That gets her attention. Her expression tightens just enough for me to notice. Alessandro, too. His entire demeanor changes, body stiffening.
“Rory?” he asks, tugging her closer to his side, that fear in his eyes surging to the surface. “Do you recognize her?”
They’d been through hell only three months ago thanks to the Quinlans. Having another Irish mobster show up, female or not, couldn’t be ignored, especially when she starts throwing the Quinlan name around. Which was exactly why I hadn’t told Ale when it happened. Not until I had some answers.
She shakes her head quickly. “No. It’s probably nothing.”
“No. Say it,” I press. It’s only a matter of time until the truth comes out anyway. It’s better they know the Quinlans are involved so they can take necessary precautions. And I’d like to hear her take on the situation. Her father, Cormac O’Shea, was tight with the Quinlans and if there was anything she remembered that could help us, now would be the time.
She glances between us, then folds her arms. “There aren’t many women from Irish mafia families who’d get that close to a Rossi in Manhattan without being noticed unless they had a damn good reason. Or a death wish.”
Ale’s expression darkens immediately. “You think this is Quinlan fallout?”
“I do and damn it, this is all my fault,” Rory says slowly. “I never should have gotten you all involved. This is someone tied to Conall, I’m sure of it. After the massacre at the estate—” Her words fall away.
“This isn’t your fault,” I blurt. “We were all there. We chose to be there, for you and for Ale. We all killed a lot of Quinlan and O’Shea men, along with who the hell knows who else. Besides, this is about Eoin Quinlan.”
Ale’s jaw ticks. “Conall’s cousin?”
I nod. “She’s his fiancé. Apparently, I killed him in the chaos of the shootout. That hot-ass assassin came for revenge.”
“Fuck,” Ale grits out. “Why didn’t you just say that?”
I shrug. “I didn’t want to scare her.” I tick my head at Rory.
“I’m not some feeble little thing, you eejit.” She shakes her head at me, then wags a finger. “That’s right… I do remember Eoin being engaged.”
I sit up straighter. “To whom?”
“I don’t remember her name.” Rory frowns, brows knitted. “Only that she was quiet. I saw her once, at my first wedding to Conall that never happened.” She stares at the screen again. “She looked young. Blonde, not bleach blonde, though. Strawberry.”
That makes something twist in my chest. A memory.
Sunlight. Laughter. Salt in the air. Blue eyes. Fire-kissed hair.
No. That was years ago. That girl is gone. And this woman was colder. Sharper.
Wasn’t she?
Alessandro drops a hand on my shoulder. “We’ll dig into it. I’ll have Leo double the security detail at the Vault. If someone’s targeting you, we’ll find out who and we handle it.”
“Already pinged the Gemini’s facial recognition network,” I mutter, eyes locked back on the paused image. “Nothing yet. The mask blocked most of her face.”
“You should go into Gemini Corp tomorrow and get some of the tech guys on it. More eyes could help.”
“Already thought of that, thanks cuz.”
“And you’re welcome to stay at our place tonight, if ya want,” Rory offers. “We wouldn’t want that trigger-happy lass following you home and catching you unaware.”
“I appreciate the offer, but the walls in your penthouse are too thin and the idea of hearing you guys fuck all night makes a bullet to the head sound like heaven.”
“Hey!” Rory swats at me, her cheeks turning rosy.
“Suit yourself, Matty.” Ale presses a kiss to Rory’s head before throwing me a reassuring smile. “We’ll find your mystery assassin.”
I nod slowly, but I’m not so sure. Because something tells me she doesn’t want to be found. Not until she’s ready to finish what she started.
And the worst part is I’m not entirely convinced I could pull the trigger when she does.
