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“Anything come up while I was gone?”
“Still don’t understand exactly what happened. Finn is holding steady at the hospital. Ian is off running down a lead. I’ve been here. Where were you?”
“Checking into what kind of helicopter could have landed, who might own one, and so forth. Nothing dangerous, don’t worry.”
Sean snorts. “I’m not worried. You’re cold as ice under pressure, but I don’t like lying to Lorcan when he calls in. Next time, take a guy with you or tell someone what you’re doing.”
“It’s been a bit hectic since last night.”
“No shit.” Sean stops at the juncture between Lorcan’s wing and Finn’s.
“I’m going to Lorcan’s office to take care of a few things. Come get me if anything changes.” I’m headed down the hall when Sean’s phrasing twigs with me. “He called you?”
“Yeah, maybe an hour ago? He’s on his way here. Should be home in the morning.”
“Did he say where he’d been?”
“Chasing a lead. Like you, he doesn’t tell me much.”
I give a curt nod and head down the hallway to Lorcan’s office door. For a minute, I replay the numbers I memorized. Am I doing this? Before I can second-guess myself again, I punch in the code and enter the office.
The distinctive scent of Lorcan, a mix of tangy cologne and sweat hits my senses. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, letting myself soak it in for a moment. Snapping my eyes open, I force myself into agent mode. Even if I’m not intent on turning him in, I need to know if he had a role in the deaths of Chad or my father.
For months, I’ve been eyeing a series of filing cabinets behind Lorcan’s desk on the right, pushed up against the wall. Derry’s comment about a paper trail sinking the relationship between the O’Malleys and the Donagheys plays in my head. Would there be something on paper for either murder? Seems unlikely, but other than outright asking Finn or Lorcan, I’m not sure how else to get the information.
Opening a filing cabinet, I see it’s coded according to business deals. I understand Lorcan’s short forms for the various different operations, and if I was still looking to dismantle his organization, this would be a gold mine. There are more pressing things to have answered now. Once I’ve checked the drawers in that one, I move to the next one.
This cabinet is in alphabetical order. I scan through the Ls for Lee. Ho-Jun or Chad would be listed under that name. There’s nothing. Almost afraid to look, I let my fingertips dance to the Hs. Henhawk, Axel. My breath catches in my throat at his name. My father.
My hand covers the folder, and I stare at the gray wall for a moment before pulling it out. Whatever is in here could change everything. Sinking into Lorcan’s desk chair, I set the file on the desk’s wooden surface, leaving it closed. I lock my hands together and then unlock them, squeezing my fingers. With a deep breath, I flip open the first section. The file is full of photos of my father, my mother, and a single photo of ten-year-old Kimi. I was fifteen when my father died, not ten. For some reason, Lorcan’s family was watching mine for a while.
As I flip through the photos, it’s clear they checked in with us once or twice a year. It’s unreal there are photos of me up to the age of fifteen in this file and neither brother realized it. At thirty, I haven’t changed enough for these photos to be unrecognizable.
I keep flipping, hoping I’ll come to information other than surveillance photos. There, on the back, is a handwritten note. I don’t recognize the scrawl, so it’s not from Finn or Lorcan. It lays out my father’s efforts to learn Irish and their suspicions he was trying to gather intelligence on them even as they gathered it on him.
Bile rises in my throat. My father knew the Donagheys were involved in Chad’s death, and he was seeking his own brand of vigilante justice. Did my mother know? Did she support this foolishness? A lone man, unconnected, unprotected, after a Mafia organization. It’s almost laughable.
Except it got him killed. So he must have been on to something they didn’t want uncovered.
The final note is the recommendation.Elimination.
My heart thuds in my chest at that word. Underneath it is an amendment.As per family policy, eliminating the daughter and wife is also recommended.
A shiver runs through me, and goose bumps spring up across my arms. Tucking my hair behind my ears, I read it again.
I’m not dead, and neither is my mother, so what happened?
Chapter Thirty-Six
Ithrash around all night, my brain unable to process I should have died along with my father and brother. How was I spared? Why?
When I manage to quiet those thoughts, my mind strays to Lorcan. Is he home yet? Will he come see me? What am I doing with him?
Fed up, I throw off the covers to take a hot shower. More exhausted than I’ve been in years, I get dressed and head for Lorcan’s rooms. On the way past his office, light shines under the door. For a minute, I wonder if I left it on. But I was careful about replacing everything as I found it.
After only a moment of hesitation, I punch in the code Lorcan gave me. The light flashes red and beeps. Frowning, I raise my hand to input the code again when the door buzzes open.
He’s home. He already changed the code. I guess that answers how much he trusts me. Disappointment lodges in my throat as I walk into the room. Behind his desk, he sits with a glass of whiskey halfway to his lips.