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Win him over? It was Finn who offended Lorcan and his mother on her deathbed. That’s a powerful sway if Lorcan felt he needed to make amends. It makes no sense to me. Of course, Finn’s idea of winning over Lorcan involves manipulation and underhanded tactics like today’s shootout. The situation is volatile.
I follow Lorcan to the chairs and take the one beside him. When I lower into the seat, our arms brush. The brief contact warms my arm, causing a spike of yearning in me. I stare into my drink, willing my body to sort itself out.
“You’re not going to ask me about it?”
When I look up, his eyes are glassy from too much alcohol but also sincere. “Do you want to tell me?”
He frowns and turns his face away. With his glass to his lips, he takes a gulp of his drink. “Guy was a mechanic at a garage. He was working under a car after hours. I slipped in.” He leans back in his chair. “Music was blaring. I disabled the jack keeping the car up.” With one last swallow, he finishes his drink. “Crushed him like an ant.”
The revelation should shock me, but I’ve seen all kinds. Something like that is nothing, a drop in the bucket. “Was that the first time you saw someone die?” I use a finger to circle the rim of my glass.
“’Twas the first time I was responsible for a death. Not the first time I watched someone die.”
Of course. His mother.
“And you?” He raises his eyebrows.
There’s a lie on the tip of my tongue. It’s a familiar one, but there’s something about him. The softness of his voice, the way he can’t quite meet my eyes makes me want to be real in this moment. “I was ten. Drive-by shooting. I held him in my arms as he died.”
“Ten.” Lorcan’s fingers skim my cheek. “A wee babe.”
I ease my face into the palm of his hand like a cat arching its back for more contact.
“Did you know him?”
“Yes.” Such a simple admission. It’s the biggest truth I’ve given anyone in ages. My heart aches to saymy brother,but I can’t. It would blow my cover story.
But he doesn’t ask. Instead, he rubs my cheek with his thumb. “I’d take that memory from you if I could. ’Cause there aren’t any words that’ll make that easier to bear.”
A heavy silence sits between us as he tucks a few stray strands of my hair behind my ears.
“Are you going to Ireland?” My voice is too loud in the stillness of the room.
“No.” With one last, searching glance, he goes to the kitchen to pour himself another drink. “Linking up with the Byrne brothers is only useful if Finn and I keep the organization together. We split, and that venture becomes a nightmare.”
Finn’s earlier request comes back. Do I tell Lorcan about the Zhangs trying to kill me and Antonio? My objective is to avoid a war. Malik would be penned in on the wrong side. No, no, I’m not saying anything tonight. I need a plan first.
“I should get to bed.” I empty my drink and head for the door. “I can let myself out.” This closeness we’ve developed in here needs to end. Outside this room, it’s okay, it’s needed. In here, it’s dangerous.
“Kim.” Lorcan follows me.
I keep my back to him. His familiar scent hits my nose before he gets close enough to touch. “Do you need to put in a code for me to get out of here?”
“What’s the rush?” He ambles up behind me. His newly poured whiskey is cupped in his hand as he leans his shoulder against the wall.
“I’m tired.” To make a point, I glance at the digital clock near his bed. “It’s two o’clock in the morning.”
He comes closer, and his body fills the narrow entrance to his bedroom. He leans across me to punch in the code, and then his hand drops to the door handle instead. “You don’t need a code to get out.” His breath stirs my hair, his lips close to my temple.
“The other night—”
“I was stalling.”
When I glance at him, our faces are mere inches apart. “Why would you do that?” One side of his lips quirk up, and I long to brush the pad of my thumb over his dimple.
“Sometimes I enjoy the company of a smart, tough woman.”
“Is this part of us becoming good mates?”