Page 43 of Accepted Precedent (Love & Politics #3)

Andrew

W ith Evie and Mick at their ultrasound appointment, I busy myself with catching up on emails and preparing for meetings next week—anything to avoid seeing Kristin. I can’t hide in my office forever, but I need an afternoon when I’m not fantasizing about my best friend’s sister.

I’m wrapping up my notes on a proposed bill we’re hoping to pass next session when my office phone rings, startling me. I hesitantly answer, “Hello?”

“Finally!” At the sound of Kristin’s voice, my heart stops. “Why the hell aren’t you picking up your phone?”

“My…” I reach into my back pocket and retrieve it. “Fuck. I must’ve forgotten to charge it last night.”

“There’s a situation, and we need you at Finn’s right fucking now. Someone tried to have Evie go with them while we were having lunch. Then she saw them again at her doctor’s appointment.”

“Are you serious? Where’s Mickey?”

“Finn says he’s going to do some vigilante shit, but no one can reach him. I tried to check his location but he must’ve turned off his phone.” She says something muffled away from the receiver. “No, I’m not telling him that.”

“Telling me what?”

Kristin groans, then replies, “Evelyn’s priorities are all fucked up. She’s requested that you bring her sourdough starter with you.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? Someone is basically stalking her and she wants me to bring her stuff to make bread?”

“Please bring Cin-dough-rella, Andy,” Evie shouts loud enough that I have to hold the phone away from my ear.

“Fine,” I groan, and close up my laptop. “This is fucking ridiculous. Anything else?”

“Maybe pack a bag? Grab her prenatal vitamins? I’m not sure how long we’ll be here.”

“Okay,” I concede with a sigh.

We hang up, and I slip my laptop into my bag, then sling the strap over my shoulder.

After packing a bag for Evie and me, I pause outside Kristin’s room and consider packing one for her too.

Back in mine, I grab several tees and jeans of Evelyn’s that should fit Kristin and toss them into an extra tote I found in the closet.

With clothes and Evie’s mason jar of sourdough starter in hand, I make my way to the unoccupied black sedan parked out front. This whole situation is beyond fucked up, but if anything happens to Evie or Kristin, I’ll hate myself for not taking the threat seriously.

As I drive to Finn’s, I try calling Mickey, but it goes directly to voicemail.

The last location his phone pinged was the medical complex where Evie’s OB-GYN is located.

My palms are sweaty, and I wipe them on my pants one at a time.

My heart can’t handle not knowing if he’s all right.

Gripping the steering wheel tighter, I floor the gas pedal.

If Mickey does something reckless, I’ll never forgive him.

My best friend is pregnant—Evie should be his priority.

I make it a block from Finn’s house—home stretch—when blue and red lights flash behind me. I pull over, and while he’s running my plates or just toying with my anxiety, I text Finn to let him know. Several minutes pass with no reply, and the officer finally approaches my window.

“Do you know why I pulled you over?”

“No, sir,” I fib.

“This is a residential neighborhood, and you were driving double the speed limit.”

“I’m sorry, officer. My, uh, my wife is pregnant, and, um… it’s an emergency.”

“That’s no excuse for—” Someone says something to him on his radio. “Are you Andrew Adams?”

My mouth is dry, but I manage, “Yeah.”

“Be more careful next time.” He steps away and returns to his car.

I blow out a long breath that does little to calm my nerves. My phone vibrates in the cup holder and Finn’s name illuminates the screen. I answer, but don’t even get a greeting before he snaps, “Where the fuck are you?”

“I told you, I got pulled over.”

“I called the police chief, who assured me you’d be let off with a warning. There are three women in this house I need to protect, and only one of them is willing to shoot someone if necessary. Get your arse to my house right fuckin’ now.”

I start the car and pull into the road. “I’m less than a block away. You have an entire security team—why aren’t you using them?”

“I can’t trust anyone until we know who’s behind this,” he whispers, but it’s still growly. “Alex— Christopher —is on his way here now to help.”

“Fuck, okay, I’m pulling in now.”

We hang up, and he’s waiting by the security gate. I park next to a few black sedans and SUVs. As I get out of the car with the bags and jar of sourdough tucked against me, I ask, “Who’s missing?”

“What do you mean?” He slaps a gun into my hand, then turns on his heel, walking toward the house.

I follow with quickened steps behind him. “You said three women. Weren’t Ileah, Jaclyn, and Kristin having lunch with Evie? Who isn’t here?”

“Your wife,” he grits out. “Which is why I need you to stay with the other three.”

“Hold on. Back up. Why isn’t Evie here? She was here when I talked to Kristin. What happened?”

Finn pivots to face me and I nearly run into him.

“She fuckin’ left. I was in my office making a few calls when she told the girls she was going to use the restroom.

But she stole my keys and left. Oh, and she couldn’t keep her mouth shut, so Jaclyn and Ileah know the twins are Mickey’s, not yours.

My car has a tracker, so I’ve been following it.

” He pulls out his phone and shows me a GPS screen where a dot is moving on the highway.

“My brother will kill me if anything happens to her.”

“He’ll kill me too. Where the hell is she going?”

“Probably back to the medical building. Mick isn’t picking up his phone.”

“Yeah,” I sigh. “I tried checking his location, but his phone’s off.”

His eyes widen. “His car. I can track his fuckin’ car.” Clamping his hand on my shoulder, he demands, “Get inside and take care of our women.”

“Our women?”

A smirk tilts his lips. “Aye, we all know you’re in love with your wife’s sister, Andrew.

” I’m about to deny it, but he adds, “I understand better than anyone that you can’t help who you love.

My brother has been in love with you and Evelyn for years.

He had to stand aside while the loves of his life pretended to be a happy couple—just as I had to watch Ileah remain married to a man who didn’t deserve her.

Keep Ileah safe, or I’ll personally remove your cock with a fuckin’ cheese grater and feed it to my dogs. ”

“Jesus, Finn. Do you need to be so graphic about it?”

“I’m serious. Ileah’s my fuckin’ world. If anything happens to her, I won’t hesitate.” He releases his grip on my shoulder. “Would be such a shame. I’ve heard you’re quite blessed in that department.”

I chuckle to myself, handing him my keys.

Without another word, he brushes past me, stripping off his jacket as he walks to my car.

I continue toward the house, glancing back once as the engine roars to life.

As I make my way inside, there’s shouting coming from deeper in the house.

I follow the sound of the argument, tucking the gun in the back of my pants.

“Have you lost your mind?” Ileah huffs. “We’re not going after her. We don’t know if this is about Evie or Mickey—they could be stalking any one of us. Finn said he’ll find her once Andrew’s here. We need to stay put.”

“She’s my sister!” Hearing Kristin’s voice makes my heart stop every fucking time—this is the last place I want to be.

“Ileah’s right. It could be any number of people,” Jaclyn agrees. “Chris had enemies, and I’ve been in the news a lot recently. They could’ve followed us here, and we didn’t notice.”

“Hey, ladies,” I interrupt cautiously as I walk into the kitchen. I can’t take my eyes off Kristin as I ask, “Everyone all right?”

She pins me with a glare as I set everything on the counter. “Everyone except my sister. You actually brought it?”

“This?” I hold up the jar labeled Cin-dough-rella. “Yeah, she asked me to.” Kristin’s expression softens. “Finn told me she ran off. Do you have any idea who the guy was at the restaurant?”

“He was sitting next to a woman I recognized, but I didn’t think much of it,” Ileah offers. “Finn said he’s trying to check on the camera footage for us. I… I’m sorry I didn’t take it more seriously.”

“It’s not your fault,” Jaclyn insists, resting her hand on Ileah’s shoulder.

“It’s mine—I should’ve known better. If anything happens to my sister, Mickey will?—”

“Not lay a single finger on you,” I cut in. “I won’t let him.”

Ileah barks out a laugh. “Finn orchestrated the murder of my husband. You think Mickey won’t make sure Kristin mysteriously disappears?

Be for real, Andy. I know you love him, but the Gallaghers are dangerous.

It’s not Kristin’s fault—or any of ours—that we didn’t alert Mickey about the weird guy.

That doesn’t change the fact that he’ll act on instinct like a damn wolf. ”

Kristin’s phone chimes and she snatches it from the counter. “It’s from a Kristina Dawson. She sent me a link to the footage.”

Ileah and I glance over Kristin’s shoulder. Being this close is a huge mistake. She smells like roses mixed with a trace of honey, making me want to run my tongue along her pulse point, to see if she’s as sweet as she smells.

Jaclyn peers over Kristin’s other shoulder and gasps, pointing at a woman sitting at the bar. “Lee, is that who you said looked familiar?”

“Yes! Do you recognize her?”

“She does look familiar,” I admit, squinting for a better look.

“Fuck!” Kristin groans, zooming in. “That woman was in the meeting we had with the investors.”

“That’s Lisa Johnson,” Jaclyn adds. “She was my wedding planner who started working as Chris’ aide.”

“Fuck,” Ileah groans. “That’s the woman who convinced you that lavender was the best choice for the wedding?”

“Actually, that was my mom and Mrs. Blake. But, yes, she was my wedding planner. The night of the gala, she told me she got hired on as Chris’ assistant. I haven’t heard from her since. Maybe Al— Chris has?”

“Heard from who?” Alex asks from behind, making us all jump.

“How did you get in here?”

“The security gate was open.” His brows pinch. “I thought we were supposed to be keeping everyone safe.”

“Shit. Finn must’ve forgotten to close it when he left.” I take a step away from Kristin, needing distance without drawing attention. “One of us should double-check that no one tried to enter.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

Jaclyn tucks into his side and his posture relaxes. “You remember Lisa. She was at the restaurant where the strange guy told Evie he was there to pick her up.”

“Fuck, I hate that woman,” he groans. “Lisa figured out that I’m not my brother, but Mickey assured me he’d handle it. I doubt she’s behind this—she may be power hungry, but she’s a fucking idiot.”

“She’s not a fucking idiot,” Kristin quips.

“She was in a meeting Andrew and I attended. She’s aligned herself with assholes who want to strip HIPAA protections.

I’ll text Finn to let him know, but Mickey and Evelyn are still MIA.

” She types for a minute, then glances up.

“If that shitty wedding planner is to blame for this, can we go after her ourselves?”

“No,” I growl, then clear my throat. “Sorry, I mean no, we shouldn’t. Finn and Mickey have been doing this for years.”

Kristin’s jaw tics. “So have I. Let me find her. I can’t guarantee I won’t kill her myself though.”

“That’s why you’re not leaving—why none of us are leaving,” Jaclyn says softly. “What if Lisa isn’t the mastermind and it’s the organization that funnels money into that PAC? You’re too emotionally involved.”

“I’m too emotionally involved?” she scoffs. “Are you kidding me? What about Mickey? He’s going to torture that man when he finds him. I’m pretty sure he’d do it even if Evie wasn’t pregnant with his babies. He’s going to kill the guy before we get any real intel.”

Alex sputters a cough, and I clap his back until he’s done choking on his own air. “What did you just say?”

“The twins aren’t Andrew’s—they’re Mick’s,” Jaclyn explains. “Evie told us at lunch today.”

He quietly asks me, “And you knew about this?”

“Yeah. We’re all in a shitty situation,” I admit, my eyes finding Kristin’s as they often do. She quickly looks away, busying herself with her phone.

“I’ll reach out to Ned to see what he can do,” she offers, then sucks in a breath. “It’s Mickey!” She taps and swipes, putting the phone on speaker as she answers.