Page 24

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Nora

I t’s just before noon when Kate pulls up in front of my house. I’m waiting on the front porch and rush down to get inside.

“Are you okay?” Kate looks me over as I click my seatbelt, her worry plain in her pinched expression. “You sounded upset when you called.”

“My father is a controlling jerk.”

“Right. We’ve established that. So, what happened?”

“He accused me of dressing up like a hooker and looking for trouble because I want to end up dead like Tanya. He also said that if I’d come home straight after the play instead of going out to drink, Tanya would still be alive.”

Kate’s mouth falls open. It’s obvious she’s trying to think of something to say, but really, how do you respond to that? “I’m sorry, chickie. That’s brutal.”

“Right? So, screw it. Let’s start looking for flats.”

“You’re sure?”

“I am. I don’t want to live here any longer than I have to.”

“All right, then let’s grab a couple of papers and we’ll go to a coffee shop somewhere and start combing through the adverts.”

I lay my head back and let out a long breath of pent-up frustration. “Perfect, and I know a great little place for us to go to. How do you feel about raspberry macarons?”

I take Kate to Cuppa Jo, and we settle into the booth opposite the fireplace to search the rentals for the next several hours. Tanya had her eye on a few rent-controlled places, but they were south of the river, and I scratch them off the list without a second thought.

“Seriously?” Kate is looking at me like I’ve lost my mind. “You’re deciding where we should live based on which mafia family runs the territory?”

“Absolutely. If I’ve learned anything from my father,” and Brendan, “it’s that I want nothing to do with McGuire territory. Did you know Mattie McGuire offered his own daughter as a bonus to sweeten a deal with the Russians?”

Kate’s eyes pop wide. “Since when do you quote from the organized crime playbook?”

“Since we’re going to be living on our own and I won’t prove my father right. There’s a difference between being confident and reckless. I’m simply opting to err on the side of caution.”

Plus, I want to make sure Brendan can visit me if he’s able. The Quinns don’t cross the river without just cause, so I don’t want to put him in a position of stirring up trouble.

“Well, there are fewer places to choose from on the north side.”

I shrug. “Let’s see what’s out there. I bet there’s a perfect little row house or flat just waiting for us to discover.”

Kate gives me a skeptical look, but her expression softens. “All right. We’ll see what there is and make some appointments. Who knows, maybe Tanya is watching over us and will send us a miracle.”

I tug the purple tips of my hair through my fingers and smile. “I wouldn’t be surprised. Our girl was good like that.”

“Yeah, she was.”

Brendan

“If you boys are going to keep doing this, you should consider renovating the den into a multi-brother office.”

I glance up to where Piper is standing. She’s holding a large tray and the savory scent wafts over.

“Did Cora send us lunch?” Bryan asks.

“She did. She also says you need to stop working long enough to enjoy it or you won’t digest well.”

I snort. “Since when has digestion ever been an issue?”

Bryan closes his laptop and sets it aside, holding up his hand to receive the welcome offering.

“Here you go, Ever-Peckish One.” Piper hands him a plate and then checks to see if I’m ready for mine.

“I’ll take mine at the table, P.” Freeing myself from the comfy confines of the leather couch with an open laptop raised in one hand is a challenge, but for food, I am duly motivated.

I make a place for myself at the end of the dining room table, shifting the stack of missing persons reports Tag forwarded into a pile out of the eating splash zone.

“How bad is it?” Piper’s brow is furrowed as she skims the files.

“It ain’t good.” I lift a forkful of hot hamburger sandwich to my mouth. The richness of Cora’s gravy bombards and my mouth waters as I chew. “Five girls in their early twenties are missing. All from our territory. All victims of what appears to be a professional trafficking organization.”

“Well then, that’s good, isn’t it? You guys don’t deal in trafficking.”

Finn lifts his gaze from his screen on the other end of the table. “No. We don’t, but if we’re right, Gravely and your oldest brother are making it look like we do.”

She takes the lunch tray to Finn and sets his plate next to his computer. He has everything set up with a mess of cables and monitors, and has been searching the CCTV footage he’s been able to access for the last known whereabouts of the girls.

“Is that one of them?” Piper points to one of the screens.

“Aye, that’s Rebecca Kamille. I tracked her to a bar on O’Connell Street.”

Piper squints at her screen, then looks up. “If you need people on the ground to go ask questions, I’m happy to help.”

I grunt. “And put you—our sister-in-law—in the place where twenty-year-old women are disappearing? Remind me again, Piper—how old are you?”

Piper rolls her eyes at me. “Har har. Aye, I’m twenty, but that also means I might draw these guys out.”

“And what happens if they are McGuire men, and they recognize you?” Bryan says.

She waves her finger at my twin. “I’m not helpless. If this is coming from my brother, I might recognize them and if not, I can be very resourceful.”

No shit . Piper single-handedly fought off two Bratva members and survived to tell the tale. She may look like a young, wee thing, but she’s got a steel core. Still, Sean would rip our throats out with his bare hands if we even entertained the idea of letting Piper get involved.

Finn gives her a placating smile and goes back to his screen. “Leave it with me, Piper. I’ll dig into it and see what I can find.”

We all share her frustration and that feeling that we’re not doing enough fast enough bubbling under the surface. The McGuires have been stepping too far over the line lately—but taking girls off our streets?

That’s not just crossing territory lines—it’s a declaration of war.

I’m wiping the last bits of gravy from my fingers when Laine walks in, a sunny contrast to the storm brewing around us. She stands there for a second, surveying our makeshift command center like she just walked into an episode of a crime show.

“Hey, boys.” She runs a gentle hand absently over her growing belly as she glances from Finn to me and then at Bryan. “I’m looking for some manly muscle to help me unload a truck. Can I steal you away from your investigations for a minute?”

Bryan is on his feet as quickly as I am. “What do you need, counselor?”

“The delivery truck just came through the gates. It’s the crib and dresser set I ordered for the nursery.”

“The nursery that is currently a glorified walk-in closet?” Finn asks.

Laine chuckles. “Currently it’s a glorified walk-in closet, but in a couple of weeks, it will be a perfect little nursery nook.” Laine’s easy smile lights up her entire face.

Bryan rolls his shoulders back and grins. He loves a chance to flex those muscles even if it’s only for lifting baby furniture. “Lead the way, baby mama. We’ve got you.”

Nora

“We appreciate you letting us have a look at the apartment on such short notice, Mr. Pearsall.” Kate won over the old man with her winning smile and sweet-talked him into letting us look around the flat he’s renting.

It’s a self-contained space, upstairs from where he and his wife have lived for forty-five years. It’s a convenient five blocks away, with easy access for us to get to Legend. And best of all, it’s vacant and ours for the taking.

The other four flats we lined up this afternoon are in different areas of the city and have their quirks and their selling points—but even with those scheduled, I’ve got a good feeling about this one.

Mr. Pearsall unlocks the door with a long, old-fashioned, silver key and pushes the door open for us, standing aside like a gentleman. “The rooms get a bit drafty in the winter, but you can plug in a space heater or two and be snug as a bug.”

Kate is so excited, she’s almost buzzing as we step inside.

The door opens into the front sitting room, the kitchen off to the right, and two bedrooms and a bath to the left. It’s not large, but it’s big enough for the two of us.

“The missus and I keep to ourselves mostly, but you’re always welcome to join us for a cuppa if you’ve got something on your mind.”

The blank walls could use a couple of pictures, but the color isn’t terrible.

It’s a pale icy blue—hardly a color at all.

“It’s clean, and the furniture is only two years old. Of course, you can bring furniture of your own if you’ve got it.”

Kate shakes her head. “Furnished is great.”

Mr. Pearsall nods. “Well, you’re welcome to add your own personal accents to spruce the place up.”

I peer out the big front window into the street below and I can see halfway across the city. “It’s a lovely view of Dublin from up here.”

Kate rushes out of one of the bedrooms and hustles over to take it all in. “Ooh, look at that, Nora. You can set up an easel right here and paint to your heart’s content. This view is sure to inspire a masterpiece.”

I love that she’s thinking like that. I’d also love to be struck by inspiration again.

Mr. Pearsall waits until we’ve finished exploring and then escorts us out and locks up. “The apartment is empty—as you saw—so you can move in anytime and I’ll adjust the first month’s rent accordingly. A partial month to move in, but a full month will be required for the security deposit.”

“Of course. That’s wonderful.” Kate waggles her dark brows at me, her gaze dancing with delight. “We have a couple of other flats booked to view, but I like this one a lot.”

Mr. Pearsall pockets the key and gestures toward the stairs. “Don’t take too long to decide, girls. I have another showing tomorrow afternoon at three. If you think you like it, be sure to let me know.”

“Oh, we will.” Kate flashes him a dazzling smile. “And thank you again. Give our best to Mrs. Pearsall.”

The two of us hold it together until we get outside and into Kate’s car. Then the squealing begins in earnest.

“Ohmygoodness, can you believe that view?”

“I can’t believe how cute it is and how nice our landlords would be. Honestly, I’m used to the fist-banging and threat-shouting kind of landlords.”

I’ve never had a landlord, so I have nothing to go on. My father has always owned our homes or been provided a house from his office. Even so, there was no one overseeing us.

Kate turns the key and the engine sputters to life. “Okay, we need to see the other four and decide tonight. I don’t want to miss out on this one.”

“Agreed. Unless we find something that changes our minds, I’m ready to pack my bags and move in here tomorrow.”

Kate drums her palms on the steering wheel and laughs. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to freedom day!”