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Page 19 of Dublin Charmer (Emerald Isle Mafia #5)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Nyx

M y body still tingles from the aftershocks of pleasure as the Airstream sways with the movement of traffic. I’m sitting at my desk, watching Finn shift uncomfortably at my little two-seater kitchen table.

“Thank you,” I say, breaking the charged silence between us. “I needed that more than you’ll ever know.” I gesture vaguely at the counter where he’d just made me come harder than I have in years. “Sorry we got interrupted before you got any relief.”

Finn waves away my apology, but his eyes remain dark with desire. “I’ll survive.”

I can’t help but notice the prominent bulge straining against his pants. “Having troubles?”

“I am, and talking about my cock won’t help,” he says with a grimace. “Change of subject. How far have ye gotten with your search for Gio?”

For the next five minutes, I lay out everything I know about my brother’s captivity—which isn’t much—and everything I’ve tried—which is nearly everything imaginable. The trail always goes cold at the same point. It’s like Gio vanished.

Finn opens his mouth to respond when my phone rings. The authoritarian boom of ‘The Imperial March’ from The Empire Strikes Back makes my stomach drop even before his name pops up on the caller ID.

“It’s him.” I hold my phone out for Finn to see.

“Just play it cool. Nothing has changed.”

I swallow hard and answer.

“I need you on the traffic lights and CCTV,” Gravely barks without preamble.

“We have a sighting for the remaining two McGuire boys and my men are all the way on the other side of the fucking city. Confirm the sighting, watch to see if the McGuire rats try to scurry away, and give my men green lights so they can get there and end this fucking war.”

Finn leans forward, listening intently and starts texting.

“What’s the address of where they’re hiding?” I’m impressed with myself that despite my anxiety, my voice sounds steady.

When Gravely recites the address, Finn quickly pulls it up on his phone, his eyes widening. He types a note and shows me: It’s five minutes from us. How far are his teams?

“All right, I’m calling that up now. How far out are your teams?”

Gravely curses. “No more than ten minutes if everything goes right.”

Finn nods, typing furiously. A moment after Finn hits send, the trailer takes a rough right turn, and I shoot Finn a questioning look.

He types: Kieran can’t go alone for extraction and Gallagher can’t leave me alone on the south side. If I’m recognized, we’re both done for. Looks like we’re going on a rescue mission.

Oh, amazing.

“Are you listening to me, bitch?” Gravely snaps.

“Yeah, sorry, I’m listening. I’m also doing what you asked me to do. Excuse me if my attention was divided while I was locating your men.” I call up my access to the traffic control grid and Finn’s mouth falls open.

He types: You are a badass.

I roll my eyes and get back to tracking Gravely’s incoming team. “Where are they exactly and what are they driving?”

“You’re making this more difficult than it needs to be. Just turn the lights green.”

I snort. “You realize I can’t just make all the lights green in the city, don’t you? I have to find your men and follow them as they drive.”

“Don’t get smart with me. My head is splitting in two and I’m in no fucking mood.”

“Hey, you asked for my help here, not the other way around. I can only do my job if I have all the information.”

“And you’re a right cunt and need to be careful because I’m getting tired of having to set you in your place.”

A murderous look flashes in Finn’s eyes as he listens, but I shake my head. It doesn’t matter what Billy Gravely spouts off. He’s a small man who tries to make himself feel important by shitting on others.

In the silence that follows, I search the traffic feeds until I find the incoming force. There are three different teams coming in from different points in the city. Luckily, they’re still a good distance out.

The trailer stops with a jolt, and I turn to look out the window. Kieran and Gallagher have bolted across the street and are entering the building.

“Have you got them?”

“I’m working on it.”

“Work harder.”

“Okay, yep, I’ve got two of them and am changing the lights for them. There’s a lot of traffic, though, and I can’t do anything about that.”

I look out the window again, willing Kieran and Gallagher to emerge with Piper’s brothers. The irony isn’t lost on me that I’m helping them find her brothers so that they’ll help me find mine.

“Okay, I’ve got the third team and am paving their way.”

Two heart-stopping minutes later, the Dublin Devils emerge with two guys who jump into the back of the flower van. Gallagher returns to my truck, and we’re driving away before Gravely’s men are even close.

“What do you see?” Gravely demands.

“One second. I was watching your men. I’ve got the building and it all looks quiet for the moment...” I look at Finn and shrug helplessly.

He texts: Tell him the truth. Someone told him where they were. They could be watching the building. If you lie, you’re busted.

Oh, good point. Sexy and smart.

I draw a deep breath and give us another beat of a moment to gain some distance. “Wait, a floral delivery truck just stopped in front of the building.”

“What? Why? Is someone getting out of the truck?”

“Not yet. I’m waiting.” And as I wait, I track the three incoming teams. “It’s a front. Two guys just ran into the building, no flowers, just guns in their hands.”

“Guns? Were they my guys?”

“How would I know?”

I glance out the window and have never been so happy to see the River Liffey in my life. “Wait, okay. The two guys with guns just came out with two other guys and they jumped into the back of the flower truck and drove off.”

Gravely loses his mind and I’ve never heard a sweeter sound in my life.

As he raves on, my heart hammers in my chest. I don’t breathe easy until we’re over the bridge, headed back to Quinn territory.

There’s no going back now. I just fucked over Gravely, and it feels so good I don’t regret it. Screw you, Billy Gravely.

Finn

The trailer jerks to a stop in the side parking lot of the compound, and I glance at Emilia. She’s still tense from her call with Gravely. Her fingers drum nervously on her keyboard.

“We’re here.” I draw her attention with a gentle touch under her chin, lifting her gaze to meet mine. “That was impressive work back there.”

She shrugs, but I catch the ghost of a smile. “Just doing what I do.”

We exit the airstream into the cold January air. The sliding side door to the flower delivery truck grinds along its metal tracks at the same time the front door of the compound bursts open.

Piper flies down the steps, tears streaming down her face. “Rory! Brody!”

Her brothers stumble out of the back of the truck, looking exhausted but alive.

Piper crashes into them, wrapping her arms around both at once. They form a tight huddle, foreheads pressed together. It’s nice for her. She deserves better from her family than she got.

“Thank God you’re okay.” She pulls back and starts studying them. “You are okay, aren’t you?”

The rest of my family pours out of the house.

Sean approaches the McGuire siblings cautiously, placing a gentle hand on Piper’s shoulder. Rory and Brody don’t seem too welcoming, but Piper pulls Sean into their circle.

Tag strides toward us, his expression a mix of pride and relief. “Finn. You did well, little brother.”

“Wasn’t just me.” I nod toward Nyx, who stands awkwardly to the side, watching the reunion with a strange expression.

Tag extends his hand to her. “Thank you for helping bring Piper’s brothers home safely.”

Nyx hesitates before accepting his handshake. “I didn’t really do much.”

“You did more than you know.” Tag’s voice carries the weight of his position, and I know from experience if you impress him, the reward of his respect is invaluable.

Tag moves off to welcome Piper’s brothers and I put an arm around Nyx to lean close to her ear. “The McGuires and Quinns have history—not all of it good. But family is family.”

Her brow furrows. “Even when they’re your rivals?”

“Especially then. Blood feuds are one thing, but what Gravely’s doing—hunting us down like animals—that crosses every line. We believe in honor among ruling families. Gravely possesses no honor.”

Laine appears in the doorway but doesn’t come outside.

Guaranteed Tag forbid her to step foot outside, either because she might slip on snowy or icy steps or because she might catch a chill.

Either way, she seems to be content not to venture out.

“Come inside, everyone. Cora has prepared a spread of food and Irish coffees to fend off the chill.”

Bryan and Brendan usher everyone toward the house and the celebration moves inside.

Nyx hangs back, shifting her weight and glancing back to her trailer. “I should get back to work. Gravely’s going to be furious. He might blame me and take it out on Gio.”

With Billy Gravely there’s no telling. The guy is psychotic.

“Then let’s figure out where he is and bring him home.”

We return to her trailer while the others head inside. The cramped space tells me a lot about her life. There are no personal belongings. Everything is functional. The only thing that looks like she cares enough to invest in is her equipment setup.

And that is damned impressive.

She leaves me to close the door and drops into her desk chair to begin typing and pulling up various screens of data.

“I’m going to run you through everything I’ve done, what I’ve found, and what I’ve been thinking about trying. Then, you can tell me what you would’ve done or point out anything you think might get me somewhere.”

I settle onto the chair at the little table. Even though I’m across the trailer from her, the space is so small, I’m still close enough to see her screens. “Aye, I’m ready. Shoot.”

She’d given me a brief overview earlier, but this time, she opens her logs and we study the data together. The attempts she made to find her brother started out methodical and worked their way to long-shot creative.

Still, she hasn’t gotten any further than finding the security feed to tap into and watch over her brother’s captivity.

“What about the men guarding your brother?” I ask, trying to think of other angles. “They might not be as careful. If you can identify them, maybe you can find out where they live and track them to wherever they work.”

She looks at me, her eyes brightening. “That’s a great idea. I cracked the database for the National Driver License Service, but I don’t have access to any other identification databases.”

“I’ve got access to police and Europol databases. Grab what you need, and we’ll go inside and set up in my room.”

Her smile widens. “Is this a Dublin Charmer ploy to get me alone in your bedroom?”

“No, but once we set the searches, I have a few ideas about how we could pass the time.”