Chapter 3
Three
“ Y ou did a good job, Declan,” his mother said. He looked at his mom. Deidre was fiercely loyal, independent, and hard-headed. He never had to question her love for him, and when he chose culinary school over the firehouse, she was the first one he told.
“I didn’t do all of it. Kaitlin organized everything.”
“And you helped. I know all of you boys did, but you the most. The others are not good with organizing, not like you and Kaitlin.”
“Dad seems to be having a great time.”
They both watched his father as he talked to a group of his parents’ friends.
The whirlwind that was Conrad Santini came barreling through, followed by Joey Santini. She was laughing as she watched him run to his father. He watched as the man picked him up. That connection…it left him envious. He had never thought wanting a child would hit him, but when Kait had little Mike, and now with Wendy pregnant with a girl, he was. This need started when Kait had Mike right after Wendy returned from her work abroad.
He frowned. He’d been thinking of that more and more, but it had more to do with Eileen. She had him thinking of things like that, but he hadn’t even gotten a kiss from her.
The door opened as if the gods controlled fate, and she stepped inside. Jesus, his heart was pounding, but the way she was dressed…
Declan was used to seeing her in her pantsuits—which he loved. But this…this made his head spin and left his palms sweaty. Eileen wasn’t a curvy woman. She was more athletic, with long, lean muscles and an ass he had fantasized about a little too much. The dress she wore… clung to her, making the most of all of her assets. Everything around him faded as he watched her laugh at something and look back at someone who was definitely not her brother. He shot a dirty look at his sister. Kaitlin shrugged.
Without taking his gaze off her, Declan made his way over to her and the jerk she brought with her to his parents’ party. His mom had already cornered Eileen before she could even talk to anyone. The stupid guy with her had his mother laughing before Declan made it to the trio. He was tall and fit. Probably not a cop, but there was something about him. The other man reminded him of Kaitlin’s husband, Brando, who was a Marine but was teaching at the University of Maryland right now.
By the time he arrived, he had worked himself into a real temper.
“I’m so glad you could both make it. Sorry about Zane.”
Eileen smiled at his mother and opened her mouth to answer when she made eye contact with Declan over his mother’s shoulder.
His mother turned around. “Oh, Declan. Eileen made it!”
Yeah, and she brought some jerk-face idiot who probably thought he had a chance with Eileen.
“I see,” was all he said.
One eyebrow lifted as Eileen studied him.
“I thought Zane was going to be with you tonight.”
His mother shot him a weird look. Declan knew his comment sounded like an accusation.
“I was just explaining to your mother that he had something come up at work. They had an issue with a client.”
He nodded, and then his gaze turned to her date. He hated him on sight. The guy’s smile widened as he stuck out his hand.
“Rowan O’Reilly, Eileen’s favorite cousin.”
The relief coursing through his blood left him dizzy. He took the man’s hand and studied him. There were similarities around the eyes, and they had the same face shape. But he was fairer than Eileen, with light brown hair and light blue eyes.
“That’s not true. Mary Ellen is my favorite cousin.” Eileen’s voice was amused.
“Then I’m your favorite male cousin.”
“Okay. I will give you that.”
“Nice to meet you. Is this your first time to Fitzpatrick’s?”
He shook his head. “But it has been a while. I’m stationed in California.”
Stationed. He had pegged him as military, and he had been right.
“Rowan is in the Navy,” his mother said. “And he knows?—”
“O’Reilly!”
He turned to see Brando hurrying over with little Mike in his arms.
“Santini, good to see you,” he said, giving the man a side hug and then looking down at the baby. “A mini Santini.”
“Come on over. Aunt Joey would love to see you, I’m sure.”
“Do you mind?” he asked Eileen.
“You invited yourself, so go do what you want to.”
“Thanks, cuz,” he said, giving her a kiss on her cheek.
“Oh, I need to find your father so he can’t sneak away when the dancing starts.”
Then, he was alone with Eileen.
“So, your cousin?”
“Yeah. He trained with Marco Santini so when my turncoat brother told me he had something come up, he foisted the golden retriever on me.”
He glanced at her cousin, who was now holding little Mike and talking to Joey, and then Declan turned back to Eileen.
“You call a guy who can probably kill someone with two fingers a golden retriever.”
She smiled, and her eyes sparkled. Fuck, she was beautiful.
“So maybe a golden/pit-bull mix.”
“You look nice.”
She tilted her head and studied him for a second. “Do I normally not look nice?”
She had done something with her eyes that made them look more blue than green tonight, and she was wearing dangling earrings. She usually wore studs.
“No, you always look nice. You just look different.”
He opened his mouth to say something else, but they were interrupted by his sister and Wendy.
“Eileen, I’m so happy you could make it,” Kaitlin said. She hugged Kaitlin, then Wendy.
“Thank you for the invite. Nice to get out on a Saturday night.”
“Come on over, I need you to meet someone.”
His sister was already tugging her away. “I guess I’ll catch you later.”
He watched as she went with his sister and Wendy. She towered over them both, and that’s when he looked down at her legs. Jesus, she was wearing thigh-high boots with heels. She was trying to kill him.
“So, Eileen brought a date,” Emmett said, stepping beside him.
“He looks like military, huh? Not a cop.” This came from Seamus, another idiot brother. “What will you do when she gets married and moves away? Gonna stalk her on her social media still?”
Fuck, he didn’t need to deal with them tonight. “That’s her cousin, and he lives in California, which probably frowns on first cousins marrying.” And he didn’t stalk her on social media because she had none.
“Hmm, but you wanted to kick his ass. That was easy to see,” Emmett says.
If he responded, it would end up in a fight. He would not punch either of his brothers at his parents’ anniversary party.
So, pushing aside his anger, he said, “Get bent.”
Then headed off to check things in the kitchen. He wanted to ensure he was back out there before the dancing started because he was determined to get Eileen in his arms.
Two hours into the party, Eileen was stuffed. She hadn’t meant to eat like she’d been stuck on a desert island for three years, but when it was Declan’s recipes, she couldn’t resist.
“Your chef wanted to beat me up,” Rowan said.
“He’s not mine.”
He snorted. “Believe me, cuz, that guy wants you to be his. He wanted to pull off my arms and beat me with them.”
She rolled her eyes.
“He’s never been in the military?”
She shook her head. “Nope. Went to culinary school when he was eighteen.”
“Weird because with his build and awareness…he makes me think of the military.”
“Yeah,” she said. She knew what Rowan meant. Declan was the biggest of all his brothers, but there was grace in how he moved. She watched as he threw back his head and laughed. God, he was so damned sexy.
“No calls?”
She tore her gaze from her crush. “No, thank God. I hope it holds out for the night.”
“So no one was killed tonight.”
“No. It means they have enough personnel to handle it.”
She tried to keep her attention off Declan but found her gaze wandering back to the chef. He was holding the little Santini boy. In all her thirty-two years, she had never really thought about things like kids. She was sure she did as a young girl, but when she zeroed in on being a cop, she left those thoughts behind. She never thought she would be one of those women who could juggle a career and marriage with kids. But seeing Declan with that little boy made her…yearn. Jesus, she had never used that word associated with a man and a happily-ever-after.
“What’s with that guy Bryan? I mean, you guys dated like five years ago.”
Thankful that her cousin pulled her out of her fugue, she shrugged.
“From what I heard, he and his girlfriend just broke up.”
“And what? He decided to try and get the woman back that stomped on his heart.”
She turned to face her cousin. “I did not stomp on his heart. It was his ego.”
That was all it was. He’d never truly loved her. She suspected that Bryan was a sociopath who would never love the woman he was with if she wasn’t one hundred percent committed to him. As in, no friends, no career, only Bryan. Why he thought she would be the one for him, she had no idea.
“He looked like a puppy dog looking at you today.”
“He did not. Besides, if he was kissing up to me, it was to help his career.”
“Another ego killer. You graduated from the academy together, didn’t you?”
She nodded. Rowan opened his mouth to ask another annoying question, and she was thankful that a shout from one of the Santinis pulled his attention away.
“Be right back.”
“Don’t rush,” she said with a laugh. She really loved her cousin. He annoyed her because he had always been like that. Always asking questions, his mind bouncing from one subject to the other. But it was good to see him.
“Your cousin seems to know the Santinis well,” a deep voice whispered in her ear. She fought the shiver that worked down her spine.
How Declan could sneak up behind her, she had no idea. He was a big man, but he always seemed to move around, making no sound.
She glanced at him. “He trained with Marco, Joey’s son who lives in Hawaii.”
“Hmm, so that makes him a SEAL.”
She shrugged and sipped her water.
“Not drinking, detective?”
She shook her head. “I’m on call.”
He nodded. “I didn’t get to tell you just how nice you look tonight.”
She would not preen, but damn, it was hard. He looked at her as if she were the only person in the room. She couldn’t remember a man ever looking at her like that.
“Thank you.”
A slow song started, and she glanced at the makeshift dance floor that Declan had set up. Her gaze was caught on Wendy and Aeden. Those two were so close so in tune with each other. When she had first met the two of them, it struck her how they seemed to understand each other so well.
All of a sudden, Declan grabbed her glass.
“Hey!”
He took her hand and dragged her to the dance floor, setting the glass on a table as she stumbled behind him.
“Declan, stop.”
He turned around and frowned at her. Rude.
“What are you doing?”
“You want to dance.”
She did, and specifically with him.
“You know you need to ask a girl to dance before you drag her out to the floor, right?”
“Fine. Want to dance?”
She wanted to laugh. He was so put out by her, making him not a Neanderthal. It was odd because she had seen him with women. He was all charm and smiles. Now, he was frowning at her and growling. What did it say about her that she found this sexier than his charming side?
“Cuz, you need backup?” Rowan asked.
Without breaking eye contact with Declan, she shook he head. “No. I’m waiting for Declan to ask me to dance.”
He huffed, actually huffed, then finally asked. “Will you dance with me?”
She smiled at him, and he blinked. It was like he was stunned by it. Did she not smile that much?
“Yes.”
Then he took her hand again and pulled her to the dance floor.
The moment he took her into his arms, she felt the world shift, and everything settled. He smelled like sandalwood and home. God, he was a furnace.
“You are not always going to get your way.”
She looked up at him. “I rarely do.”
That much was true. Every step in her life had been hard fought. Being an O’Reilly helped all of her male cousins in the department. For her, it didn’t. Women were still not accepted as cops, even by family.
He pulled her tighter against him. She could feel his galloping heart, and she sighed. The guy was driving her insane, but at least he was being driven in the same direction to the asylum.
“What am I going to do about you?”
He growled the question in her ear, and this time, she couldn’t fight the shiver that rolled through her body. Before she could answer him—with exactly what she wanted done to her—she felt her phone vibrate.
Sighing, she stopped dancing.
“What?”
She pulled out her phone, and irritation moved through her when she saw the number.
“Work.” She walked away and clicked on her phone. “O’Reilly.”
“Hey, Eileen. It’s Sammy.” Another cousin.
“What do you have?”
“Young woman, not too far from where you are. You’re at Fitzpatrick’s, right?”
“Yeah. Text me the location. Does Eddie know?”
“Yep.”
She hung up and noticed that Declan was still standing there watching her. “Gotta go.”
“Of course.”
She noticed that his parents were still dancing. “Tell your parents I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry. One thing we understand is duty.”
“Got your wrap,” Rowan said. Another big man who could sneak up on her.
She took it and thanked him. Then she turned to face Declan. “Thank you for the dance.”
“We didn’t finish.”
The way his voice tumbled over those syllables had her heart pounding and her nipples hard. Ugh, how could he do that to her?
“We will finish it.”
It sounded like a promise.
She cocked her head to the side, studying him. “I almost believe that.”
Then she hurried away.
Declan watched Eileen leave his restaurant, her cousin going with her.
“Damn, bro, never thought you would run off the detective,” Connal said beside him.
“Well, you do know how charming he is.” That came from Emmett.
His brothers were annoying. He was frustrated and didn’t want to deal with them. Or anyone. He wanted Eileen back so they could finish that dance.
Declan said nothing as he walked to the bar where one of his other brothers sat.
“What’s up?” Seamus asked.
“He ran off his crush,” Emmett said.
It took all of his power not to smack his brother. He would not make a scene at his parents’ anniversary party.
“Stop messing with him.”
Declan gave Seamus a grateful look. “Thanks.”
“Just because Declan has lost his mojo with women is nothing to mock.”
His fingers turned white as he held onto the edge of the bar. Being one of six siblings, five of them being brothers, they settled their disagreements with physical fights. At least, growing up, they did. Now, it only happened every now and then.
“Declan, come talk to Joey. She’s talking about food, and I know the two of you would love to exchange thoughts on her upcoming family reunion.”
He glanced over his shoulder at his sister—the best of them. She never physically fought them, but she did intervene from time to time.
“Sure.”
He walked with her over to the Santinis’ table. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, with a caveat.”
He stopped a few feet away from the table and waited. There was never any way to rush Kaitlin.
“You like her.”
He nodded, although like wasn’t actually a big enough word for what he felt. Declan wasn’t sure exactly how to describe the feelings he had for her.
“You need to ask her out. Brando and I had crushes on each other in college, and we waited. Thankfully, not too late, but I still mourn all our years apart. Don’t waste time, bro.”
He sighed and nodded his head.
“Now, get ready because my aunt-in-law wants to talk food, and she’s Italian. This will take a bit,” she said with a laugh.
Declan nodded and continued to follow her to the table. He definitely needed to do something about Eileen, but tonight was about family which now included the Santinis.
Eileen parked her car on Fleet Street.
“Can I come with you?” Rowan asked.
She rolled her eyes. She’d already said no. “You’re a civilian.”
“Fine.”
The sigh of frustration clogged her throat. She loved her cousin, but she wasn’t like a lot of their family. She was a woman in homicide, where they didn’t have many women. She couldn’t do anything wrong, or she would get demoted or fired.
“It will only take a second to find out what’s going on, then I can drop you off.”
Without waiting for an answer, she slipped from the car. The street had been blocked off with tape and police cars. Even though she knew one of the uniforms, she flashed her badge.
“Eileen, how’s everything?” her cousin Freddy asked. Then he took in her outfit. “Damn, you were on a date.”
She snorted. “Hardly. Family anniversary party for some friends. Rowan was my date.”
“What the hell? Didn’t he want to see me?”
“He’s in the car, but before you go, do you know anything?”
A lot of people looked down on uniforms like they all didn’t start out that way. Eileen knew better than that.
“Young woman, that’s all I know. It was apparently pretty brutal based on the reaction of some of the cops.”
She nodded and ducked under the tape. As she walked down the street to the alley where they’d found the body, she nodded to people she knew and almost blinked when the lights came on.
She stepped up beside her partner, Eddie Francisco.
“Well, look at you,” he said, smirking.
“Yeah. I’m a hottie. What do we have?”
His smile faded. “Young woman. No idea, but she looks to be in her mid to late twenties.”
“So, she was robbed? Could this be a mugging gone wrong?”
“Not this. If it started that way, it went way overboard.”
She nodded as she put booties on her shoes.
“It’s an alley, Eileen.”
“Doesn’t matter. When your brother used to hunt killers with the FBI, you learn a few things they don’t show on TV.”
That brought his smile back, albeit not as bright.
She made her way into the alley. The stench of rotting veggies, urine, and, yes, even vomit filled her senses. The idea that someone spent their last moments here made her sad. No one deserved to die in a place like this.
A photographer took pics, and the ME was already on site.
Sharlene Anderson glanced at her. She and the tall African American woman had known each other for a while. They had grown up on the same street. “O’Reilly. Nice dress.”
“Thanks. Eddie said that she’s in her mid-twenties?”
“Yeah, if that.”
Eileen stepped closer and felt her entire world shift. Oh, hell. She had seen something like this scene before. A woman in an alley, young, stripped of every possession and left in a dank alley. The stabbing in her chest… was the same also.
That cold case she had been studying earlier today might have just boiled over.