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“And using nothing is?”

I laughed at the skepticism in his voice. “Yes, when done correctly, it is more effective than artificial birth control. The human body is a miraculous thing. If we nourish it and care for it, it will serve us well. Besides, I’m pretty sure Lucille will tell me when the time is right.”

I felt his body shake with his laughter.

That was the end of the conversation. I couldn’t garner the courage to ask the question I needed to. I was too afraid what his answer might be. Instead, we snuggled together until we both fell asleep.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Duncan

The next morning, we woke to banging on my front door. I reached for my phone to check the time and it wasn’t on the table next to the bed.

Shit!

I’d left it on the mantle downstairs when I dragged Freyja to my bed. Which meant it was probably dead by now.

Hence the banging on the front door.

“Send her away!”

I looked at Freyja. The voice was audible, and I wondered if she’d heard it. This wasn’t the first time I had heard it. Something lingered from the air in New Orleans. But the voice could fuck off. I wasn’t sending her away. I could keep her safe.

“Go, Duncan. I’ll be down in the minute.”

Slipping into a pair of pants, I took my time down the stairs, yelling at whoever was on the other side.

“Calm the fuck down!”

My niece Colleen stood on the other side with Sal, Mac, and Cian.

“What happened?”

“Why didn’t you answer your fuckin’ phone?” Sal growled as he pushed his way inside.

Freyja was just coming down the stairs, and when she saw Colleen, she picked up her pace.

“Are you ok?” she asked, and at that moment, I was done. This woman had no idea who this girl was, yet she immediately went to her wanting to help.

Colleen shook her head, and Freyja gathered her up. “Come on, I’ll make some coffee.” We followed the two women to the kitchen, and Freyja sat Colleen at the bar, then started digging through cabinets looking for supplies.

“Mo bandia, I’ll get it.”

“No, Duncan. Talk to the girl. She looks terrified. I’ll figure it out.”

I kissed the top of her head and whispered, “Thank you.” I led her to the cabinet with coffee cups, then pointed to where the coffee was stored.

“What happened, Lollipop?”

“Someone tried to break in last night.”

“What? Who?” I looked to Sal for an explanation.

“Colleen tried calling you, and when she couldn’t reach you, she called Mac. He got there and chased after the fucker.

“I’m so sorry, Lollipop. I forgot to plug in my phone.” I pulled my niece into my arms and hugged her tight. “Do we have any idea who it was? Tell me it wasn’t that fuckin’ O’Leary kid.”

“No, Ducky. He moved on. I told you it wasn’t a big deal.”