In the dawn light, it’s easy to look back at what we did last night with some level of distaste. Tynan’s right—Ronin was fucking gutted by that photo. If his time with me helped him, I’d do it over and over again. Same with Keegan.
Speaking of the devil, he comes down the stairs in a crisp black suit.
“What the hell, Kee?” I grouse at him. His wardrobe choice for the day is not appropriate, given what we need to do.
He stares at me, and I blush, dropping my gaze, peeking up at him every now and then. It makes him scowl but smile. “Paddy and Jeanie called. We’re all going to Mass. The call has been sent to every person in the Irish to attend Mass this morning. We’re to take note of those who don’t show. After Jeanie has finished serving morning tea, we’ll be taking a cleanup crew and visiting anyone not in attendance. It’s a line in the sand. One I don’t agree with—neither does Ronin—but Paddy’s put his foot down on this.”
I expect my brother to lose his shit. Time spent in fucking church is time we’re not looking for Tally. He takes a deep breath, and I crawl out of his space to be able to get a better handle on what he’s going to say.
“We’ve got the airports covered, the ports and the major train stations too. Black’s apparently fallen off the face of the planet. Given we sent him photos of how we left his house and pack, it’s pretty obvious he’s involved. If he’s got our wife, they’re holed up, and he’s waiting for either more supporters or a diversion. Going to Mass might be what we need to flush the prick out.”
Ronin walks in, looking lethal. He’s shaved, combed his hair back, and has a dangerous edge to his gaze. Knowing he’s being watched only makes him grin. I bounce up and fix a small twist in his holster. Well, his old one—the holster Tally had taken as hers.
My hand glides over the guns as I chase a couple of wrinkles out of his shirt. “She’ll want these back.”
A glint of something on his pinkie has me picking up Ronin’s hand. It’s Tally’s wedding ring. I have no clue how he got it over his knuckle, but I adore the way this strong Alpha has no hesitation using things to bring him peace. He loves hard and fast and is a squishy bear under it all, with so much damn love to give. I’m so lucky I’m his.
I reach up to give him a quick kiss. He sighs against my lips before pulling away and becoming more Alpha than lover.
“Tally girl will get whatever the fuck she wants,” he says, flicking his head to hurry me up. “Wear your black suit today. I want us to match.”
“Of course.”
His phone goes off as an alert comes through, and the stress on his face makes it hard to see past. “Not a great feckin’ time for the coverage to be dropping out. Messages from hours ago are only coming through now.”
Tynan’s mobile is getting an influx, too, making my brother equally anxious. “Ain’t that grand? Let me see what’s going on.”
I race upstairs to shower and change, leaving them to growl over blackspots and terrible cell coverage.
Chapter Fifty-Five
Earlier
TALLY
Istare daggers at the side of Black’s head from the back of a beat-up, sky-blue Skoda. The way he’s scuttling off like a cockroach instead of facing the O’Connors head-on is proof of the type of person he is.
Johnny drives like an old man. Given he’s hiding behind a disguise involving a beige windbreaker and a plaid flat cap, it’s fitting. Especially in light of the news of how many O’Connors are currently searching the streets.
Keeping my movements small, I test the bindings around my wrists first, and then my feet, but Johnny’s done a bang-up job tying me up. The rag in my mouth tastes disgusting, and I can literally feel myself getting sicker with each breath I take.
I don’t even try to keep track of where we are. I lie there, conserving energy and plotting Black’s demise.
The car rocks as one of them turns in their seat.
“Considering the heat, Black, this is the safest bet. There’s too many eyes on the streets.”
Black hums a noise, not answering for a while. Johnny doesn’t push him, perhaps sensing Black already feels like he’s being backed into a corner. The way people interact is as telling as a piece of evidence and can go a long way in getting a better understanding of a person’s motivation or drive.
I keep my face relaxed but slit my eyes open slightly so I can watch Black. He makes a call.
“What’s going on?” Black says.
I can’t discern the voice, but the response is efficient and methodical. I suspect Black’s talking to one of his contacts in the police department. Every now and then, he grunts but doesn’t interrupt the person until they run out of updates.
“No chatter around the church?”
The person starts speaking again, and without sitting up to check, I get a pretty good idea where we are. A ballsy move on Johnny’s, coming back to the scene of a crime, but by the sound of it, Black wants to be here too.
