “Actually, my partner and I met up with him in Miami. He seems to be doing well over there.”
I laughed as I waved my hand at the couch, gesturing for them to sit again, while I took a seat on one of the other couches. Fallon and Cillian returned to the spots they’d abandoned on either side of Mum.
I leaned against the back of the couch and threw a leg over my knee, relaxing. It was another stinking hot night, the humidity thick and suffocating, but Mum had turned on the air con earlier in the night, giving us some relief.
“Yeah, I’ve heard he’s enjoying it over there in Miami. Bought his own club, called it Going Down Under like a fuckwit, but he’s making a name for himself. It’s why he went to the States in the first place.”
Ransom always had big dreams, and as far as he was concerned, Australia wasn’t large enough for four Sweeney men and one woman. He wasn’t wrong, either. While Hero and Danger didn’t mind not having a big piece of the meat pie, Ransom was built different from them.
I was proud of him. Regardless of my power and position, I loved my family. All of them. They were part ofme. I would hurt anyone who did wrong by them. The thought reminded me of Finn again, and the way his sensual body moved in that silk. His build was perfect—smaller than me but with defined muscles, like something a swimmer would have.
“Fallon, darl, have you had a biscuit?” Mum leaned over to the coffee table and grabbed a plate of biscuits she’d set out before holding it toward Fallon. The Arnott’s Hundreds & Thousands biscuits were appealing to look at with pink icing and sprinkles over the top, and while Mum had specifically gotten them for my niece and goddaughter, even the adults enjoyed a good bite.
“Mrs. Sweeney, those aren’t biscuits. They’re cookies.” Fallon winked as he grabbed one, ignoring the pointed stare Cillian was giving him over Mum’s shoulder. “Technically I’m on a diet because I’m an MMA fighter, but who can say no to a woman like you?”
I couldn’t help but throw my head back and laugh. Fallon knew exactly what to say because Mum blushed and mumbled something under her breath.
“I’d be careful of her, Cillian. She’ll steal your man soon.”
Cillian chuckled and leaned toward me over the arm of his couch. “Fortunately, yer mum’s missing something me boy enjoys, sir. I’m safe. But I’ll keep an eye on him anyway. I don’t think his three other boyfriends would like him flirting so much, even with a woman as beautiful as yer mum.”
“Three other boyfriends?” The dots connected in my head. “Ah, I remember you now. Ransom was telling me about you.” I half laughed and half groaned. “Fuck. You’re Aspen’s bloke, too, aren’t ya?”
Fallon chomped the biscuit and chuckled, slapping a hand over his mouth to stop crumbs from going everywhere. “Don’t get him started, sir.”
“Aspen’s me bloke, not the other way around,” Cillian grumbled, but he gave me a grin that told me it was some joke between them. I could appreciate that sort of relationship. I was the type of person who believed business and relationships were closely tied together, and without people I loved and trusted, my organization would fail.
I was tempted to ask Cillian if he knew a young American man with red hair and a penchant for silk clothing and makeup, but I brushed away the thought. The chances of Finn coming with the Killough Company were slim. Men like that didn’t wear the kind of clothing Finn was in, or if they did, it was in secret. Finn flaunted his beautiful body proudly and he had a reason.
My stomach clenched at the thought of not seeing him again. No, that wasn’t going to happen. Even if I had to follow him back to America, I’d find him again. I’d get Sook to send me over his image from the security cameras and start searching tomorrow.
Cillian and Fallon fell into a conversation with Mum again, so I decided to leave them alone. I told them I would see them in the morning for a serious conversation about issues involving Italians before I went to get ready for a shower, then bed. I needed to get rid of the stickiness of sweat before I finally fell into dreams about my sweet Lolly.
* * *
The next morning, I woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready for my mission of briefing Killough’s men, then finding Finn. The sun came up early in North Queensland, with the light peeking over the horizon around five in the morning, and I liked to get my run in before it began to get too hot and humid.
The area where we lived, Castle Hill, was a well-known spot for those who enjoyed exercise, since it was more of a small mountain on a steep incline. There were two trails I could take—the road or the goat track, which involved a lot of stone steps—and I decided to do the latter this morning.
By the time I got up to the top of the hill and back down to the house, I was drenched in sweat and panting hard. The older I got, the harder the goat track became on my knees, but I wasn’t going to give it up. The endorphins were pumping and I feltamazing. The aches would subside.
As soon as I got inside, I went straight to the fridge to grab a large glass of water before I went for another shower. Living in such a hot climate meant showering a lot, especially in summer when it got over ninety percent humidity. I both loved and hated it.
Once I was dressed in casual clothes—shorts and a thin yellow T-shirt—I went out to the open-plan living area. Cillian and Fallon were awake and sitting at the dining table with Mum. Cillian was texting while Fallon and Mum poured over the newspaper, whispering about something.
As I got closer, I realized Mum was reading out Fallon’s horoscope to him, and I rolled my eyes in amusement. “Don’t let her make you believe that hocus-pocus shit, Fallon.”
Mum went to smack me on the way past, but I danced out of reach. “Sometimes it’s nice to think there’s more to the world than this.” Mum huffed. “Destiny plays a role in our future. Look at you. I named you and your siblings knowing you were meant for greatness. Everyone will remember the name Legend Sweeney, and it’s a bloody good name to remember, too. You’re welcome.”
“You tell him, Diedre,” Fallon said.
She laughed.
I paused, surprised. Mum usually preferred Mrs. Sweeney because it commanded respect, so hearing him call her by her given name was surprising, but it showed how much she liked him.
The sound of footsteps on the stairs had me shaking my head and ignoring Mum and Fallon while heading over to the kitchen to grab a glass of juice. I kept my back to the dining area, aware of exactly who was coming upstairs. Hero had a certain way of walking after a motorbike accident that left him with a small limp because he’d broken his leg.
“Look who I found hanging around the front,” Hero announced.
