39. Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Thirty-Nine
L orcan circles me in his room before he faces me and gives a curt nod. “They’ll still search you.”
“One of us needs to have some sort of weapon on them.”
“Can you sit with that knife against your thigh?”
Striding to a chair by his kitchenette, I ease into it.
“You look as though you’re a hundred doing that.”
I laugh. “Well, you keep him talking while I sit.” I wink. “It’ll be fine. This isn’t the first time I’ve concealed a weapon for a meeting.”
Lorcan’s expression turns heavy, and he shakes his head. “It’s the first time I’ve given a shit if someone gets caught.”
Rising, I cross the room and put my arms around his neck. “I doubt that’s true.”
He doesn’t meet my gaze and instead brushes a kiss across my forehead. “I think I should go alone.”
“You’re not going alone. You need someone to watch your back.”
“It’s not my back I’ll be worrying about.”
“I can—”
“Yes,” Lorcan says, pulling away. “I’m well aware that you can take care of yourself.” He raises one eyebrow and rests his hands on his hips. “This is—it’s new to me. I’ve never been with a woman who understood the business and who was…”
“Amazingly competent?” I arch my eyebrows, a teasing smile playing at the corners of my lips.
Unease and humor war in the depths of his eyes. “Experienced.”
“What sorts of women do you normally sleep with?”
Lorcan purses his lips and looks at me under his lashes. “Did you really just ask me that?”
“Why not?” I move to the kitchenette and pour myself a glass of whiskey. “I suppose I should know where your parts have been before.”
“Does it mean I get to ask you that question?”
I sip the drink and angle the glass at him. “Answer mine first, and we’ll see.”
He chuckles and comes forward, plucking the glass from me and swallowing a taste of whiskey before returning it. “I like uncomplicated women. I told you that.”
“And yet?” My thumb caresses his cheek.
“And yet I seem to have fallen in love with an amazingly competent woman who is incredibly complicated.”
My stomach dips. “All I heard was amazing and incredible.”
“Ay.” A smile touches his lips, and when one side of his mouth quirks up, his dimple peeks out. “You’re my a chroi .”
His heart. My own heart squeezes. My father called me that. Words bubble up into my throat, but I can’t say them. They’re there. Until he knows everything, I can’t say it. I need to be sure. There’s a chance he aided in the murdering of my family. Can I get past that? Would I want to? Even if I did, can his love for me overshadow his love for Finn once he knows the truth?
“I like the idea of being your heart.” I glide my hand to his chest.
His eyes light. “You know that one?”
My throat is tight, and I clear it. “My dad used to call me that.”
“Used to?”
My mistake causes a frisson of fear to shoot through me. It’s a slip but not dire. I can salvage it. Careless mistakes will get me killed. I’m losing sight of too many things.
“We’ve drifted apart.” Glancing at the clock above Lorcan’s shoulder, I say, “We should go. Don’t want to be late.”
“You’re sure about that knife.” His hand rubs my thigh and the almost imperceptible groove left by it.
“I’m sure I don’t want to be defenseless if they’re as ruthless as you say.” If anything in my files at the start of this was true, the Russians aren’t going to be impressed with our questions.
It’s a sprawling estate on the opposite side of Boston. The house sits low and squat surrounded by huge iron gates. While Finn and Lorcan’s place is also gated, it doesn’t have the grandeur and the sense of luxury spewing out of every nook and cranny. The Russians don’t mind flaunting their fortune. I half expect to see the onion domes protruding from the roof, but they haven’t gone to that extreme. The giant balls on the stone pillars around the gates are the closest they come to that level of decadence.
“Impressive,” I mutter.
“You know”—Lorcan gives me a sideways glance—“size isn’t everything.”
I laugh and squeeze his hand. “Don’t worry.” I bat my eyes. “I find you far more interesting than their big balls.”
When we advance into the circular drive, a guard comes out. He leads us into the house to an area where we’re patted down. Lorcan keeps a careful watch on the guard’s hands but because the knife is on the inside of my thigh, the male guard skims it. I wink at Lorcan. Sometimes spandex and secret pockets are the best inventions ever.
We follow the guard through the interior to a brick-and-tile outside space with immaculate landscaping. A fire roars, and beyond it, like the Donaghey house, is a vast field. The sun is starting to sink, and the blaze of the fire matches the colors warring in the sky.
“Lorcan.” Semyon comes forward, his hand outstretched. “Nice to see you again.”
So far, he’s not intimidating. He’s not as tall or broad as Lorcan, and his round face is almost jovial. The graying hair sprinkled throughout his dark locks makes me think he’s close to the age my father might have been.
“Appreciate you taking the time.”
“Of course.” He gestures to a couple of seats at the edge of the fire and settles into his. A bottle of vodka and two glasses rest on the table beside us. “Have a drink. The vodka will put hair on your chest.”
“This is Kim.” Lorcan takes the seat closest to Semyon and obscures any view of me as I ease into the chair.
Except for the guards on the surrounding edges, the conversation feels friendly.
“Kim. Kim.” Semyon taps his chin. “You seem familiar. Have we met?”
I shake my head. “I get that a lot.” I offer a fleeting smile. “One of those faces, I guess.”
His expression is pensive as he drinks his vodka. “No, that’s not it. I have a thing for faces.” He circles his own face with his free hand. “We’ve either met or I’ve seen you somewhere before.”
My brain starts rapid firing on any the occasions when he might have come across my photo or interacted with me. I’m drawing a blank. It doesn’t seem possible. Whatever he thinks he’s putting together, I can’t grasp it.
“She’s been working for us for a few months.” Lorcan’s hand slides to my knee. “She’s good at her job. Maybe you’ve simply caught wind of her.”
Semyon nods, but I can tell he isn’t buying Lorcan’s explanation. The problem is I have no idea why I’d be familiar to him. It doesn’t make sense. Maybe an arms deal with Carys? Did we sell to them? I’ve never been to this house.
He focuses on Lorcan. “What is it you were after?”
“Information.”
“Sometimes free, sometimes costly. Which sort are you looking for?”
“You might not even have the information we need,” I add.
Semyon perks up and gestures to the vodka again. “Drink. Drink. I insist.”
Lorcan pours us both a glass and passes me one.
“So you’re fishing?” Semyon sips from his glass as the fire pops and crackles in the middle of the pit. A piece of charred bark floats in the air for a moment, burning bright red against the darkening sky.
“We’re casting a wide net looking for information on my father’s death.”
“His murder?” Semyon sits forward, a smile playing across his face before vanishing. “Ah, you’re the good son? Worried about honor and family.” He smirks. “If it was my sons, they’d party in the streets because they were in charge. The little buggers think they know better than me.”
Lorcan meets Semyon’s stare without a hint of unease. “Do you know anything?”
We’d both been nervous for this meeting. Every angle had been discussed and debated. Did we need Sean or Ian? He didn’t trust either of them the same way he had Antonio. So we’re here, armed, praying we get out without a serious confrontation or creating waves between the families that rage out of control.
Semyon frowns and upends the last of his drink into his mouth before pouring another. “I know nothing.” His attention returns, narrowing. “You have family in the business? There’s something about you.”
Frowning, I avoid looking at Lorcan. “No, no one in the business.”
We sit in silence for a moment as Semyon’s focus keeps shifting toward me and then away again. “Both my boys are single. You’re very attractive. Clearly, you understand the business.”
Lorcan tenses beside me.
“That’s a lovely thing to say.” I smile and hope it doesn’t look like a grimace. “I’m taken.” Women as a commodity sets my teeth on edge. I widen my smile, hoping the distaste in my mouth can be overcome with false enthusiasm.
Loran squeezes my knee and then returns his hand to his own lap.
Semyon follows the action, and a sly grin emerges. “Information isn’t cheap, you know.”
“What is it you’d like in exchange?” His tone is mild, but his posture is tense.
Another moment passes, and the fire crackles. We stare at it, waiting for Semyon to come out with it. I realize what’s coming. It won’t be the first occasion a man has thought he could buy me. It’s one of the reasons why I’ve found things with Lorcan so easy from the start. For the most part, he’s treated me like an asset, a person, someone with value. To him, I’ve never been a commodity.
“You want to know about your father. I want Kim on loan to us for as long as it pleases us. There’s something about her. No term. No contract. Open-ended.”
Lorcan takes my hand in his, and I rise with him. “She’s already said no.”
“Has she?” His attention returns, lingering. “What do you say, Kim? Want to work for a real organization?”
“I quite enjoy where I’m at.” I square my shoulders. “If that ever changes, I’ll be sure to get in touch.”
Semyon heaves himself out of the deck chair and stands close to the fire, pensive for a moment.
Lorcan tenses and grips my hand. It’s the signal to get out the knife, but I don’t spot any reason to give ourselves away yet. I squeeze back.
The firelight catches Semyon’s features, and the true menace I didn’t see before is startling.
“I’m going to let you go,” he says. “But don’t come back here fishing. We don’t have a relationship where information is free. You don’t want to pay my price, you have no business being here.”
I open my mouth to speak, and Lorcan almost crushes my hand.
“Understood.” His nod is curt. “I appreciate your time.”
“You were foolish to come here with no men.” He takes a poker from beside his chair and prods the flames. With a pointed glance at Lorcan, he says, “Finn doesn’t know you’re here.”
Lorcan straightens. “We’re both seeking the truth in our own ways.”
Semyon chuckles, but it holds no humor. “You’re much more civilized—more your mother’s child. Finn is like your father, like me. Take what you want and damn the consequences.”
“You didn’t stay at the top with that mentality all the time,” I reply.
He grins at me. “Very astute. Some things are worth it, others are not.” He shrugs. “It’s why you’re leaving in one piece. A war isn’t worth it. Not right now. Even if your organization is stretched a bit thin.” He swings the poker in his hand back and forth. “My men will show you out.”
The drive to the house is silent. I’m certain Semyon knows something about Lorcan’s father’s death. The only way to get information is by trading myself. A few months ago, I would have done it in a heartbeat. Now, the thought of having any of them lay a hand on me sets my skin crawling.
“I don’t care what he knows.” Lorcan looks at me when the car is parked in the garage. “You’re worth more than anything he could ever tell me.”
I swallow. “If it’s the only way we can access the information, get you closure.” Get you off the hook with the FBI, give us a chance beyond this.
“Another avenue will turn up.” He gets out of the car and comes around to take my hand, leading me into the house.
“What do you think he knows?”
“Finn did it. Somehow, he convinced them to help him cover it up. Semyon knows something. What else could it be?” Lorcan brushes his lips against my temple. “Other than me, Finn’s been the one who has benefitted from our father’s death. It’s the only thing that makes any sense.”
As we near the front door, Sean comes out and nods at me. “You’ve got a visitor.”
I frown. “Who’s that?”
“Carys Van de Berg.” Sean shrugs. “She showed up about an hour ago, looking for you, Kim.”
Releasing Lorcan’s hand, I hurry in the entrance. It’s odd she didn’t tell me she was coming. Carys is a planner. “Where is she?” I call over my shoulder.
“Your old rooms.”
The night Lorcan asked me not to work for his brother, he helped me take my stuff to his wing of the house. Instead of moving it into my rooms, he’d insisted on putting everything in his bedroom. When I told Finn the next day, he laughed and clapped his hands, clearly entertained. That had been almost a week ago now.
Heading down the hall, I leave Lorcan trailing behind me. When I reach my old sitting room, Carys is perched on the edge of the couch, scrolling through her phone. She glances up, and relief floods her face.
“Oh, thank God. I was starting to worry I wouldn’t see you before I have to fly out again.” She brings me into a hug.
“Is everything okay?”
“I’ve been agonizing over something. I tried to investigate it myself, but I ran into too many dead ends.”
Lorcan’s footsteps stop in the doorway behind me, and Carys stiffens before moving away from me.
“Nice to see you, Lorcan.” Her posture makes me wonder if she means it.
“You all right?” His brow furrows.
“Fine. Fine. Needed Kim time. You understand what it’s like.” She winks, but something is off.
“I’ll be in the office.” His hand grazes my arm, and a shiver runs down my spine. “You staying tonight, Carys?”
She shakes her head. “I have to catch a plane out in a couple hours. No rest for me.”
“Well, you’re always welcome.”
She nods, tension leaking from her.
“Have you been to see Finn?” I close the door to the hallway.
“No. No. I can’t do that. Seeing him… I just… It’s a bad idea. I—I’m worried about him. I can’t shut it off.”
“Okay.” I frown and clasp my hands. “Can I help?”
She presses together her lips and pushes her phone into her purse before dropping it on the couch to wander the room. “I can’t decide if I should tell you.” Carys glances at me and then paces. “But I trust you. I trust you.”
From my spot on the armrest of the closest chair, I watch her, not saying anything. I earned her trust through the work I did for her, but I certainly don’t deserve it. She might end up in jail thanks to me and the information I collected.
“What’s going on? You’re worrying me.”
“When Finn called me, the night he almost died, he—it—it wasn’t all personal.” She sends me an anguished glance. “He told me the helicopter was FBI.”
I suck in a sharp breath. “Oh my God.” She’s telling me, so he mustn’t have put it together when he phoned her. At what point did he figure out I was also FBI? That Malik’s slip wasn’t a coincidence or misguided feelings for me? Had he known for sure? Or had it been a guess?
“I know, right? So I tried to dig. Why the hell were the FBI here? I mean, besides a bust. But they didn’t bust any of you.”
“Finn doesn’t remember any of this.”
“I realize that. Someone needs to be told. I don’t—I’m not sure it should be him. You understand what he’s like. Is Lorcan mixed up with the FBI?”
I hesitate as though thinking it through. Instead, my mind is racing, trying to calculate how to ease Carys’s concerns without raising suspicion.
“The organization rounded up some of Zhang’s men.” I close my eyes as though I’m putting the pieces together. “Maybe—maybe they scooped up an undercover agent?”
Carys snaps her fingers. “That makes sense. That makes sense. I knew you’d have an idea.”
A zing of pride zips through me because she thinks so much of me. Her opinion shouldn’t matter to me. “I don’t know if it’s the right idea. We knew about the helicopter but not who. God—that’s—that’s unbelievable.”
She gives me a worried glance. “Do you think Lorcan has anything to do with it? He’s on this mission to find out who murdered their father.”
“He wants closure.” I cross to the window at the rear of the room and stare at the edge of the field. “I can understand that.” More than most, I get it.
There’s a heavy silence in the room, and I face Carys. There’s a glimmer of indecision in her eyes. She’s holding back. “What else?”
Her hand slides an invisible strand of hair into her intricate braid. “If I tell you something, can you keep them from going to war?”
I go still and stare at her. There’s only one thing she can be talking about right now. “He did it?” The words barely make it past my lips.
“The night we slept together, we were talking, and he didn’t come out and say he did it. He didn’t admit it. Not completely.” She’s rambling which is unlike her. “He said he never realized how angry Lorcan would be over their father’s death. And the way he said it… the context…”
“Made you think he miscalculated his plan.”
“I didn’t ask. I couldn’t ask. For me, being around Finn—it’s like an inferno. He sucks out the oxygen in the room. I can’t be pulled back in.”
For the first time in my life, I understand what she means. Lorcan is a version of that for me. What he said about destiny echoes through my brain. Whether I want it to be true or not, it feels as though I was fated to meet him, like my life was leading me to him. It doesn’t make any sense, but from the moment he showed up at the benefit, he’s been my home, a home I didn’t even realize I wanted.
“You can’t tell Lorcan.”
“I don’t have any proof anyway.” I press my fingers into my coat pockets. “What he said to you isn’t enough.”
Her shoulders relax. “You’ll help me keep them together.”
“You know me.” I give her a reassuring smile. “I’ll do whatever needs to be done.”
She takes a deep breath and releases it. “If it looks as though Finn’s in trouble…” Closing her eyes, she sighs. “I want to be told, okay? Even if I don’t do anything, I want to know. Can you do that for me?”
“Of course.”
Eliminating the distance between us, Carys draws me into a hug. “Coming to you was the right thing to do. I knew you’d help me figure it out.”
I squeeze her tighter, even as I consider when and how to tell Lorcan what Carys revealed. It doesn’t matter if Finn admitted it. What’s she’s told me is enough to sink him. Lorcan already suspects him, and once I tell him what Carys said, her instinct will be a deadweight, sinking Finn to the bottom of Lorcan’s affections.
First, I need answers about who murdered Chad and my father. If Lorcan had something to do with either murder, I’m not sure what I’ll do.