CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Balor
“ I ’m going to Dunbar Valley in a few of weeks to check on Cormac,” Lachlan says at the meeting in Kieran’s office the minute I walk in.
Late.
Did I mention I’m still irate over Griffin commandeering the helicopter to fly in a blizzard to lift me and Ella out of there like we were stuck in a war zone?
Messing up my chance to sleep with her again.
Either from what Lachlan just said, or me storming in, frustrated, the room filled with my brothers becomes deadly silent.
“Are you taking Darragh?” Riordan asks, watching me take a seat like he’s expecting an apology for cursing at him.
“He asked to come,” Lachlan says. “I warned him, I’ll be recruiting new guards and assassins while I’m there. It won’t be a glamorous trip. He still wants to make the journey.”
“Good,” Kieran agrees. “It will mean a lot to Cormac to see his twin. As the father of twins, I look at Cillian and Matteo and can’t imagine they’d ever go through what our brothers went through. What Darragh went through for Cormac.”
That kicks the emotions around the room until the door to the office opens and we all spin around.
“Hey, hey.” Shea peeks her head inside.
After smiling around the room, our sister’s eyes land on me with a slightly wider one. We’ve always been closest.
Lachlan jumps up and twirls her around like she’s five. With his six-six frame compared to her petite body, she might as well be .
“Am I interrupting anything?” Shea grins, knowing we’d stop anything for her.
“What do you need, love?” Kieran says.
“My guard isn’t working out,” she says, sounding frustrated.
“What do you mean, not working out?” Lachlan already sounds murderous. “Did he lay a hand on you?”
“No!” She slaps his arm. “He’s distracted lately. I think he’s having an issue with his wife. Look, don’t kill him, okay? Just assign him somewhere else.”
As if we’d trust a distracted guard with marital problems to protect anyone in the family. I doubt Lachlan, who manages all the guards, will kill Soren, but he’ll spend some time at the black site being reminded of his life-long oath to protect us and keep our secrets.
“Take Trace,” I offer.
“No.” She noticeably stiffens. “When you sent him to back up my guard for the big party I hosted last summer, he...”
“He did what , Shea?” Lachlan tilts his head. “I was there. With Katya. You didn’t say anything.”
“Because I’m a big girl and I don’t need a guard,” Shea argues, eyes narrowed at Lachlan. “No one bothers me in East Hampton.”
“You will have a guard, love.” Kieran stands to his menacing full height and gets serious with her. “Either that or your ass moves home to Astoria. They plan parties around here, too. If you’re going to live seventy fucking miles away from me—”
“Fine.” Shea backs down immediately.
Kieran rarely uses that tone with her. But it’s because he loves her. We all do.
We take a break and after each brother hugs and kisses our only sister, I hang back, her eyes finding mine in between the doses of adoration .
My brothers exit the room, leaving my sister and I alone. The meeting came to a halt when she arrived. We don’t talk business around Shea.
When we’re alone, she says, “Are you coming to the gala?”
“Aye.”
“Bringing a date?” she asks with her arms crossed.
My throat goes tight. “Um.”
She knows...
“Really, you’re not bringing this delightful bowl of sunshine?” She holds up her phone and shows me a photo of Ella with her stylist Erin.
“I haven’t asked her.”
“And she’s shopping with your credit card?” Shea adds.
My phone rings, and I don’t recognize the number. Setting my phone to ghost mode, I answer it. “Alo? Who is this?”
“B. O’Rourke?” A man says, using the name on the credit card I gave Ella.
This should be good.
“Aye. I mean yes.” I answer all kinds of security information when I assess this call is legit. “How much? Six hundred and twenty thousand?”
Shea gasps, reminding me she’s standing there.
The man on the phone mentions a few line items over one hundred grand classified: Jewelry.
I think this has to be some kind of joke. Or mistake. I can go into my account and reverse the charge. When I see Ella, I’ll find out what she bought. She may not even know she’s been charged this much.
“Sir?”
“Aye, that’s my assistant who’s mad at me. Put the charges through.”
“Assistant?” Shea asks, watching me put my phone away, ignoring the sweat on my brow.
I have the money, but Eoghan pays our bills. I’ll hear it from him.
“Aye, she’s my assistant. She had an issue with her ex. Left all her clothes at his place and didn’t want to go back to get them.”
“Why aren’t you going to get her things?” Shea asks, the enormous sum Ella spent forgotten.
“You know me well.” I stroke my forehead. “He’s a cop. That’s a delicate hornet’s nest to shoot at.”
Shea nods, understanding.
“Have anything else you want to tell me about her?” She sounds concerned. “You just spent close to three quarters of a million dollars on her.”
I tell my sister everything. Usually.
“There’s a lot to tell, and I don’t know where to begin.” I sit down, the seriousness of the situation hitting me.
Feelings I am struggling to both deny and push away.
She looks down at her phone. “Do you like this woman?”
“Aye. I do. That’s the problem.”
“And she’s not a...” Shea’s the only one of my siblings who knows I only sleep with escorts.
That shopping spree would make perfect sense to her.
“No,” I answer.
She exhales. “Thank goodness that phase of your life is over.”
“I’m figuring it all out,” I say, so she doesn’t worry about me.
Christ, I do the same thing that I pushed Ella to stop doing just a few hours ago. We’re made for each other, all right.
Nodding, Shea looks around the empty office.
“Any word on Cormac?” she asks, sadness in her voice.
“Lachlan’s going to see him in a few weeks. ”
“Really?” Shea lights up. “Do you think he’ll let me go with him?”
“To an Irish torture camp? Are you out of your mind?” I say, seeing red.
“With Lachlan ,” she annunciates his name. “I’ll be fine. I’m going to ask him right now.”
I watch her bounce away, defiant and feisty.
Oh, Trace Quinlan is going to have his hands full with her...