“How are you gonna do that? He’s gone.”
I raised my eyebrows, and he snorted, knowing full well what the simple action meant. There was no way my little Lolly could hide from me in this town. While Townsville was the biggest city in North Queensland, it was small compared to other places like Brisbane or Sydney. I had the means to search for him, and I would if it was the last thing I did. We’d had fun, and he’d been interested in me. I didn’t know what had freaked him out, but I was going to remedy it immediately. When I found Finn, nothing would scare him again. I would make sure of it.
I protected what was mine.
“I’m heading out. Call me if you see him again.”
Nicho nodded in confirmation, and I left him there to do his job. Now that I’d met Finn, everyone else looked substandard. A few guys and girls had tried to approach me during the evening, but none had interested me until my pretty American, and now I knew why. Mum had always told me to follow my gut and that led me to my sweet Lolly.
Iwasgoing to find him again.
But that meant the rest of the night would be a bust. It was home time, and tomorrow... I would begin my search.
I called my driver to pick me up, and he took me from Flinders Street, where the Mudskipper and other bars and clubs were, to my home. The lights inside the house were still on, but I didn’t expect any less because it was only midnight and we had visitors. The Americans that Killough sent had gotten in this afternoon, and I hadn’t met them properly yet. Hero had texted to tell me they’d shown up, and I’d told him to get them situated. I suspected their body clocks were all over the place, considering they’d come from the other side of the damned world.
I walked into the house and immediately heard voices. While my brothers sometimes stayed over, they usually went back to their respective houses. Mum, on the other hand, did live here, and I could recognize her laughter better than anyone else’s. Her happiness was nice to hear, especially because she hadn’t laughed much while going through chemo and fighting cancer.
“What happened next?” Her tone was light and amused, and I couldn’t help but smile as I headed to the family room.
Inside was a spacious area that had a cinema-style TV and three large black couches—not leather, like Hero had wanted me to get, because the summer heat in Townsville meant we’d stick to them from the sweat. Mum sat in the middle of one of the three seaters, with two men on either side of her.
To her right was a younger bloke with long blond hair that sat around his shoulders and a charming smile, which obviously had Mum smitten, because her body was facing toward him more than the other guy, who was bigger and less cheerful. He wasn’t rude, but it looked as if he’d rather be somewhere else than here with us. He had short brown hair, wet from what I assumed was a recent shower and brushed backward. His stubble was neat and trimmed close to his strong jaw, and he was attractive, even if he wasn’t my type.
“Legend!” Mum clapped her hands when she saw me. “You’re home. Finally. Meet Cillian Shaughnessy and Fallon Maher, a couple of the men Sloan sent.” She gestured at the blond for Fallon and the brunet for Cillian, and they both inclined their heads in greeting.
Fallon jumped to his feet and strode over to me with his hand held out. He didn’t get far, though, because Cillian rushed to stand and grabbed his arm, yanking him back with a small glare.
“Mafia boss, boyo. Ye don’t go running over to him like he’s yer best friend. He’s as high up as Mr. Killough.” He smacked Fallon on the arse. Cillian glanced back at me and tilted his head forward. “Sorry, sir. Fallon’s here with me. He’s quite new to the life, though he’s a legacy. He’s still learnin’.”
I crossed my arms. “This is Australia. We’re less formal around here, so it’s all good. You’re one of the generals?”
Cillian snorted. “Feck no.” He glanced at Mum apologetically. “Excuse me, ma’am.”
This time it was Mum who grunted and raised her glass of wine at him. “Darl, like my son said, this is Australia. Hell, I’d go a step further and say this is North Queensland, where we make up our own bloody rules. I’m not Mary fucking Poppins.”
Cillian’s mouth twitched and while he held in his laughter, Fallon didn’t. He burst out into a bout of chuckles and winked at Mum.
“You’re a lot prettier, though.” Smooth. I had to give him points for the charm. He definitely had Mum blushing, and the embarrassed giggles that exploded from her lips were new to me. “Julie Andrews has nothing on you.”
I studied him, taking in his youthful face and eager gaze. He couldn’t have been older than twenty-five at the most. “Are you old enough to know about the Julie Andrews version? Isn’t Emily Blunt more in your age range?”
“Aren’t you a littletooold to know about the Emily Blunt movie?” he teased, surprising all of us, including his... boyfriend? If I had to guess, that’s what Cillian and Fallon were to each other. They were cute. “Any sane person has seen the only Mary Poppins that matters.”
Cillian groaned, cursing under his breath. “Feck, Fallon.”
“What?” Fallon gave him an innocent smile.
“Ye can’t call Mr. Sweeney old.”
“He’s not wrong,” Mum piped up, after she’d taken a long sip of wine. She tipped the glass in my direction. “He’s in his forties now. He’s old.”
I rolled my eyes with a grin. “Thanks, Mum.” I pointed at Fallon. “To be fair, I have a niece and a goddaughter. Watching those sorts of movies is in my babysitting duties.”
“Sounds like my kind of party.” Fallon’s tongue peeked out from between his lips, and Cillian shook his head at him.
“To answer yer question, sir, I’m not a general. I’m an all-around useful bloke.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Jamie Shannon, the Lieutenant of Illegal Operations, sent us on his behalf. I’m known for dealing with complications.” He smirked, and I had a feeling it was the sort of negotiations that involved blood and guts, the same ones I enjoyed.
I narrowed my stare thoughtfully on him. “Do I know you, Cillian? You look familiar.”
