Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79232 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79232 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
“Haven’t seen you at The Craic, lately, brother.” he says, while the others enter.
Tully lumbers in behind him, so much larger than Boner he dwarfs him. He pounds him on the back with a grin and Boner nearly topples over. “You got eyes in your head, lad? Why would he go to the club when he’s got sweet pussy tied to his bed of an evening?”
My hands clench into fists, and I don’t realize I’m stepping toward Tully until Lachlan grabs me from behind and holds me to his chest to keep me from killing Tully.
“Easy, brother,” Lachlan says in my ear. “Keenan’s coming in. He’ll kick both yer arses if you fight before a meeting like this.”
Tully’s eyes widen in surprise. “Jesus, Nolan, didn’t mean to piss you off like that. I’m sorry. Just giving you crap.”
I shake Lachlan off and step toward Tully. “You’ll watch your fucking mouth. You talk about Sheena like that again, I’ll knock your fucking teeth out.” And I mean it. My hands shake with rage, and I swear to God my vision’s blurry and hazy with it.
“Nolan.” Keenan’s sharp voice comes from the door. I bite my tongue, keeping myself in check with effort. All the men stare at us, likely prepared to interfere if we come to blows.
“My bad, Keenan,” Tully says. “Made an offhand comment about his girl.”
His girl.
Keenan shakes his head. “Are you that tone deaf, Tully?” he says, as he enters the room and heads for his desk. “You say anything about Sheena to Nolan again, I’ll give leave for Nolan to beat your arse right here, right now.”
Cormac snorts, kicks back in a chair, and laces his hands behind his head, his muscles bulging as he stares down Tully. “And I’ll hold you down while he does.”
Tully holds his hands up in surrender, “Alright lads, alright, you’ll hear nothing but respect out of my mouth when it comes to her.” He mutters under his breath. “Mother of God.”
“Take a seat, lads,” Keenan says, giving us all a look that’s so much like my father it’s almost eerie. He likely knows it’s harder to get into a knock-down fight if we’re sitting.
“Tell me this, though,” Tully says. He crosses his arms on his chest and addresses Keenan. “Since when did the girl who tried to destroy us become off limits?”
I regret not decking him.
Keenan eyes him levelly, leaning forward with his fists on the desk.
“Since my brother took her as his own.”
They hold each other’s gazes for a moment. I’ve had enough.
“You all know that Sheena Hurston thought us guilty of the death of her father. Think on it, boys. You know as well as I do we’d have done the same,” I say.
Tully looks away and doesn’t respond, but Carson nods his head. He’s a quiet sort, but when he speaks, we pay attention.
“Aye,” he says. “It’s clear, isn’t it?”
The overhead light glints on his glasses. He pushes them up on his nose and eyes the room. “If she thought us responsible for her father’s death, she wouldn’t handle things the way we would. One woman, against a whole clan of men? ‘Tisn’t physical methods of retaliation she’d seek, but another way.”
“Aye,” Lachlan says. “Can’t say it doesn’t piss me off some even now, but I’ve watched her since the meeting with Father Finn. And the woman’s stood by her word. She’s interviewed the locals and contacted her friends in the media. Haven’t you all seen the various articles that’ve come out?.”
“I have,” I say quietly. I want to hear what they all have to say before I speak my mind. It’s telling.
“Same,” Cormac says. “Aileen was pleased as fucking punch reading the article about the donations to the schools. Says the articles almost made us seem like celebrities.”
Keenan smirks. “Going to pay the school a visit for a celebrity reading, then, Cormac?”
“Feck off,” Cormac says with a grin.
Keenan looks to me. “Nolan, any word on when she’ll return to work? I haven’t heard anything about her reporting lately. You?”
“Aye,” I tell him. “She was on leave, as it were, doing her investigation. And she was supposed to return this week, but I asked her not to.”
Keenan raises a brow but doesn’t speak.
“Too risky,” I tell him. “Not when we don’t have a handle on the O’Gregors.”
“Right,” Keenan says.
“So her boss has given her permission to report from where she is. They’re in regular contact. She hasn’t shown her face, but she’s given him stories. They work closely with the paper as well.”
Keenan nods. “Very good. Aye, even Caitlin, who doesn’t like attention, was pleased with some of the more recent articles and news coverage. So what do we know about the status of their mother?”
I shake my head. “Nothing. We’ve tried to find out what we could, but there’s nothing at all.”