Page 68 of Break Me

“Well then, I’ll take it as an omen. What did you find?”

“As suspected, Liam O’Leary is heavily in debt. To the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. His credit is shot and no one will offer a loan. From what I can tell, he’s a month away from the bank foreclosing on both his home and the bar.”

“Any direct connection to the Papadakis clan? Other than for business with the bar?”

“There are calls back and forth, but usually between the food sales rep and the kitchen manager at the bar. So far, I’ve found nothing on their personal email accounts or cellphones. They could be using burners.”

“That’s what bothers me. I still find the possible connection odd. The Greeks and Irish don’t traditionally mix.”

“Maybe it’s two smaller criminal elements up against the big time meaning us. I heard what happened. You’ve hit a bad stretch of luck. From what I can tell, Liam also owes Viktor a significant amount of money. Gambling.”

“Something else I’d guessed. And Sean O’Leary?”

“Clean as a whistle. Squeaky clean. Too clean. Did you know his death was labeled suspicious?”

“No.”

“Yes,” Alessandro stated. “Supposedly faulty equipment, the family suing.”

“Halle?”

“No, Liam.”

A laugh was brought to the surface. “Let me guess. Money that could help pay off a hefty gambling fee.”

“Absolutely.”

I had to wonder if Halle had any idea about Liam’s character. If she did, that could mean she had been coerced into helping with the attacks on my family. God, I hated thinking that way.

Sean’s squeaky-clean efforts were either a front, or the man had pulled away from his family, which would cause strife between the two brothers. Maybe that’s why he hadn’t released the insurance money to Halle. But only if the lawsuit had been settled. Questions were mounting.

“See if you can discover if Liam was granted power of attorney over Sean’s estate when he died and the status of an insurance claim that was supposed to be paid out to the widow.”

“I’ll see what I can come up with. Do you need our assistance in your sinful town?”

I turned off the engine, actually debating his question. “Not yet, but stay tuned. Things could get very messy.”

“There’s nothing better than a good fight.”

Now he had me laughing. “Thanks for the info.”

“Anytime.”

At least working with the Costa family had proven beneficial. I remained in my car for a few seconds, peering out the windshield toward her house. It was quaint and she’d done everything to make it a home, including flowers in pots on the front porch. Her car was in the driveway, which meant she was home. We could have a decent conversation. And if she was working at O’Leary’s tonight, I might need to stop by for a few drinks.

Why not stir the pot, as my mother used to tell me.

Grabbing the two bottles of wine, I headed for her door. After a sharp knock, I overheard what sounded like music. Kid’s music. That meant Emily was with her. I wasn’t the most kid-friendly person in the world, but I had to admit that Emily was adorable.

“Mommy will be right back.” Halle’s voice had an entirely different lilt than when she’d been with me, yet the sultriness of her tone was already making me uncomfortable, my cock aroused to the point of aching.

She threw open the door and instantly, her smile faded. “What are you doing here?” Her lips were pressed into a tight line and she immediately placed her hand high on the door, one foot on the threshold. She was doing her best to look bold and formidable, her eyes flashing with such fire I was mesmerized by them.

There was only one problem with her power stance.

She was wearing pastel pink pajamas, fuzzy slippers, and she had her hair in a ponytail. Even though she looked very young,entirely too young for the monster standing in front of her, the attraction was off the charts.

I wanted to peel away the pajamas slowly, revealing the sweet prize underneath.