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“Taking him to New Orleans might not be a good idea.”

“I’ll have Cian track her down. I swear, dealing with family shit is worse than the fuckin’ cops.”

“Speaking of...”

I glared at Callum, waiting for him to drop another goddamn bomb to blow up my life.

“Wilkinson’s in. I went over Kelley’s head and paid him off.”

Pointing my finger in his direction, I said, “That’s why you’re taking over!”

The corner of his mouth curved up. He didn’t take compliments well. It came from a lifetime of getting shit on by your father.

We locked up the office, and I met Mac outside. He was standing by the car talking to Niall. Lucan and Aran waited by Callum’s car. We said our goodbyes and drove back to Caity’s house.

Maddie let us in. Her eyes swollen and red rimmed.

“You ok, sweetheart?”

She took a deep breath, fortifying her resolve. “Yea.” That was all she offered. Her luggage sat together by the front door, and Mac picked them up and took them outside.

“Come ‘ere.” I pulled her into my arms and she cried. “You are one of the strongest women I know. The sacrifice you made wasn’t easy, but you did it for him.”

Pulling back, I looked into her eyes. “Your mom tell you about your new cousin?” She nodded and just looked at me. “My sister Darcy did the same thing you did. She wasn’t afraid of my dad, but she was terrified of your grandfather. She did the best thing she could to make sure her son was safe. It takes a strong woman to give up her own happiness for the sake of her child. Don’t ever forget that.”

“Thanks, Duncan.”

I gave her another strong hug and then moved further into the room. “Where’s Cian?” I asked, looking around.

“They’re in the kitchen arguing.” Maddie rolled her eyes.

I knew she saw what we all did, and I wondered how she would feel about Cian making a move once her father was gone.

“They should just do it and get it over with.”

Well, I guess that answered my question.

I chuckled at her words.

“He’s got too much respect for your mother to do that.”

She just smiled and walked toward the kitchen, making a bunch of noise as I followed behind her.

“You ready to go?” I asked, looking between Cian and Caity. The tension in the room was palpable. The two of them glared at each other.

“Where are we supposed to be staying? I am not living with my brother,” Caity said, her hands on her hips.

“Your father’s house is—”

“Absolutely not!”

With a heavy sigh, I looked up at the ceiling. “You can take that up with Sal when we get there.”

The boxes from Kelley’s home office were loaded in the truck with the boxes from his office in the city, and Mac climbed behind the wheel.

“Can I ride with Mac?” Maddie asked.

I looked over at Mac and he just shrugged. He wasn’t always easy to get along with, but we all had a soft spot for Maddie and spoiled her.