Page 130 of Lawless Rivals

“Button it.”

Dane huffs out a low breath and reaches over, taking the bottle from my hand. He drinks from it and stares at the fire. “Bit much over a girl.”

My hand goes to the back of my neck, dragging up into my hair as I lean forward, elbows on my knees.

“Don’t,” I say.

Dane glances at me.

“Don’t what?”

“Go there.”

He studies me, then looks back at the fire.

“Alright,” he says. “So, what is this, then?”

I exhale through my nose and pat my jacket pocket for my smokes. “Doesn’t matter.”

Dane takes another drink and sits next to me on the step.

“I’m just off the phone with our solicitor,” he says, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “I asked him to do a little digging. Turns out the land was signed over to her while she was here.”

The fire spits. I keep my eyes on the angry flames, but I’m not seeing them properly anymore.

“She didn’t know, Saint,” he says. “Her da pulled a move.”

Jesus fuck.

I handed her back to him.

Chapter 34

Keira

My father sits behind his antique desk with the curtains drawn, the desk lamp angled toward me instead of him as he reaches for the cigar box. He’s arranged the room so I’m the only thing under scrutiny.

Fionn stands at the drinks cabinet, close enough to hear every answer and far enough away to pretend this isn’t an interrogation.

“Start again,” my father says.

I keep my hands folded in my lap because the wooden chair gives me nothing else to do with them. My nails press into my palms beneath the desk, where neither of them can see.

“I’ve already told you.”

“You told me they kept you in a cabin.”

“Yeah, they did.”

“And you said men came and went in the yard all the time.”

“They did.”

My father opens the cigar box and takes one out, expecting me to fill the silence while he examines it. He’s always been good at this. Other men shout when they lose ground. Alasdair Harrington lowers his voice and makes you lean closer to hear the threat.

“Who came and went, Keira? I need names.”

“I didn’t see any faces.”