Page 61

Story: Duncan

Larkin huffed. She shot a glare at Mac and walked to the bar. Her bag landed with a heavy thump as she sat on the stool. Her crossed arms signaled her displeasure, and I shook my head.

God save us from irritated women.

“How do you know Kelley is still alive?”

“’Cause I heard Ty talkin’ about him. The guy on the phone is setting him up in New Orleans. Something about the number of accidents that happen every year during Mardi Gras. With the number of people on the streets, it’s easy to create a fatal accident. He said even if people witness it happen, there’d be so many witness statements they would cancel each other out.”

Sal looked up at me and smiled. I rolled my eyes at him and groaned, “I guess we’re going to fuckin’ Mardi Gras.”

“We have less than a week to get everything set up,” Sal began. “Call Ronan and tell him to get us a place to stay. I want to be in the heart of the city. And we need tickets to the Comus Ball.”

“You should stay here.”

Sal looked at me from behind his desk. “Why?”

“Because Sean is right. Over a million people are in that city on any given day during this festival and fatal accidents are easy to pull off.”

“They haven’t gotten me yet.”

“Duncan’s right, boss. Tyran has it out for you. If he finds out we’re there, who knows what he’ll be capable of,” Mac said, backing me up.

“Tyran isn’t trying to kill me.”

“You don’t know that,” I argued.

“Neither do you,” he countered.

He was right. I didn’t know that for sure. But it was a pretty damn educated guess. Tyran had betrayed Sal. Been doing it for years. Now that we knew, what would stop him from taking him out?

“You need to stay here.”

“Fuck that. If Tyran is coming after me and you all are gone, I’m left wide open.”

“Then we have Oscar and McCoy back you up.”

Sal grinned, and I knew he set me up. “Then they can both come with us and back me up down there. I never get out of this fuckin’ city. I’m going to Mardi Gras.”

Mac chuckled behind me, and I glared at him over my shoulder. “Fuck off.” That only made him laugh harder.

Turning back to Sal, I said, “I promised Ronan I’d try to bring Liam.”

Sal stopped what he was doing and looked at me. “Why the fuck did you do that?”

“Ro wants to see him.”

“Yea, well, Liam doesn’t want to see him. He won’t go,” Sal said as he gathered up the papers he’d been looking through.

“He will if you order him to.”

“For fuck’s sake, Duncan. I don’t want to get in the middle of their family shit,” Sal whined as he leaned back in his chair, all concentration for what he was doing lost.

“You ain’t gotta get in the middle of anything. Just make him come with us. I said I would get him down there, didn’t say he had to see him.”

“Fine, you can share the good news.” Sal grinned.

I left his office and as I walked to mine, I sent Liam a text to come see me. He would be pissed when I gave him the order.

“You needed to see me, boss?”