Chapter 18
I t was obvious that whatever Bray had to tell Connor, he did not want to do it in front of me. Which is why I was more determined to stay put and hear whatever it was. How bad could it be? We’re literally in hiding with bounties on our heads.
“I’m only telling you this because I owe you for Dublin,” Bray says to Connor, who doesn’t say a single word. I still haven’t asked what happened between the two of them. I really need to do that.
“I got you these. Use them only if necessary.” He hands over two passports and four credit cards. And then he pulls out a phone. “There’s a preloaded location on here that will lead you to a car—again, only if necessary,” Bray says.
Connor nods, taking the items. “What’d you find out?”
“I made a call to Jimmy. He says your parents are starting to go through flight logs. It’s only a matter of time before they realize you aren’t in the States. Jimmy thinks the first place they’ll look is Dublin. So there’s time still.”
Connor nods again. “What else?”
Bray looks at me and then back to Connor. “They’ve increased the bounty to twenty million.”
“On me?” Connor asks.
“On her.” Bray gestures in my direction.
“Pfft, I’m worth way more than twenty. Tell them to try again.” My statement is met by a set of matching glares.
“This isn’t a joke, Aurora. The O’Malleys are not a joke. If they’re looking for you, it’s only a matter of time before they find you.”
“They would have to get to me first. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re locked up in a compound,” I point out.
“Don’t underestimate them. That will be your first mistake,” Bray tells me.
“What will be my second?”
“Getting caught,” Bray says. “The things they do to women… you don’t want that. The world doesn’t want that, because if they get you, it will start World War III.”
“They’re not going to get her,” Connor grunts out, his hand gripping mine tighter.
“Right, nice chat. If anyone asks, you didn’t get that shit from me. But she is my cousin, Connor. Anything happens to her because of you or your family, this agreement between us is off the table. I will come for you.” Bray leaves with that warning.
“What’s the agreement?” I ask Connor as soon as Bray is gone.
“There is no agreement. He thinks he owes me because I saved his brother one time.” Connor shrugs.
“Why, though? Why did you jump in to be Levi’s white knight?” I ask.
Connor chuckles. “I’m nobody’s white knight—well, I’d be yours but you’d never need me to be. I saved him because my cousin happens to like the asshole. A lot.”
“Kenny?” I ask as a fresh wave of guilt washes over me.
“No, I have more cousins, Aurora. Most of them in Ireland. Aisling, who’s in Dublin, met Levi and became… fixated on him. He, of course, doesn’t know that part because she wouldn’t acknowledge it to anyone. But when he was in trouble, she came and asked me to help him. So I did.”
“What kind of trouble was he in?” Knowing Levi, it could be anything.
“A deal didn’t go as planned. Someone tried giving them dodgy ammo or some shit.
Levi went ballistic and shot the place up.
Turns out the people he killed were IRA members and, well, they don’t take kindly to being slaughtered.
So, a couple of guys found Levi alone in a pub.
I got there just before one of them was about to pull the trigger. ”
“You killed an IRA member? Isn’t that dangerous for you?”
“Not when you’re at the top of the food chain.” Connor shrugs. “It’s not always bad to have my last name.”
“Guess I’ll find out one day.” I smirk.
Connor’s eyes heat up. “You’d take my name when we get married?” He sounds almost shocked.
“Why wouldn’t I? If you were my husband, I would want to have the same name as you,” I tell him.
“I just thought I would have to fight you to get you to take my name. You’re so… independent and twenty-first century and all that. Plus, being a Valentino has its perks too,” he replies.
“I’ll always be a Valentino. But if we get married, I’ll also be an O’Malley or whatever our aliases are by then.”
“If? We are going to get married one day, Aurora,” Connor says, determination dripping from his every word.
“Maybe. If you play your cards right, Charming.” I turn around and call out over a shoulder, “I’ll be back.”
“Where are you going?” Connor asks.
“I’m getting changed,” I say, leaving out the part that I’m changing into gym clothes and then I’m hunting down Levi because I want to train. And who better to train with than Levi or Bray?
Their grandfather taught them both to fight. He was a champion in his prime and their family runs a chain of gyms. They literally grew up in a boxing ring. I’ll also take any excuse to not go back to that pile of schoolwork that’s still sitting on the floor waiting for me.
“Is that all you got, Little Valentino? I thought you were supposed to be the tough one?” Levi says when I land a punch to his ribs.
We’ve been in the gym for thirty minutes.
I’m sweaty, almost panting, and my muscles are starting to ache.
I’ve missed training. And my body is telling me that it’s been missing it too.
My right leg swings up. Levi catches it with a hand around my ankle right before I’m able to make contact with his head.
I end up on my back with Levi standing over me.
“You’re better than this. Get up,” he growls at me.
Jumping to my feet, I focus on my enemy, which right now is Levi and the dumb-ass smirk that I want to wipe off his face.
“I think you’re about to get your ass kicked by a girl, bro.” Bray laughs.
I don’t look at him, though. That would be a mistake. The moment I lose focus, I’ll find myself on my ass again. And I’m not about to let this cocky son of a bitch beat me.
“Nah, she’s got that love bug. Why would she have to fight when she’s got a boyfriend to defend her?” Levi says. That has me seeing red.
“You think I need Connor to defend me?” I ask right before my arm jabs out and my gloved hand connects with his jaw. His head snaps backwards, and I smile as I swing my left arm, which he blocks.
“Still hitting like a girl,” Levi says.
I inch closer to him and quickly bring my knee up.
He deflects that too. Repositioning myself, I manage to get my leg behind his and kick his feet out from under him.
Levi lands on the floor with a hard thud .
I take the small window I have to jump on top of him.
I rain down punch after punch, striking out wherever I can.
He manages to block most of my attempts, all while laughing.
“I’m going to kill you,” I growl.
Levi rolls—with way too much ease, mind you—and suddenly I’m underneath him. He pins my hands above my head. “What are you going to do now, Little V?” he asks me.
“I’m going to cut your fucking hands off if you don’t remove them from her.
” Connor’s voice has me looking to the side to find his murderous gaze glued to my cousin.
I’ve only seen this look on him once before.
In that gas station, where he convinced a guy to blow his own head off.
Murderous Connor is eerily calm and fucking scary.
“Dude, she’s my cousin. Relax,” Levi says.
“Third cousin. That means you two could get married in most countries, have babies and shit. Get off her.” Connor is deadly serious, which I suspect Levi also picks up on because he rolls off me. I never thought I’d see the day that Levi Mancini did something because someone told him to.
I really need to meet the Dublin version of Connor.
If it’s anything like he was that weekend in Boston, I’m going to love that side of him.
Not that I don’t love the caring, doting, attentive side I see whenever we’re together.
There’s just something about that murderous gaze of his that has my core clenching.
“First, that’s gross. I would never marry my cousin,” I tell Connor. “And second, I’ve trained with these two fools at least twice a year my whole life.”
“Third, she’s gone soft and is losing her touch, O’Malley. You need to exercise her more,” Levi adds.
My elbow jams right into his ribs, as hard as it can. I spin around and land a punch to the right of his face and then another to his abdomen. Levi doubles over. Bringing my leg up, I kick at his chest, and he tumbles back onto his ass.
“How’s this for soft, asshole?” I snarl at him. “Also, I’m not a pet he lets out to exercise. No wonder you can’t get a girl to stick around longer than a night.”