Page 59 of Redemption

Carys wraps her arms around my waist, and I run my hand along her back. Having to meet out here in the middle of the night is inconvenient, but at least we’re capable of speaking somewhere. We need to have the same information. “Jade’s not her real name. She used to run around with the McCaffrey crew when Carys was stabbed. I—uh—murdered her boyfriend.”

“Oh shit,” Jay breathes. “Why’d she want Donal’s head on a stick?”

“According to Donal? He didn’t do enough to get revenge for my murderous spree within his organization.”

“But if you killed him…” She gazes up at me. “Why go after Donal? Shouldn’t she be going after you?”

Jay and I stare at each other in the dark. “You think she wants to hurt Carys?” he asks.

I shake my head. “If that’s what she wanted, she could have gone after her while I was away. I’m confident she has more power than she lets on. I don’t know if Francois told me the shit about Jade because he was supposed to let it slip or the guy’s an idiot. Spent a week with him. Fifty-fifty either way.”

“What’s Lachlan think?” Jay asks.

“He’s going to check to see if there’s any more intel on her. I doubt it. Without a real name, we’re flying blind. This alias could have come from anywhere at any point.”

“She mentioned she likes to—” Carys seems to search for the right words. “She gets off on seeing people afraid.”

I rock on my heels. Well, fuck me. Letting me realize she’s a threat and then coiling up like a snake, not striking, but not backing down, is a hell of a message. For the first time, the risk in being here is weighty and solid. She’s circling us. Maybe it’s because of her dead boyfriend or maybe it’s something else. “You talked to Demid?”

“Yeah, but my father won’t budge on the terms. Thinks Demid is being unreasonable. Sure—abandon your daughter and grandson to dangle in danger while you determine what’s the best deal for you. You know? He makes me so angry. I’d never leave him in harm’s way.”

“I can’t make a move until our families are safe.” I rub my face with both hands. “She’s got a grudge against me. That much we know. How much does the bitterness matter in the bigger plan? Who really wanted me here? Was it her? Pierre-Jacques? Why do they need the influx of men from the McCaffrey organization? Why do they want to drag the Byrne family into this? Does Jade know Lachlan isn’t Lachlan?”

“That’s a lot of unknowns,” Jay mutters.

“I don’t like our odds at the moment,” I admit. “We’ve gotta start slotting pieces into the puzzle. We need time and space to search the place.”

“Jade and I are going shopping in Belfast tomorrow. So, we’ll be out of the house.”

“Not alone.”

“Kim’s coming, much to both her and Jade’s disgust.” She laughs a little. “They don’t get along.”

“But yet Jade tolerates her and is technically her boss.” I cock my head. “Why?”

“She likes Carys to think she’s weak,” Jay says. “She enjoys Carys’s sympathy. Almost… preens when Carys gives her undivided attention. If she vetoed Kim, she’d lose the weak angle and possibly Carys’s sympathy.”

I glance down at Carys. “That what you think?”

She eyes Jay with a hint of a smile. “You’ve really been paying attention.”

“You and Jade have been talking about a lot of boring shit. Makes it easy to read some body language ’cause there’s fuck all else to do.”

“Maybe sheisfaking it. But we do seem to have a lot in common.”

“What’s Kim say?” I hate asking, but if someone can spot a fake, I suspect she’s it.

“It’s easy to become who someone wants when you know them well enough.” Carys sighs. “So cynical. I will admit Jade has too many faces to be completely sure which is the real one.”

“How’d she respond to you putting the head in her lap?” Jay’s eyes gleam in the moonlight.

I wince. Lorcan must have texted him. I can only imagine how that exchange went. I was hoping to avoid the brutal details with Carys around. She’s never been squeamish, but I’m loath to push her too far with my ruthlessness.

“Head in her lap?” The furrow between her brows deepens.

“Don’t worry.” I rub her back. “I used a box.”

“Please tell me you killed him first.” She squeezes her eyes shut.

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