Page 32 of The Villain

“Do we?” Mads scratched his chin. “It’s not like we could see them start it. Could’ve been someone taking a walk.”

“In the middle of the night. In the dark.” Rhys stared at him.

Mads shrugged. “I’ve caught Hack sleepwalking before.”

“Stop,” Cian growled. “Hack. Mads. Work on a list of everyone who can account for their whereabouts last night. We’ll figure this out. Until then, the devil is with me.”

As everyone dispersed, Cian backed Hack into a corner and spoke to him in low tones. I strained to hear what he was saying,but I couldn’t eavesdrop properly with Rhys standing in my way. Hack nodded sharply in response and said, “On it.” His eyes shifted toward me when he said it, which didn’t exactly help my growing curiosity.

Cian turned to me and gestured for me to stand. We were almost at the door when Mads called to him. “I have to head to the airport and pick up my brother, so I’ll miss the meeting.”

Cian waved a hand. “No worries. Drive safe. You’ll come to O'Shea’s after?”

“We’re gonna try to see his kid first. His ex still isn’t answering her phone. But she knows when he gets back, so she should be home. He’s got visitation.”

Cian clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Let me know if you have any problems.”

And just like that, we were off to the next meeting. Which meant I’d get to see the legitimate side of Cian’s business. We crossed the main floor of his building before stepping out into the bright sunshine. I hadn’t realized how long we’d slept after our eventful night, and it was now close to two in the afternoon. I blinked my watering eyes against the bright spring sun while Cian led me over to a motorcycle. He grabbed a pair of sunglasses from a side pocket, then hesitated before pulling out a spare pair and handing them to me.

“Thanks,” I murmured as I slid them on.

He answered with some sort of grunt and swung his leg over the bulky, black Harley. It suited him. Rhys settled onto his own bike nearby—a sleek, matte black thing that looked fast as hell.

Cian looked over his shoulder as the bike rumbled to life and shouted, “Get on!”

I climbed on behind him and gripped his hips. The bike was parked in a small gravel lot on their compound, and we rode slowly onto a paved driveway that led to a gated entrance. Rhysopened the gate and waited as Cian and I passed through before closing it and following.

Then we rode across the street.

That was it. Right across a two-lane road to the parking lot of a large bar and restaurant called O'Shea’s. The sign was crowned with a Celtic knot. When Cian shut off the engine, I gave him a look. “Was this really necessary? We couldn’t just walk across the street?”

“No.”

One word. No explanation. I didn’t even bother asking him to elaborate.

Through the large glass windows on either side of the front door, I could see Cian’s crew gathered around the bar. Their voices drifted outside as they talked, laughed uproariously, and playfully bickered.

“This meeting is for the crew and employees,” Cian said, joining me as I stood with my hands on my hips, my head craned back to take in the large building. “The crew knows who you are. The employees don’t. And we’ll keep it that way.” He followed my gaze as I took in the sturdy stone walls and the heavy wooden door covered with ornate carvings. “We don’t open for dinner for another couple hours. It’s mostly greasy-spoon diner food, and the kitchen shuts down around eleven. The bar’s open until two.”

I was surprised Cian took the time to give me any details at all. A few feet away, Rhys stood at the door, one hand on the large iron handle, just waiting.

Cian cleared his throat. “My dad opened this place in 1973. It’s legit.”

I could smell the grease from outside, and my mouth watered. That boiled egg felt forever ago. And before that, I’d been subsisting on those fucking protein bars. “Can I get a burger?”

He eyed me for a moment, then he let out a huff that might have been a laugh. “Let’s go. And don’t make a scene.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” I muttered as Rhys swung the door open. Cian walked through first, but Rhys stopped me with a palm raised. I noticed he didn’t touch me.

“This place was in the red before Cian took over, after Patrick’s death. It’s now firmly in the black and growing. If you do anything to hurt this place, I’ll kill you myself. Cian’s wrath be damned. Are we clear?”

I tilted my head to the side. “Aww, what a good best friend you are.”

He stared at me before snorting. “Shit, no wonder he’s losing it.”

He gestured for me to walk inside, and I heard a few crew members call out greetings to Rhys and Cian over the din of conversation.

Until they saw me.