“I realize that, but what I’m asking you iswhy?”
“Does it matter?”
It matters more than anything.
“Yes—”
“I suggest you give your brother-in-law a call.” Cormac reaches into his pocket and pulls out my phone.
“She’s allowed to make personal calls now? What the fuck, Cormac?”
I whirl around to find Kieran storming into the kitchen, his face like thunder.
“She’s calling her brother-in-law, that’s all,” Cormac answers coolly.
“While she’s at it, why doesn’t she give Lorcan a call too, huh? After all, he must be missing his little puppet?—”
“Kieran.”
Kieran stiffens at the sound of Riley’s voice.
The three of us look over to find her standing in the doorway, holding Aubrey over her shoulder.
I guess if she didn’t know my history before, she sure as hell does now.
I take a step toward her. “Riley?—”
She holds up a hand, her eyes fixed firmly on her husband. “I’m taking Aubrey for her bath,” she says to Kieran. “I think you should join us.”
I don’t know what’s more terrifying. Kieran’s glare or Riley’s tone.
Neither leaves any room for arguing.
I shrink slightly at the anger radiating off Kieran, but the presence of his wife and child is enough to snap him out of his rage.
He offers me a final glare before stalking from the room, and I don’t take a breath until his footsteps disappear upstairs.
“Cormac—”
He doesn’t give me a chance to finish, just sets the phone down on the counter. “You should call Joe.”
I stare at the phone, wondering why Cormac is insisting on helping me with something that has zero effect on him.
Unless this is his way of extending a hand, of silently saying that he’s open to the idea of forgiving me.
The thought has me snatching up the phone and dialing Joe.
It’s been weeks since we’ve spoken, weeks without any update on Amber. I can only hope that everything is fine, though considering that not even a medical emergency like heart surgery is enough to get the asshole to call, I don’t have high hopes.
“Hello?”
“Joe, it’s me,” I say carefully.
“I told you not to call me?—”
“You should have thought of that before you decided to commit tax fraud,” I blurt before he has a chance to hang up.
Silence.
