Page 37 of Dublin Charmer

I glare back, furious at his calm, at my helplessness, and at how desperately I need to get back to Gio. Every minute here is another minute my brother suffers.

With a frustrated growl, I snatch the clothes from the table and storm into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. I lean against it, finally releasing the syringe from my cramping fingers. It clatters into the sink.

I stare at my tired, hollow-eyed reflection. My hair is a rat’s nest from not taking it down and last night’s party dress is now wrinkled from sleep. I need to get control of this situation somehow. I’ve got to get off my back foot and start playing an offensive game.

Gio’s face flashes in my mind. I close my eyes.

“I’m coming, little brother,” I whisper. “Don’t give up on me.”

Finn

Nyx disappears into the bathroom with the stack of clothes Piper put together for her and I stab another bite of chocolate cake into my mouth. The girl’s got fire, intelligence, and a sharp tongue. But underneath that defensive shell, there’s something driving her, something worth understanding.

It’s not corruption or greed…it’s something else.

And as confident as I was when I told Tag I would handle it and get the information we need, now, I’m hoping that’s true. Because, as much as I protest that I’m in this family business like the rest of them, I don’t have nearly the same amount of experience interrogating people.

Not that Brendan and Bryan’s interrogation expertise has any bearing here.

Because it doesn’t.

No, Tag is the strategic one, and I focus on how he would handle this. He would find out what she wants or needs and then work out a path to help her get it and win her over. There’s no world in which working for a brutal bastard like Billy Gravely is better than working with my family.

I just need to convince her of that.

The bathroom door opens, and she emerges in dark jeans and a navy cotton knit that hugs her curves. The outfit is casual, but she’s no less beautiful than she was all dressed up to impress.

“Your breakfast is getting cold.” I gesture to the covered plates. “Come eat.”

Her eyes narrow. “Not hungry.”

I lift the silver dome cover and reveal a full English breakfast: bacon, sausage, poached eggs, roasted tomatoes, fried mushrooms, baked beans, and toast. Steam rises from the plate and the savory scent fills the air between us. She doesn’t look the slightest bit interested.

Either she’s not a big breakfast eater, or she’s an award-winning actress.

But she really needs to eat.

“How about this—I’ll share your breakfast with you and take a bite of everything first to prove it’s safe.”

She crosses her arms but doesn’t immediately shoot me down.

Progress? Too soon to tell.

I pick up a plastic spork and sample each item on the plate. “Sorry about the plastic utensil. Can’t have you stab me before I convince you I’m not the enemy, now, can I?”

A ghost of a smile flickers across her face. She drops into the chair across from me and picks up the other spork. “Do youhonestly think a spork will keep you safe from me if I intended to stab you?”

“Hostile.” I take a spoonful of Cora’s baked beans and cut off the end of one of the sausages. Without an ounce of hesitation, I eat that and then go for some eggs and bacon.

It’s a minor victory when she picks up the piece of toast and cuts the tomato in half. “Why bring me here? What do you want?”

I finish chewing and swallow. “We needed you away from Gravely and for you to stop messing with our network. I work really hard on network security and having you mucking about to breach my protocols isn’t cool.”

She scoffs. “But if you could break into his network, you’d totally do it, wouldn’t you?”

“Oh, aye. Without a doubt.”

A frown line appears in the center of her forehead. “So, what’s the difference?”