“Yes, he was quite forthcoming. Although when I tried to speak to Liam Berne, he had left early. Quite inconvenient.”
“Good, I say.” He didn’t want his wife getting further mixed up in this, not with bodies floating in the harbor.
“Not good,” she said. “I left everything at loose ends, and I feel badly about it. Why don’t we go together to Mr. Berne’s house and—”
“No, I forbid it.” He knew it was the wrong thing to say as soon as he said it.
“You what?” she sputtered.
“Two men are already dead as well as an entire boatload drowned. I don’t want you within a mile of Berne. Nor do I want you going back to Kelly’s. Do you understand me, Charlotte?”
He could see the mutiny in her eyes and changed tactics. “You have our children to consider,” he reasoned, drawing her body close to him again, “and I’d hate to have to find a new wife to be a mother to them, not to mention tend to my needs.”
“Tend to your needs indeed! Mr. Malloy, you are beyond the pale!”
Reed grinned against her hair and lowered his hand to her bottom once more.
“I thoughtthiswas beyond the pale,” he said, gently smacking her delightful rear again. “I don’t think wanting to keep you out of harm’s way is unreasonable to any degree. It is simply my loving you with all my heart.”
He felt Charlotte soften against him and then press against his shaft expectantly. No more talk of his sister’s incredibly complicated life. Tonight, Reed would succumb to the charms of his incredibly wonderful wife.
***
Finn watched The Parisien from his vantage point across the street. If he thought laying low, being respectful to Gilbert, and working a lowly job in the Ropewalk would cool things off, it hadn’t. Precisely the opposite.
The day before, someone had placed a dead fish in the pocket of his jacket that he’d hung in the Ropewalk’s utility room. Tonight, he’d been followed home. Of that, he was certain.
After another few minutes, he watched a heavy-set man enter the restaurant. Only a few minutes later, he came out, looked up and down the street, and left. He certainly didn’t seem to be a man who wanted fine French cuisine.
Pulling his collar up and his hat down, Finn dashed across the street, down the alley, and into the back entrance. As he charged into the kitchen, Louis looked up. He scowled.
“You are very popular, my young friend, but I cannot have people coming and going looking for you every day and night.”
“The man who was just here, he asked for me?”
“He did.” The chef turned back to his worktable, chopping something Finn couldn’t see.
“Sorry.” He started up the back stairs.
“Your lady friend’s brother was here again, too,” Louis called after him, “earlier today.”
Finn sighed. He couldn’t dodge the divorce much longer. Yet ending his marriage to Rose felt wrong on every level. He loved her, and somewhere deep down, she must still love him, even though he had bungled terribly and mucked up their lives.
Unlocking his door, it caught on something as he pushed it open. As soon as he saw the official-looking envelope, he didn’t have to look inside to know what it contained.
“Damn,” he muttered and tossed it onto his washstand. Reed Malloy was a persistent man, but at that moment, Finn was too exhausted to care. There’d been no joy in his life recently — except Louis’ cooking — and far too little rest.
At that moment, he decided to skip the former and opt for the latter. Removing his boots, Finn sprawled across the bed, then rolled onto his back. A sigh escaped him, and he let his eyes drift closed, intending to relax merely a few minutes before getting some dinner.
In his dream, Rose stole into his room, unable to stay away, and he held her and told her how much he loved her. Finn was not surprised to feel a hand shake him into wakefulness. However the eyes peering out of a face masked by a kerchief and staring down at him were definitely not his lovely wife’s.
What’s more, he didn’t feel Rose’s perfect lips pressed against his temple but rather the cold, blunt steel end of a gun.Was this the end?
“I could blow out your brains before you even wake up,” grated the intruder’s voice.
