As one of the officers got off the phone, they approached Josh and Denny. “I guess we’ll clear out, and you two will get a taxi home.” It wasn’t a suggestion.
“Yes,” and “Of course,” they said in unison.
The officer held up a hand to stop the brothers before they could slither out of the pub. “The O’Faolains weren’t the only patrons here tonight to hear some of your drunken comments.” The officer said drunken with just the right amount of disbelief and disgust to make Josh and Denny stiffen.
“No matter that you aren’t pressing charges, I will be making a report of the incident. If, say, a person came into the station to report a sex crime,anytype of sex crime, your names would be flagged. Okay then,” the officer said with a smile that looked vicious, “off you go.”
Everyone shook hands with the gardaí and thanked them for coming so quickly. One of the officers let them know that he was friends with Thomas MacGregor and Coll Barr and that they called while they were still en route to let them know that they were already looking into the brothers.
“I won’t say much,” the officer said, “but we have had some unsolved assault crimes come across our desks.”
He didn’t add anything else before he and his partner left, but it appeared as though Josh and Denny may have finally outed themselves.
Daniel asked, “Why did Josh and Denny change their minds about pressing charges?”
“Oh, that was me,” Dagr smiled. “Their father is in politics, and I happen to know his attorney. I told him to expect hell to rain down on the family if they so much as sneezed toward one of my clients.”
Jonathan’s phone began to vibrate. He rolled it over in his palm to see the screen. Coll Barr. Mags was still standing next to him, probably because each time she tried to put distance between them, he gently touched her back or waist and brought her back.
She inhaled sharply when she saw it was her uncle calling. “Don’t answer.”
“I’m not interested in dying anytime soon, Mags.” He accepted the call and brought it to his ear. “Barr.”
There was no greeting from the taciturn Scotsman. “Your father called me. You will walk Margaret home and convince her to quit that job. And I’m not fucking asking. Tell her that her evasiveness with me hasn’t gone unnoticed. If she would like me to visit, I will.”
Mags was looking at him with wide, worried eyes. He took one of her hands and held it against his chest, and of course, every man around him was instantly glued to the link.
“Understood,” Jonathan answered.
“Keep me informed,” Barr growled.
“I won’t do that, but I will explain to Mags that if she isn’t more transparent with her family, to expect a visit.” Mags winced, probably imagining quite well what her uncle was saying.
“Fine.” He hung up.
twenty-one
MAGS
Mags’head was spinning. In fact, it’d been spinning since she watched Jonathan walk into the pub looking like he’d just finished a photoshoot for Forbes Billionaires List, and People’s Sexiest Man Alive—it should be a crime to look that damn good.
Jonathan’s stunning face, which she regularly imagined hitting or kissing, wasn’t the only thing that had put her off kilter.
Gray let her know that Bébhinn had argued with Jonathan and let Mags’ secrets come flying out of her giant mouth. Bébhinn sent her apologies and begged Mags to blame it on her hormones.
Then came Jonathan openly eye stalking her for hours, and if that hadn’t put her over the edge, he and Daniel punched people. She was sick when she found out that the brothers had decided to not take no for an answer with her that night. Denny and Josh deserved to have their asses handed to them. She’d just been so worried that Jonathan and Daniel would be in trouble.
The sleazy brothers’ comments shook her up. She recognized that she had been taking a chance with her safety walkingalone all those nights, which was why she allowed Jonathan to possessively keep her by his side. He made her feel safe.Damn him.
Everyone was heading home, so she gave Bran, Patrick, Dagr, and even Ulf a hug. They’d come for their boys, but calls to her family were the first ones they’d made, which meant they’d come to her rescue as well.
Her mom and dad had already texted and told her to call them the moment she was home. They hadn’t known about the bartending gig until that evening. Sighing, she rubbed the back of her neck. She wasn’t built for deception. She would have to tell her mother that her friends knew about the cancer, and that she needed to come clean to everyone too.
The pub was closing, and the patrons who had stayed to watch the drama were trickling out. She swallowed a moan as her boss made his way over to where she, Jonathan, and Daniel were still standing by the bar.
Mags quickly said, “I’ll start cleaning the bar now, Ben. Sorry, I should have already gotten started.”
Ben waved her words away. “Go home, Margaret. You and your friends have had a hell of a night.” He shook the cousins’ hands. “You got the scum out of my pub, mates. You’re welcome back anytime.”
