Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
I rish Fun
Ronan
“You’re quite the ladies’ man,” Dean says as we walk hand in hand.
I shrug. “I’m a friendly guy; most want to know me, but don’t. I have friends here and there.”
“No commitments?”
“Not really. Business keeps me on the move. I’m never in one place for long. How about ya? Are ya single because ya don’t want the commitment?”
“It’s the same. I’m always busy with work. It’s hard to find a partner who will understand all that.”
“Ach, and then ya have me. The eejit who can’t pull off a romantic date to save his life.”
She laughs and wraps around my arm. I look down at her and smile. She’s taken the entire day well. This date has turned into a disaster.
“It hasn’t been that bad. Besides, we’ve had plenty of successful dates.”
I groan and shake my head. This one was supposed to be different. I planned to call her by her real name before the end of the night.
However, after all that’s happened, I’m taking it as a sign that this might not be a great idea. This day has been one big omen that this relationship is doomed before it even gets started.
Seeing the fear in Dean’s eyes when we were at Carrick-a-Rede made me second-guess what I believed to be true. Could a ruthless killer have such a fear? She looked like she had seen a ghost when she thought we were going to cross the bridge.
I wanted nothing more than to lift her in my arms and carry her across to show her she had nothing to fear.
I doubt they would have allowed it, but in that moment, it did cross my mind. I had thought it would be a great date. The view is spectacular. It happened to be a nice day for it too.
From there, we took the short trip to Dunluce Castle. Unfortunately, there were a bunch of tourists in, looking to have a look at the castle from GOT , both Dean and I lost interest in spending much time there.
I had planned to have dinner in Belfast and then go for drinks before heading to our room I booked for the night. The restaurant had a kitchen fire and some langered jerks had a brawl at the pub I usual go to—getting the place shut down for the night.
I’ll have to call in some favors for Jimmy. Fights happen all the time. I don’t know why they chose tonight to shut the place down. Jimmy runs the place by the book.
“That bar seemed cool, and your friend looked so happy to see you before all that shit broke out. People seem to know and love you wherever you go,” Dean says as we walk the street in no hurry to get anywhere.
I don’t tell her it’s because of my family. If you live in any part of Nor Iron, you know the McGowans and you know me and my brothers. Ladies know us and men want to be us.
Instead of telling her the truth of who I am, I go with talking about Jimmy and the pub. “It’s a grand place and Jimmy is one of the best of them. I wish ya got to have more of an experience.”
“Maybe another time.”
“Aye, next time.”
Again, I wonder to myself if I should be trying to make more of this. I’m never indecisive, so this whole thing makes me more hesitant. Anything I can’t be sure of, I tend to stay away from.
However, I can’t deny this pull I feel. It’s more than her beauty. Dean feels like a kindred spirit I need to be near.
“Yeah, okay,” she says softly and places her hands in her pockets as she drops her head.
I begin to berate myself. Like the eejit I am, I’m allowing my thoughts and feelings to show. My past is telling me this isn’t what I want but at the same time, it’s telling me she’s exactly what I want, but that’s only if she’s who her books say she is.
All this talk of settling in the States once and for all has boggled me brain. I think I read too much into that meeting with Hughes. Dean isn’t the hardened, part-time crime boss I’ve made her out to be in my head.
That was me wanting to have hope. I lost Sasha because of this world. I guess somehow, I hoped Dean was stronger, different. I can’t bring another civilian into this.
“Shit,” Dean bites out as her phone rings and she pulls it from her pocket and looks at the screen. A hardened look comes to her face that makes me pause. “I need to take this, you mind?”
“Not at all, do what ya need to do, love.”
She nods and walks a few steps away from me as she answers the call. I tilt my head to the side as I watch her this time. She speaks quietly into the phone, but it’s her cold expression that holds my attention.
As I study her, my own mobile rings. I pull the device out and see it’s New York calling. I knit my brows. This is one too many calls from the States.
“Oisín, bout ye?”
“Wish I could say I’m grand. Our shipment was hit en route to the docks.”
“What do ya know so far?”
“It was right outside of the airstrip. If not for our friends, it would have been lost. I’m only calling because you’ll probably hear it from them, and I thought ya should know what’s going on.
“Brooklyn had a similar issue not too long ago. I think this has something to do with our boy coming home.”
“Aye, I’m sure it does. I’ll put in some calls, see what the others know and then I’ll get back to ya. Hold tight.”
“Aye, whatever ya need, boss.”
I notice Dean has ended her call and placed another, but she still has that dark look on her face. I need to make one more call before I can focus on her. Not thinking of the time difference, I pull up LaSalle’s number and dial him.
“Ronan, what can I do for you?”
“It’s getting a bit noisy in your city for me. You know anything about that?”
“I do, actually. You’re the third call I’ve received. I just hung up with Givens. He had Freddie’s replacement on the other end.”
“Male or female?” I ask before I can think to stop myself.
“I’m assuming it’s a male. He didn’t say much. Givens did all the talking. He only made sure I was aware the fourth was on the line.”
“Aye, okay. Do ya know where this is coming from?”
“I’m looking into some things. I’ll have answers by morning. Brooklyn plans to handle it once we know for sure.”
“No, that won’t be necessary. My presence needs to be felt if I’m going to be calling New York my home.”
“I hear you. I’ll get you names as soon as I have them.”
“Anything on that favor me nephew Brax needs? The lad is getting impatient. He’s going to make a move if I don’t open that window for him.”
“I’ll have an answer for you soon. It looks like they’re willing to sacrifice him. One too many mistakes on top of the fact that your guy is sitting right in his face, telling us their every move. As long as they don’t figure out your guy is the reason we have them by the balls, they’ll toss him to us without a problem.”
“Aye, good to hear.”
Braxton reminds me a lot of myself when I was his age. When he came to me about Ernest Kline, I wanted to kill the motherfucker myself, but I understand Brax needs to do this one for himself, or should I say for Heather.
He can fool everyone else, but I know Brax is in love with that pretty bird. My sister loves her like her own daughter. I’m going to get Brax his justice one way or another.
“You need anything else?” LaSalle asks.
“I want to sit down with this new horseman. Ya make that happen, lad.”
“I’m already on it. There seems to be some reluctance on their end. I will need to know them before the sit-down when Logan is released.”
“Aye, call me when ya have the meet set.”
Hanging up without another word, I turn to Dean and find her texting furiously on her phone. I saunter over to her and place my hand on the small of her back. She steps away slightly and tucks the phone away.
“I have a headache. Do you mind if we head back?”
“It’s a long drive. I had planned to head back in the morning.”
“I need to go back now,” she says firmly.
Now I know what my men feel like when I bark orders at them. In this moment, I see more of Demarco than my sweet, witty Dean. I might not be projecting at all.
“I’m sorry. I just have a deal back home that needs my attention. I’ve been under a ton of pressure with getting out of my contract with my publisher so I can sue them, and another deal went south. I need to take care of this one before I have to end my trip to head back home.”
“No need to explain, love. I’ll take ya back.”
“Thanks.” She lifts onto her toes to peck my cheek. “I had a good time.”
For now, I’ll hold my questions in. She doesn’t need to know what I know. If she was on the other end of LaSalle’s call, I will know soon enough.