“No, I haven’t decided if I’m gonna use it yet.” My brother glared at one of his best friends. “I told you to stay the fuck away from her.”
“Excuse me?” I asked. “You don’t get to dictate my life. I’m fifty fuckin’ years old and can see who I choose.”
Sal’s nostrils flared as he seethed. He turned to me and said, “I may not have the right to dictate your life, but I sure as fuck can dictate his.”
“You’re an asshole. To think I felt bad that you were worried. I wanted to ease that worry and tell you I was okay. I should have listened to Liam.”
“Liam?” Sal asked and looked behind me. “You fuckin’ knew?” Liam nodded, and Sal barked, “Maybe I should shoot you.”
“You aren’t shooting anyone.” I sighed and turned to Cian, who was still on the floor. “Are you planning to stay there all night?”
“I am if he’s gonna shoot me. Bullets hurt enough; I don’t need to fall on my ass again.”
“Get off the floor, you big baby.” I turned back to Sal. “Tell Maddie I’m fine, but she can’t come see me right now. I don’t want her to worry.”
“Too fuckin’ late,” Sal snarled as he glared at Cian.
I walked over to the couch and sat down. Why was I here? I should have just given Sinclair the files. I should have given Brian more than just the file on Sal’s daughter.
I turned and looked over the back of the couch at my brother. “You have a daughter, Sal.” His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. “I didn’t want to tell you like this. I didn’t want you to be blindsided again. But I gave the file to Brian, and then I asked him not to tell you. I’m sorry.”
“Tell her,” Cian snapped.
“Tell me what?” I asked. Sal moved around the couch and sat down beside me.
“I know about my daughter, Caity. I’ve always known. She lives in Virginia, where I put her and her mother.”
“WHAT?” I shouted, jumping up from the couch. “You knew you had a daughter and didn’t tell me?”
“I couldn’t. I didn’t want the old man to know.”
“Well, he knew! He had a file on her.” I walked into the kitchen and pulled out the coffee. I really wanted something stronger, but I needed something to keep my hands busy before I strangled my brother. “Does Brian know about his son, too? Does everyone know about the secrets Dad kept, except me?”
“What?” Sal and Cian said at the same time.
I looked over my shoulder and smiled. “I’ll take that as a no. Well, at least you two didn’t know. I wonder if Brian does.” I turned around and went back to making coffee. “Though I suppose he would have been in his son’s life if he had known. He won’t live forever, and he’ll need someone to take over for him. Though I can’t see a college professor taking over the IRA. Maybe one of the other two would be more suited.”
“What the fuck are you talking about, Caity? Brian doesn’t have any kids,” Sal said.
“He does. It was in Dad’s files.”
“No, it wasn’t,” Cian argued. “I read through them all.”
“The ones you found weren’t all of them.”
“What fuckin’ files?” Sal shouted.
Chapter Fifteen
Cian
Sal called Duncan and Mac, while I walked to my office and retrieved the files from their hiding place. I’d sent Liam off to check on Maddie and let her know Caity was fine. I told him to watch over her until tomorrow, when he could bring her to my apartment to see her mother.
When Mac and Duncan arrived, they both stared at Caity. She rolled her eyes and walked away from them.
“You kidnapped her?” Mac asked with a smirk.
“I didn’t fuckin’ kidnap her.”
