Page 104 of Dublin Charmer

“It would be a big overhaul,” Piper adds.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and my heart jumps. I try not to look too eager as I pull it out, but I know Sean notices. The disappointment must show on my face when I see it’s just Brendan asking about dinner plans.

“Still nothing?” Sean asks quietly while Brody and Rory are debating the merits of my team structure idea.

“It’s been almost two weeks,” I admit, trying to keep my voice neutral. “Last I heard, they were in Barcelona.”

“Gio still giving her a hard time about staying in touch?”

I nod, frustration bubbling up. “He’s using her as a crutch. Won’t even try to stand on his own. And she enables it because she feels responsible for him.”

“He’s her brother,” Sean says with a shrug. “Family’s complicated.”

“It’s selfish is what it is,” I mutter. “He knows she misses me—misses all of us. But he can’t stand the thought of sharing her, so he guilts her every time she calls or texts.”

Sean gives me a sympathetic look. “Give it time. She’ll come around.”

“Will she?” I hate how vulnerable I sound. “And if she decides it’s easier to let go? What then?”

“Nyx is a fighter. She isn’t the type to take the easy way out. Trust me on this. That girl loves you.”

I want to believe him, but the silence of my phone is deafening. I turn back to my laptop, burying myself in work because it’s the one thing I can control. The numbers don’t lie, don’t disappear, don’t leave me wondering where I stand.

“So you’ll talk to Tag?” Brody’s voice pulls me back to the conversation. “About Rory stepping back, and Kieran at the chop shop, and about more men?”

“Aye, I’ll talk to Tag when we get back,” Sean assures him.

“I’ll draw up the new org chart,” I add, already creating a file. “We’ll need to identify key players to strengthen the south whether it’s left in territories or divided into teams.”

My phone buzzes again, and this time I don’t even bother checking. Whatever it is, it’s not what I’m waiting for.

NotwhoI’m waiting for.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Nyx

Six Months After Leaving – July

The Mediterranean sun streams through the open windows, casting golden light across the terracotta tiles. I stare at my phone, Finn’s contact photo glowing on the screen. My thumb hovers over the call button.

Six months. Six months since I left Dublin with Gio. Six months of missing Finn and the life I glimpsed for those short weeks we were together. Has he given up on me? Has he moved on?

I take a deep breath and press call before I lose my nerve. Each ring makes my stomach tighten. Part of me hopes he won’t answer.

“Nyx.” His voice comes through immediately, eager despite the hour. It must be close to midnight in Dublin.

“Hey, Charmer.” The words catch in my throat. How can three syllables hurt so much?

“I’m glad ye called. I was thinkin’ about ye earlier today.” There’s a smile in his voice that crushes me. “I found this coffeeshop that makes these Italian pastries that melt in yer mouth. When ye come home, I’ll take ye there to see if they’re as good as the real deal.”

“I’d like that.”

“So, when do ye think that might be, luv?”

I don’t know what to tell him. I move to the balcony, looking out at the impossibly blue sea. Mallorca is paradise, but it feels like exile. The silence on the line grows tense, and I know I’m losing my nerve.

I can’t do this. Not over the phone.