Page 13 of Dublin Beast

“Aye, we should.” My grip tightens around the cup. “I’m done banging my head against the fucking wall. Today we find the bitch and end her.”

Logan chuckles. “You realize the people who tucked her away aren’t your garden variety wise guys, right? By what you’ve told me about this anti-crime task force that has her, they have pull and they want the woman to live to testify. This might take weeks.”

I grunt. “I’m not staying out here in the cold for fucking weeks. Kieran will find her. The man has connections that would make intelligence agencies jealous. He’ll find her and then I’ll make my da proud.”

He sobers and dips his chin. “And that’s the end goal.”

Damn right it is.

I turn to follow him when movement across the street catches my eye.

A woman steps into my line of sight, cutting through the crowd with an easy, unhurried stride. Tall, lean, and fit, she moves like someone who knows exactly how much space she takes up. There’s a confident grace to her gait that captures my attention and raises the hairs on the back of my neck.

A brown leather jacket hugs her frame, her jeans snug enough to hint at strong legs, the kind that could hold their own in a fight—or wrapped around a man’s hips.

Her hair—a pale raspberry pink color—is swept into a ponytail, strands slipping free and blowing haphazardly around her tanned face as she walks.

Fuck. Even from this distance, I catch the sharp cut of her jaw, the high cheekbones, the full lips pressed together in silent thought. My body reacts before my brain catches up, my cock stiffening behind the zipper of my dark black jeans.

But even more than her natural beauty, it’s the way she carries herself that has my instincts firing.

Confident, but alert.

Her gaze sweeps the street before her, assessing, her shoulders relaxed but ready. It’s like she expects something to go wrong.

Intrigued, I watch as she walks toward the curb and a black Cadillac with blacked-out windows crawls forward. It idles at the mouth of a narrow alley in her path. The car screams money and trouble—a combination I know all too well.

The back door of the vehicle opens and a playboy type gets out. The guy is slick, movie star handsome, with a crooked smile that probably reels in chicks with a single glance.

He waves to the woman with easy charm, and she doesn’t hesitate. She returns the wave and there’s suddenly a little more sway in her ponytail.

I fucking hate him immediately.

Visceral disdain settles in my gut like a jagged stone and I have to hold myself in check. Not my circus, not my fucking monkeys.

When ponytail stops to chat with the playboy, a second man steps out of the car. He adjusts the cuffs of his designer coat, an expensive watch glinting in the morning light. I stiffen the moment I see his smarmy smile, adrenaline firing in my veins.

EddiefuckingMason.

He’s a no-class criminal with deep ties to the English underground. Ruthless, connected, and slimy enough to slither out of trouble despite having enough dirt on his hands to fill a graveyard. Tag had dealings with him years back, and said he was an arrogant, self-important prick.

If he’s here, it’s not for a casual chat.

My pulse kicks up, instincts firing. My muscles tense, the way they invariably do before I step into the cage.

“Slow your roll, mate.” Logan’s voice is low, casual, but there’s an edge to it. His hand clamps down on my shoulder, fingers digging in. “Stay out of local business and focus on why you’re here. That there—that’s not our business.”

He’s right. I know he’s right. I stretch my neck from side to side, hoping the pop of vertebrae will ease some tension. It doesn’t.

Logan pegs me with a look and gestures down the sidewalk, back toward the motel. “Time to take your leave, Quinn.”

I can hear Tag’s censure in my head.Mind your fucking business, Bryan. Don’t cause trouble.

The problem is…I’ve never been a good listener.

Just ask my twin. Brenny’s been cleaning up my bloody messes for years.

Still, I grunt in acknowledgment and tell my feet to get moving. “Aye, I suppose we should go.”

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