Page 49 of Redemption

We reach the car in silence. There, I pass the PLA phone to Jay. “I need for you to take a look at this.”

“Ears?” He’s already unlocking the device.

“Yeah. Anything I need to be careful about. I know fuck all.” Lorcan and I stare at each other over the top of the tin can he drives. “Their car will be wired.”

“Undoubtedly.” He grimaces. “Physically more comfortable, intellectually more painful. He doesn’t trust me. I don’t know what game he’s playing.”

“You build trust by testing people.” Jay’s brow is furrowed as he navigates through the phone. “Us standing out here huddled together probably isn’t earning any of us points.”

I make a frustrated noise and point at Lorcan. “Be back here in two hours. We’ll send Kim down.”

Before we get to the entrance, Jay puts his hand on my arm. “Something Pierre-Jacques said the other day has been eating at me.”

I cross my arms, impatient to get packed and jump this first PLA hurdle. “What’s that?”

“Did you kill Eric?” He closes the loaner phone and passes it back to me. “Disabled the microphone. So, if you want to record someone, you or Lachlan will need to enable it again.”

“Why has that comment been bothering you?” Answering might open a minefield between me and Carys. I promised I wouldn’t kill him, but when he was incapacitated from the shootout at the Russian house, I didn’t hesitate. One less problem for us. Besides, putting him out of his misery shouldn’t make me the bad guy. Not sure Carys would see it that way.

“Eric died during the raid. But if Pierre-Jacques knows he was still alive when you returned…”

He doesn’t bother to finish his chain of logic. Either the PLA planned and executed the attack on the house, or they know who did. I’m not admitting anything, but Jay’s not stupid. I take my opportunities as they come.

“Would also explain why you weren’t so keen to figure out who stormed the house.” Jay puts his hands on his hips. “You didn’t want Carys to find out what you did.”

I smirk. “I admit nothing. Supposing the PLA was involved in the raid, and assuming Eric was alive when I arrived, why? Why leave him there?”

“Maybe he was meant to deliver a message.” Jay searches my face.

For the first time, a hint of uncertainty sprouts in my chest. “A message?”

“Did he tell you something before you shot him?” There’s no judgment in Jay’s question, just curiosity and an unexpected urgency.

Eric didn’t utter anything of importance, but it wasn’t from lack of trying. Instead of encouraging him to speak more, I dismissed his incoherent ramblings. What had he been attempting to say? “Nothing.” I twist my lips. “Nothing I could decipher.” A chill snakes along my spine at the realization the house invasion in Russia might have had more to do with Carys than I realized. I let myself believe Eric’s brutal torture was Demid retaliating for his daughter’s death. Pierre-Jacque’s comment, and Jay’s curiosity, throws a whole new light on that night.

“Something’s not right here, man.” Jay shakes his head and leads us toward the door again. “I can’t put the pieces together yet, but I know they fit.”

I rub my face and follow behind him. The wind snaps the Irish flag on the pole above the mansion, and when I glance up, Jade is framed in the window, staring at us. The voice at the back of my mind whisperingtrouble is cominggets a little louder.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Carys

Finnshouldbedonewith his meeting soon. Kim and I are headed for a rear entrance that’ll take us into the fields for a walk, if anyone asks us. Really, I’ve managed to schedule a call with Demid to discuss a ‘business opportunity’ instead of trying to talk him into something via text or email. Maybe if he hears the naked pleading in my voice, he’ll be reminded of how much his daughter meant to him and how he was willing to do anything to get her back. Would he wish the kind of pain he suffers on me?

We’re at the top of the rear set of stairs Kim found yesterday when I spot Jade coming toward us. Even though we’re pressed for time, I tip my head in her direction. “Let’s wait a minute and at least speak to her.”

Kim’s face remains a cool mask of indifference, but she’s voiced her suspicions. They may match Finn’s, but it doesn’t mean I can’t cultivate a wary friendship with Jade. My guard is up. I can’t stomach leaving a woman in a vulnerable position if we have the means to help her.

When she gets close enough, the bruise around her eye is obvious despite the concealer to mute the black discoloring. “You’ve hurt yourself.” I point to my eye, and I scan the rest of her for signs of violence. “Are you okay?”

Her chin trembles, and she won’t meet my gaze. “I—I tripped, and my cheek caught the edge of a table in our bedroom.”

Kim remains emotionless beside me. Anger stirs my stomach. She’s lying. Does she realize we know or suspect a different reason for the dark bloom?

“I’m sorry to hear that.” I keep my voice pitched low. “Sometimes you really have to watch your step.”

She brushes away a stray tear, concealer appearing on her finger. She winces at the contact of her fingers on the tender skin. With a deep breath, she straightens her shoulders before meeting my gaze. “Were you serious about us being friends?”

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