Page 146 of With Us

“But he—”

“Was a crooked politician, a thief, and a pedophile.”

I pulled back. “What?”

“He had a strung-out teenage runaway upstairs. One of many in his history. He stole money from the government, was involved in some seriously nasty shit, and made it his personal mission to knock up every woman in America.”

Suddenly, I wasn’t feeling as awful about his death.

You’re a bad person, Dahlia.

Black souled with a charred aura.

“I knew he was creepy and off-putting, but I’d just assumed it was a typical politician thing,” I muttered.

“No, he took it to another level.”

“But he wasn’t the first person you’d…” I couldn’t bring myself to finish.

He knew what I was saying anyway. “No.” There was a desperation in his gaze as he pushed closer to me, dipping his face to mine. “It isn’t a daily thing. And it’s never without reason.” He straightened, but didn’t step away. “Half the city is run by the Irish. Before things began to change in both factions, we were at war. A lot more fighting, more blood, more casualties. With RICO, the arrests of old-school bosses, and the increase of outside crime, we realized we couldn’t be against each other. We set parameters and stay within them. The Irish operate differently than us. The reward is greater, but so is the risk. To us, family is everything. In order to keep targets off not only our backs, but our families’, we needed to change.”

Looking at him, I tried to picture the Theo from our first date. Attentive and thoughtful, he hadn’t even kissed me goodbye.

I couldn’t form the image in my head. Instead, all I saw were blazing eyes, his body taut as he took me with blood covering his hands. The same hands that touched me. Held me and offered gentle affection. Made me come.

My stomach twisted again, the knot so tight I’d swear it’d never loosen.

Thinking of our first date reminded me of my next question. “Did you have Niall following me on the T before our Revel date?”

He didn’t hesitate, nor did he look ashamed. “Yes. And I’m fucking glad I did.”

“Did he…hurtthose jerks?”

“Not him. Someone else did.” When my eyes widened, he added, “Justhurt. Roughed them up with a warning not to fuck with anyone else.”

“Any other times I was followed?”

“Yes.”

I slowly nodded, letting that sink in. “Any other times you or someone else interfered?”

This time he did pause. His gaze shifted to the side, shooting back to mine when I tried to duck under his arms.

I looked at him through narrowed eyes. “I told you, I need all of the truth, not just half.”

“Yes,” he answered, spitting the word like he had to force it out.

“When?”

“Mystic Stones.” I opened my mouth, but he spoke over me. “He was already giving Wendy bad advice. It would’ve been only a few more months before she’d have had to close anyway. I just sped up the process.”

Other than the dream version, I didn’t know Mystic Stones. He was an idiot and a con, but he didn’t deserve the same as the punks on the train.

“How?” I asked.

“Money. No one laid a hand on him, Dahlia,fuck.” He moved back a few inches, shaking his head. “I offered him cash. He gladly accepted and was on the phone with Wendy before the door closed behind me.”

“And my apartment?”

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