That was the question of the hour because what Ronan told them directly conflicted with the information Z had. One of them was lying. Or, at the very least, one of them was leaving out some pertinent details.
“I think we need to find Saoirse and talk to her.”
“And the club Brantley mentioned? Think we’ll find any leads there?”
Reese didn’t think so, but he said, “Won’t know unless we try.”
Regardless of what they did or didn’t find, he wasn’t going to give up looking for Decker. Not until every fucking trail had gone cold.
He only hoped it didn’t come to that.
Chapter Twelve
“Didn’t Brantley say Ronan met Decker ina bar?” JJ asked, her voice carrying from the living room.
From his spot at the kitchen sink, Baz grinned and called out his answer. “That’s what he said.”
He turned off the water and waited to see if she would ask another question. When she didn’t, he flipped it on and finished the dishes.
Now that they were in their house, it was taking Baz some time to get used to the layout of the space. He’d gotten so used to his apartment he’d known where everything was without thinking about it. And though JJ had given him control of the kitchen, letting him put everything where he wanted it, he was still familiarizing himself with it.
Baz had to admit, he loved the house. It was even better than he’d anticipated, and the walk from his truck to the front door alone made house living so much better than apartment living. Plus, they had more space, which allowed their lives to mesh fully. Granted, they were still working on filling it up. Since JJ had lost most of her things in the explosion that leveled her house, she didn’t have any furniture. They’d gone through and selected which of his things they wanted to take and the rest they’d sold. They were slowly but surely adding pieces here and there so that, hopefully, they would be completely settled by the time the peanut was born.
Of course, the peanut’s room was completely ready. JJ had made sure of that within a week of them officially moving in.
Baz tucked the last dish in the dishwasher and added the soap pod before closing the door. He turned off the water, dried his hands, and hit the button to start the dishwasher before joining JJ in the living room.
“Whatcha working on?”
JJ looked up from her computer, her eyebrows angled in that way that told him she was attempting to unravel a mystery. He knew she couldn’t focus during dinner, so he’d sent her off after they finished eating, assuring her he would clean up the kitchen.
“No matter how hard I try, I can’t tie the Kavanaghs to the Irish mob.”
“I didn’t realize we were trying to,” he said, perching on the edge of the cushion near her feet. JJ was leaning against the arm of the couch, her knees slightly raised and her laptop sitting on her thighs. He reached for her foot and lightly massaged it.
“We’re not,” she said with a sigh. “But if what Z said was true and Max is usin’ Deck as a spy, you’d think I could find somethin’.”
“Based on what Brantley told us this afternoon, I think it’s safe to say Z doesn’t have all the information.”
“No, he doesn’t.” JJ closed her laptop and leaned her head back. “What’s the real story, then? Did the Kavanaghs call Deck and Ronan lied? Or did Deck lie to Z? Or did Z send them on a wild good chase? If so, why? What’s his endgame? Or Deck’s? Is he really protecting Saoirse? Or usin’ her to dig for information?”
Those were all really good questions. Questions the entire team was looking to unearth.
“Do you think this is personal?” JJ asked. “Maybe Deck is in a relationship with Saoirse.”
Before Baz could answer, JJ continued.
“But how did they meet? He’s older than her. By like nine years. Hell, he’s older than her brothers. I don’t understand where they connected. I know Brantley said they met when Ronan ran into Decker at a bar when he was on an assignment for a family friend, but is that true? Where? New York? Did they keep in touch?”
Baz smiled, leaning back and continuing to rub JJ’s feet. Both now because he knew how much she enjoyed it.
“I get that Deck’s been on assignment all over, but he happened to have a chance encounter with Ronan Kavanagh, and suddenly he’s got an in with the family? What’re the odds of that happening?”
God, he loved this woman. He loved the way her brain worked. He loved to watch as she untwisted her confusion until it made sense. It sometimes took her a while, but she always got there.
“I’m just tryin’ to understand how Decker landed in the Kavanagh’s world,” she said, moaning when he rubbed her instep.
“And you think the mob affiliation is the key?” he prompted when she was quiet for a minute.
