Page 23 of Her Michigan Mob Boss

She? It must have been Lisa who told him. When I was getting my manicure, we’d chatted a bit. I explained to her why I’d come to Detroit. I must also have mentioned I was staying at this hotel, because this man wouldn’t have found me otherwise.

“Distant cousin.”

“Right.” Mr. O’Hara gave me another of those intensely creepy grins. “We also heard you got mixed up with Ciaran Reilly.”

I didn’t have the chance to ask what he meant bymixed upas Jace stormed over. Though he’d put on a jacket to meet the bar’s strict dress code, he still looked intimidating.

“Fuck off, O’Hara,” Jace snarled.

The shorter man flinched, but didn’t back off. “I’m just having a word with the young lady.”

“Not anymore, you’re not,” Jace spat. “Now get out of here before I break your fucking neck.”

The threat of violence I knew he would follow through on startled me. O’Hara reached into his pocket and Jace tensed. I did too, wondering what he thought was about to happen. O’Hara pulled out a white card and dropped it on the table.

“That’s Mr. Mulhearn’s number. He’s waiting for your call.”

O’Hara cast a scathing glance at Jace and scurried off. Before I could pick up the business card, embossed with gold lettering, Jace snatched it and tore it to shreds.

“What did you to that for?” I demanded.

“Danny Mulhearn is bad news. You don’t need to be messing with him.”

I rolled my eyes. “So I keep hearing, but why? What is so awful about this man?”

Jace eased his six-foot-four frame onto the seat opposite me. “What has Ciaran told you about his business, the family?”

“Not much.” We hadn’t talked much about anything so far. I thought about it for a moment and put two and two together. “Are he and Danny rivals?”

Jace nodded. “They’re in a similar line of business, but Ciaran’s got integrity. He does things a certain way, maintains a standard. In our family, we conduct ourselves with honor. You understand?”

“Yes. So, what, Danny doesn’t follow the rules?”

“Danny Mulhearn’s a lowlife. He doesn’t care who he hurts to get what he wants. That would include you.”

“Okay, but that still doesn’t give you the right to tear up his business card.”

“Yes it does, sweetcheeks. Ciaran told me to protect you, and that’s what I did.”

“By removing my choice?”

“Your choice to do what?” a familiar voice asked from behind me.

I looked over my shoulder to find Ciaran standing there. He was wearing a different suit than the one he’d had on at lunch. It, too, was immaculately tailored. A pale gray, he’d paired it with a white shirt and a black tie. I swallowed hard as I let my gaze trail over him. Damn, that man could fill out a suit.

“I’ll let Annie fill you in.” Jace got to his feet.

“Go help Max,” Ciaran said. “He’s upstairs.”

“Sure thing, boss.”

“Upstairs?” I queried as Jace walked off.

“Max is doing me a small favor. It will go faster if Jace helps him.” Sitting in the seat Jace had just vacated, he offered no further explanation. He pointed to my almost empty glass. “What are you drinking?”

“French martini.”

He raised a hand and a young woman in a black shift dress hurried over. When I’d wanted to order, I waited for over five minutes. With one gesture, Ciaran had her rushing to do his bidding.

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