Chapter Nineteen
Cian
I rubbed my eyes as I stared at the screen. I’d been digging into this recorded file trying to find where it originated, while also digging into every man that was in Louisiana the night Kelley was killed.
For a third time.
There was nothing. Not even about McCoy.
Freyja was right. McCoy was standoffish, giving off a vibe that made you wonder if he could be trusted. But he’d never given us a reason not to trust him. And there was nothing in his background that even hinted that he wasn’t exactly who he said he was.
His parents were high school sweethearts, married right after college. His father was a soldier, and aside from never trying to move up, he was highly regarded.
What were we missing?
Who had made the recording from the warehouse and how did they know we would be there? I picked up my phone and dialed Ronan.
“Hey, boss, what can I do for you?”
“Caity received an audio recording from the night we found out Maddie was my daughter.” The other end of the line was quiet aside from shuffling feet, followed by the click of a door closing.
“How the fuck was there a recording?” Ronan asked.
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out. I dug into everyone that was there, and except for our guest, everyone is clean.”
“Shit.”
I sat up straighter at Ronan’s curse. “What?”
“Let me look into something and I’ll get back to you.”
“Ronan, what the fuck are thinking?” I snapped.
He let out a weary sigh and confessed, “About a month ago, we did a random search at the club during inventory. We found a bug. No idea how long it had been there.”
“When was the last time you searched?” I asked.
“A year ago,” he admitted. “The last time we did inventory.”
“Fuckin’ hell, Ro. You should do a search every few months at the very least. Preferably once a week.”
“I know. Time got away from us. Then you all came down and I hadn’t had the warehouse that long, and I never even thought about it.”
“Do it now. Every fuckin’ building you own.”
“I’ll start at warehouse and get back to you.” Ronan disconnected the call, and I cursed.
“What’s got you all worked up?”
I looked up at the doorway to my office and found Caity standing there in a dress that fell just above her knees. At fifty-one she was even sexier than she had been at twenty-one.
I leaned back in my chair and crooked my finger at her. She smiled and shut the door. I cleared my throat and glanced at the doorknob. Her eyes went wide and she shook her head.
“I am not locking this door,” she scoffed.
“Then you run the risk of someone walking in and seeing you sprawled out on my desk. And I would really hate to have to kill my best friends.”
She sat on my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck and whispered, “You won’t have to because we aren’t doing anything in your office. We aren’t teenagers who can’t control our hormones.”
“Speak for yourself,” I said as my lips found hers.
When I pulled back, I asked her, “What are you doing here? I told you to stay put.”
“I’m not locking myself away in your apartment.”
“I need you safe, Caity.”
“You think I don’t know you had someone following me?”
I dropped my eyes. “You weren’t supposed to see him.”
“I didn’t see him. But I know you,” she countered.
My phone rang and I looked at the name. Eyeing Caity as I answered, I said, “What?”
“Hey, boss. Um...” Aidan hesitated before telling me what I’d already guessed as soon as I saw his name. “She lost me.”
“What do you mean, she lost you?”
Aidan Sullivan was one of our best trackers. He was our go-to guy when we needed someone followed. He never lost anyone.
Caity began to fidget in my lap, and I tightened my grip on her hip, preventing her from getting up.
“She went to Quincy.”
I glared at the woman on my lap who refused to look me in the eye.
“She’s here at my office. Get your ass here and make sure she gets home safely.”
“Yes, boss.”
I threw my phone on the desk and scowled at Caity. “Where did you go?”
“It’s none of your business.”
“Caity,” I warned, but she didn’t heed that warning. She never fucking did.
She pinched my waist, causing me to cry out and drop my hand from her hip. She quickly stood up and moved out of reach.
“What I do with my time is my own.” She stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her. I called downstairs to make sure Caity didn’t leave until Aidan arrived. She’d be pissed when I got home, but I’d deal with it then.
“What’d you do to piss her off now?” Mac asked from the doorway.
“She lost Aidan,” I muttered.
Mac threw his head back and laughed. “How the fuck did she manage that?”
“She’s an O’Malley,” I deadpanned, causing Mac to laugh even louder.
“Come with me; you can work off some of that frustration.”
“Where are you going?” I asked, standing up from my desk.
“Need to go see a guy about a loan he hasn’t repaid.”
“Why are you doing it?” Despite my confusion, I followed Mac into the elevator.
“Because evidently, Aidan is busy.”
“I needed someone she wouldn’t notice.”
“How’d that work out for you?” Mac chuckled.
“She didn’t see him, asshole. She said she didn’t know who was watching her, only that she knew someone was.”
Mac shook his head and when the elevator doors opened, I left him behind. No, I didn’t know where we were going, but I knew he’d catch up.
I followed Mac down the street. The thing about Boston, it wasn’t a huge city despite the population. You could walk almost anywhere, and most times it was a way to get where you were going faster.
It was a smaller, cozier version of New York City. Cleaner too. No matter what time of year it was, the air was always fresh, without the not-so-subtle hint of rotting garbage.
The worst thing to assault your senses was the fish they brought in from the docks. But hey, it was fresh.
Mac reached for the door of Harry’s Deli just as my phone rang. I looked at the name and groaned, “What now?”
Mac shook his head with a laugh and mouthed, I’ll catch you later.
“She refused to go back to your apartment.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, and asked, “Where is she?”
“At the house.”
“Son of a bitch, this woman is trying to put me in an early fuckin’ grave. Don’t let her leave until I get there.”
I heard Aidan chuckle, and I growled. “I don’t think that will be an issue, boss.”
I hung up on Aidan and made my way to Caity’s house. By the time I got there, Aidan was sitting on the front step. I glared at him, and he smiled.
“She kicked me out.”
“And you listened?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Hell yes, I listened. The woman is fuckin’ mean. Eamon should have put her in charge. Sal’s a pussycat compared to his little sister.”
I shook my head at him and walked inside. Closing the door quietly, I looked around for Caity. When I didn’t find her in the kitchen, I moved down the hallway. The door to Eamon’s office was open, and she was inside cleaning up the files that had been thrown around the room.
I leaned against the doorway for a few moments, just watching her as she bent over to pick up the papers on the floor. She turned around just as I was adjusting my dick to a more comfortable position.
Her eyes widened briefly before narrowing, and then she glared at me. I expected her to yell, to cuss me out, or something. Instead, she ignored me and continued to put the office back in order.
“What are you doing, Caity?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?”
“It looks like you don’t know how to fuckin’ listen.”
She spun around; her lips pressed together as if she were trying not to lose her temper. But that was my goal. Ever since Liam had brought her to my apartment, she’d been subdued, quiet. Except when she let Sal have it.
“Go home, Cian.”
“Can’t do that.” I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest. “Can’t leave you here alone.”
“I’m not alone,” she snapped. “Aidan is outside.”
“Aidan has other things to do.”
She stopped what she was doing, her shoulders slumping and her head dropping back as she looked at the ceiling. She took a deep breath and then returned to what she was doing.
“I have been living in this house for the past six months. By myself for the last two after Maddie moved out. I am a grown woman, Cian. I can take care of myself.”
I pushed off the doorway and stomped across the room, grabbing her wrist and spinning her around.
“You aren’t living here anymore, Caity. You live with me in my apartment.”
“You think because you fucked me, I’m going to completely uproot my life for you? It didn’t happen the first time, Cian, and it won’t happen now.”
This fuckin’ woman.
“It is fuckin’ happening, Caity. I told you I wasn’t letting you go again.”
I slammed my lips on hers and held her against me.
She fought me for three seconds before her body melted against mine.
I walked her backward until her ass hit the desk, then I lifted her until she was perched on it.
Forcing her legs apart, I stepped in closer, letting her feel me against her pussy.
My hands held her head in place while I devoured her. She tore at the button on my jacket, then pulled my shirt out from where it was tucked in. Her fingers fumbled with my belt, while mine moved to her thighs, pushing her skirt up to her hips.
I tore her panties from her body and stuffed them in my pocket. My fingers returned to her body, sliding through her wet pussy.
“Tell me again, Caity, how this isn’t happening. Your body tells me the truth. You want me as much as I want you,” I hissed before shoving two fingers inside her. The sound of her moan, the feel of her hand as it wrapped around my hard length. Fucking hell, how was this better every time?
Was it experience? Was it time? Or was it because I knew she fucking loved me?
Whatever the hell it was, I was holding on to it.
“Tell me what you want, Caity,” I whispered, my mouth a fraction away from her ear.
“You, Cian. I want you.”
I pulled my fingers from their wet home and replaced her hand on my dick with mine. Lining the head of my cock up with her warm, wet center, I shoved inside her.
“Yessss,” she hissed, and I smiled at how easily she gave in to me. She was mine, and she knew it. With one hand on her hip, the other grasped her shoulder, holding her in place as I fucked her on her dead father’s desk.
“Come for me, Caity. Let me have it,” I ordered through gritted teeth. Every time I was inside this woman, it was a fight to hold back. “Let me have you, baby.”
I leaned down and took her mouth in a kiss so hot that it made the walls of her pussy start to flutter.
“That’s it, Caity,” I muttered against her mouth.
I reached my hand between us and strummed her clit. It was all she needed to go off like a rocket. The moment her pussy clamped down on me, I exploded inside her, painting her walls with my cum.
The euphoria didn’t last when her words from the other night came back to me and I remembered all the time we’d lost. The babies we’d never have.
I leaned over her, my face buried in her neck. “I love you, Caity.”