Page 11 of Taken By the Mobster

Conor turned on his best friend. “What the fuck, Declan?”

Declan shook a cigarette out of the package in his pocket and lit it. He took a deep drag and stared at the floor. He shook his head. “I don’t know. Walsh sets me off.”

Conor sat on the edge of the recliner. “He has always set you off. If I hadn’t stepped between you two, you would have taken him out.”

Declan shrugged, a frown on his face. “If he tells Clyde she’s alive—.”

“He won’t,” Conor interjected. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Declan nodded. “Just keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn’t contact Clyde. Also, I need you to do something for me.”

Conor snorted. “You mean something else?”

“Yeah. I need you to put your computer and research skills to the test and find out who Olivia really is.”

“What do you mean?” Conor asked. “I don’t understand.”

“I don’t think Olivia Miller is who she says she is,” Declan explained. “She’s not just a widow living in a tiny Pennsylvania town working at a bank. She slipped up. When I was in there talking to her, she told me she wouldn’t tell the Feds about Clyde. Even though none of us ever mentioned his name to her, she still knows it. She mentioned the Muldoons and the O’Reillys too. She said it was because she’s from Boston, but I don’t believe her. I want answers. I need you to dig, find out everything you can about her.”

Conor pushed himself out of the chair. “On it, boss.”

Declan crossed his arms over his chest and tried to get comfortable in the small recliner. His feet hung off the end, and a loose coil poked him in the back. He could have slept in the master bedroom on the cot they’d set up, but he’d taken the first watch and then the second watch when he couldn’t sleep. Walsh hadn’t complained; he willingly went back to bed.

Declan had slept little the last year. Most nights he’d get two or three hours or, if he was lucky, four. Ever since Clyde took Sarah from him and kidnapped Drew, sleep had been an elusive friend he couldn’t quite capture.

For the last year, three months, and twenty-four days, Clyde had controlled his life, using his brother to keep him in line. Declan couldn’t escape, not as long as Clyde had Drew. He had to do what Clyde wanted. He had no choice.

Declan must have dozed off because the next time he opened his eyes, the light had changed. He groaned and sat up.

“Morning, sunshine,” Conor said. He tapped the ashes from the tip of his cigarette into a ceramic bowl on the table.

“What time is it?” Declan asked.

Conor checked his watch. “A few minutes after six. Walsh and Murphy are still asleep.” He shifted in his seat and pointed at the laptop on the table. “I need to show you something.”

“Is there coffee?”

Conor nodded. “Yeah.” He pointed at the pot on the table. “It’s fresh. I just made it.”

Declan climbed out of the chair, groaning as his back spasmed and his neck popped. He grabbed a Mickey Mouse mug off the counter, returned to the table, and dropped into the chair beside Conor. He filled the mug with coffee, took a sip, and looked at his best friend.

“I take it you found something?” Declan asked.

“Oh yeah, I definitely found something.” He put the computer in front of Declan and tapped the screen.

On it was a picture of Clyde with a woman. They must have taken it when they were on the move because it was blurry and out of focus. Declan couldn’t see much of the woman, just a vague profile and dark blonde hair.

“What am I looking at?”

Conor tapped the computer screen. “I think that’s Olivia,” he said.

Declan sat up straight. “What? You think that’s Olivia with Clyde?”

Conor took another drag of his cigarette. “Yeah, I do.” He tapped more ashes into the ceramic dish. “Do you know how many Olivia Millers there are in the United States?”

“I’m guessing a lot,” Declan replied.

“Yeah, a lot. But not one of them lives in Pennsylvania and works at a bank.” Conor tapped the keyboard on the laptop and opened another screen. “It took some digging, but I found an Olivia Miller staying at a cheap motel a few blocks from the bank. She’s only been there for a couple of months, and she always pays for her room in cash. I pulled the employee records from the bank. Olivia has worked there for six weeks. Prior to that, I can’t find anything about an Olivia Miller in northern Pennsylvania.”

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