Chapter 2
Brody
Ignoring the heated glare the shop owner sent him from behind the counter, he watched Goldie—aka Marigold Jane Quinn—sweep down the street toward her apartment building.
She only lived a couple blocks from the bookstore, which made it entirely plausible that she had just wandered in, completely by coincidence.
He didn’t believe in coincidences.
And he especially didn’t believe in coincidences with big whiskey-gold eyes and a proven penchant for mischief.
When she was finally out of sight, he made his way back over to the coffee shop, where Killian was just rising from his table to shake hands with Beckett Stone, his financial advisor.
“Thanks again for meeting me on such short notice, Beckett. Perhaps I’m jumping the gun a bit, but I figured it’s never too early to start worrying about your child’s future. ”
The other man smiled, though it was slightly strained at the edges. Beckett and Killian had the kind of friendship where Beckett had found himself trapped in Killian’s orbit and he still wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.
Brody had a feeling his cousin preferred it that way.
“Of course,” Beckett said, his voice a bit warmer at least than his smile. Both warmed even more, however, when a pretty redhead bounced over and snuggled up under his arm. “Hey there, Ruby Red. You ready to go?”
The look she sent him was so dramatically exaggerated, Brody nearly forgot he was supposed to be playing Killian’s muscle and he had to swallow a laugh at the last second.
“Yes, and you better get me out of here quick because two people have already called out today and Jay has been staring at me like a dog with his eye on a particularly juicy bone.”
Chuckling, Beckett pressed a kiss to the top of his babygirl’s head. “Well, Jay is destined for disappointment. Because my Ruby Red knows better than to work a double when she has a paper due that she’s been putting off writing for a week already.”
Nose crinkling, Ruby let out a noise of disgust. “Don’t remind me.”
“Unfortunately for you, it’s my job to remind you. Say goodbye to Killian and we’ll head home so we can both get some work done.”
Despite her heavy sigh, amusement danced in the pretty barista’s eyes. “Bye, Killian! It was nice to see you again. You should have more of your business meetings here.”
It was all Brody could do not to let loose the laughter bubbling in his chest at Beckett’s stricken expression.
The poor guy wouldn’t know what to do with himself if Killian decided to take Ruby’s suggestion to heart.
Brody had done enough digging into Beckett Stone’s personal life to know he was something of a worrywart already, and having a mob boss hanging around his fiancée’s workplace on a regular basis was likely to push him over the edge.
Obviously taking pity on his friend, Killian smiled and leaned in to brush a kiss over Ruby’s cheek. “You’re very sweet, Ruby, but I think Beckett here might have an actual coronary if I brought my… business within fifty feet of you.”
Rolling her eyes, Ruby waved a hand, batting away his arguments. “Please, we all know Beckett is a big worrywart. Just ignore him.”
“Change of plans,” Beckett muttered darkly. “We’re going home so I can paddle your ass and then we can get some work done.”
If Ruby was at all intimidated by the threat, it didn’t show. She simply tossed her head back and laughed, long and loud. After another round of goodbyes, Beckett led his still giggling babygirl from the coffee shop.
Alone now, Killian shifted his attention to Brody, one dark brow raising in question. “Where did you disappear to?”
There was, Brody had learned over the years, little use in trying to lie to his cousin. As the head of their family, both personally and in business, Killian O’Rourke was better than any lie detector when it came to ferreting out untruths.
“Goldie was sniffing around again.”
Killian’s other brow rose to join its twin. “The author you cornered after our wedding? The one Aria’s become obsessed with?”
Brody let out a grunt of annoyed confirmation. “Yeah. She lives over in Aria’s old building, so it’s possible she was just out for a walk. But other than her daily trip to Rev and Roll, she usually doesn’t leave her apartment until the evening. So it could just be a coincidence, but…”
“There are no coincidences.” Curiosity filled his cousin’s emerald eyes. “You’re very familiar with her comings and goings.”
“Best defense is a good offense. If I know where she is, or at least where she’s meant to be, I can be fairly certain she’s not making a menace of herself.
” Well, he could at least make sure she wasn’t being a menace to the family.
Her blood sugar, on the other hand, was being terrorized on a daily basis from what he’d observed.
Lips twitching, Killian tilted his head ever so slightly to the side, his gaze locked on Brody’s. “Is she, then? A menace?”
“Yes.” A menace. A pain his fucking ass. An itch in his palm.
“I see.” And judging by the amusement in Killian’s tone, he saw far more than Brody wanted him to, as usual.
“Well, don’t let Aria know where she lives.
If she finds out she unwittingly shared the same living space as her new favorite author, she’ll never forgive me for making her sublet her apartment. ”
“Noted, boss.”
Scooping up the box of muffins Beckett had brought for Aria—the ones she’d dubbed ‘magic muffins’ as they were one of the few foods she’d reliably been able to keep down during her pregnancy—Killian headed for the front door of the cafe.
Their car was already waiting for them at the curb, completely ignoring the signs warning drivers not to park there, and Brody scanned their surroundings as their driver opened the back door for them to slide in.
Grief, still fresh and new after only a month, stabbed at him as he nodded to the too young, too eager driver. The loss of their cousin Sean still weighed heavy on his heart, as he knew it did for Killian as well.
Just one more reason for them to follow the plan they’d been meticulously executing for the past decade and get the fuck out of ‘the family business’ while they still had a family to protect.
Maybe once they were free and things settled down, he’d see about making a play for the bratty little author with curious eyes. But until then, he needed to keep her as far away from his family and their business dealings as possible.
Goldie
Stalking was hard work.
It had been easier the day of Killian and Aria’s wedding.
Then, she’d known exactly where their family would be because she’d carefully monitored not just Aria’s socials but her friends as well.
And while the O’Rourkes kept a very minimal online presence, the same couldn’t be said for Charlotte Elliott, Aria’s stepmother.
Aria’s very young stepmother, Goldie couldn’t help but notice when she’d seen the pictures. And a quick peek at Lottie’s—as her friends called her, also according to social media—details revealed she was, indeed, only a couple years older than Aria.
The author side of her wanted to know more. How had Lottie and Braden met? What obstacles had they faced? Did they get judged for their obvious age gap? How did Aria feel about her dad marrying someone her own age?
On the flip side, the woman in her wanted to get to know Lottie herself.
Being an author was often a solitary existence, and while she had plenty of author friends, they were all scattered around the country and she only got to see them a few times a year at events and such.
And Lottie just seemed… fun. The kind of friend you could really let loose with, and she wouldn’t judge you in the least for being too loud or too weird or too much.
Maybe you should be stalking her instead.
The thought teased a snort of laughter from her as Goldie scrolled Lottie’s socials, desperate for some hint of where she might find any of the O’Rourkes tonight. It didn’t have to be Brody, since her entire reason for stalking them had originally been to gain some extra realism for her books.
But if it was Brody, and he caught her again, well…
What was better for realism than being caught red-handed by the second in command of the Irish mafia?
Right. That’s the only reason you’re hoping he catches you. It has nothing to do with the workout you gave your toy box after he threatened you.
That inner voice was really starting to get on her nerves.
She was just about to give up for the third day in a row when a notification popped up on her phone.
Excitement buzzed along her veins when she opened the notification and saw the ‘long-distance listening device’ she’d ordered the day Brody had cornered her in the bookstore had just been delivered to her mailbox downstairs.
Perfect.
Grabbing her purse and the notebook she’d gone back to the bookstore to purchase after her run in with Brody, she headed for the elevator bank down the hall. It was all she could do not to physically dance in place while she waited for the doors to open.
But when they did, she nearly balked at the sight of her very hot, very buff neighbor from two floors up standing in the otherwise empty cab.
While Dominic Hale wasn’t a cop himself, his dad was not only retired from the force, he was still good friends with Goldie’s father.
If Dom ever got any inkling of what she was up to, no doubt he’d go straight to Sergeant Quinn and tell him exactly what his daughter was doing with her free time.
Unfortunately for her, Dom was as friendly as he was hot. His entire face lit up at the sight of her and she bit back a sigh at the thought of making small talk while she was mentally planning her stakeout of the Irish Mob. “Hey, Marigold. Long time, no see.”
“Uh, yeah. Been working a lot.”
Okay, just be cool. Don’t give him any reason to suspect you’re up to something.
With that internal monologue playing in a loop in her mind, she stepped onto the elevator. “No Noelle tonight?”
As it always did, Dom’s smile widened considerably at the mention of his adorable wife.
“About to go pick her up, actually. It’s girls’ night, so she and her friends from Lost River are all out having drinks together.
I usually volunteer to be their designated driver and bring them back to our place for a sleepover so they can let loose a bit. ”
“That’s really sweet of you. Especially with that many people crammed into your apartment,” she added with a laugh.
“Nah.” Dom lifted a shoulder in a nonchalant shrug, his grin never faltering.
“We’ve got the two bedrooms so there’s plenty of room.
And they don’t seem to mind snuggling each other all night, so they all just kinda pile into the extra bed and sleep on top of each other.
Even Noelle, who can barely stand to have me ‘smothering’ her in bed as she says, climbs in with them more often than not. ”
A familiar pang of loneliness hit her square in the chest. “Sounds fun.”
“They seem to enjoy it.” The elevator stopped with a ding, and as was his way, Dom held the door open for her. “Where are you headed so late?”
“Just grabbing a package from the mailroom.”
“Oh.” A frown tugged at his lips. “Is it big? Do you need some help?”
That was the absolute last thing she needed. Dom was almost as curious as she was, and the idea of coming up with a convenient lie when he inevitably asked what was in the package had her palms going slick with sweat.
Praying her smile didn’t look as forced as it felt, she waved him off. “Nah, it’s a small thing. You go fetch your wife and tell Noelle I said hey.”
“I will.” His expression shifted back to a smile, though this time there was a hint of mischief to it. “But she will have my ass if I tell her I ran into you without asking when your next book is coming out.”
“About a month. But it’s already been through edits so I could send her over an advanced reader copy if you’d like.”
“Yeah?” Once again his face lit with that boyish enthusiasm she associated with him. “She’d love that. Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it, I’m happy to do it.”
They said their goodbyes and she pulled her phone from her pocket to make a note for herself to send the book to Noelle before she forgot, then headed for the mailroom.
The excitement that had faded somewhat during her conversations with Dom came rushing back with a vengeance when she found the box that had been left for her.
It was time for her very first stakeout. But first, she needed snacks.