Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 137144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
“You’re so frustrating. You know that, right? If I want to put myself at risk, I can.” She threw her head back and glared down at him while crossing her arms over her chest.
To her surprise, instead of getting angry, instead of yelling or scolding her, he just gave her a huge smile.
“Why are you smiling?” she asked, confused. “Why aren’t you upset?”
“Did you want me to be upset?” he asked.
“Well, no, but I don’t get it. Why are you smiling?”
“Because you just told me what you want. I just love seeing you grow stronger, baby.”
Wow. What had she done to deserve this man? She had no idea, but she was glad that she had decided to keep him.
“So that means you’ll let me do it? You’ll let me be bait for Dr. Wallace?” she asked.
“Oh, hell no. We’ll figure out what’s going on without you being involved.”
“How, though? We have no idea why they were doing this to me. I just want some answers.” Frustration was building inside her, and she clenched her hands into fists.
“We’re going to get those answers.”
“But how will you figure out what’s going on? No one will tell you anything.”
“They will, once I get them in the right place. After the break-in this morning, Ronan is ready to move in on them, but he doesn’t want any attention brought on the family.”
She didn’t quite understand what he meant. “Attention?”
“From the cops.”
“Is that because I mean . . . are you . . . are you the Mafia?” she blurted out.
He didn’t want to burst into laughter and make her think he was laughing at her, but the way she said that was so adorable. It was said quietly, as though she didn’t want anyone to hear, even though there was no one else in the room.
And she looked so worried as she waited for his answer.
“No, baby. We’re not the Irish Mafia.”
“Are you sure?”
“Fairly sure,” he said.
“Oh.”
“Are you disappointed that we’re not?” he asked, surprised by her reaction.
“Oh, no, no. Of course not. It’s just the way you spoke, it sounded like you might have been.”
“No, we’re not the Mafia. As I said before, Ronan runs the family business. He has a number of guys working for him in security and information, you could say.”
“He owns a security business?”
“Yeah, that’s kind of part of it. On the surface he runs a business that hires people out as bouncers and bodyguards. But secretly, he also deals in information. That part isn’t for public knowledge. In my grandfather’s day it was a bit more complicated and my father wanted nothing to do with it. But when he and my mum died, and my grandfather took us all in, he started preparing Ronan to take over. I guess my brother felt a sense of obligation toward our grandfather. It would have killed something inside us to be separated, which is probably what would have happened if Grandfather hadn’t stepped up.”
“So, Ronan went into the family business because of him.”
“Partly, and because I think he wanted to make some changes. Which he has. Changes that our grandfather doesn’t always agree with, but he also doesn’t complain too much, since Ronan makes a lot of money. Not saying that there aren’t shadier aspects to it, but for the most part, we operate on the right side of the law. All of the work that I do is for Ronan and his clients. Paddy, our youngest brother, is involved in the IT side of it, but Ronan keeps our sisters well out of it.”
“Oh, I see. But I still don’t understand how you guys are going to get Doctor Wallace to talk, though.”
“Ronan can be very persuasive, and some of his guys have some interesting skills. Don’t worry. It’s just a matter of when we grab him and how.”
“Are you saying you’re going to kidnap him?” she asked.
“Probably best that I don’t answer that, baby.”
“It’s all right. I’m not upset at the idea. I think we’ve figured out that he must be complicit in all this, and whatever he did, he did it without my permission.” She wrapped her arms around her. “I don’t have any idea what happened to me in that clinic.”
No, and it made him feel sick to his stomach to think about that.
“What about the other people that worked there? The receptionist, the nurses? There must have been people that saw me or what happened?”
“We’ll get that information,” he promised her. “We’ll take care of anyone who harmed you in any way.”
She nodded, and he watched as a shiver shook her body. His poor girl.
He stood with her in his arms. She was pressed against his stomach, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders to hold on as he walked her toward the stairs.
“Should you carry me up the stairs?” she asked, sounding slightly alarmed.