Page 109 of Forbidden Need

Daly was a few paces behind her. Hock and Snuff were on the other side, but aligned with—shit, Lach was on the move again.

“Stop running away from me. Can we talk about this?”

“About what? You and your team of enforcers? Your gang of investigators, breaking laws and apparently limbs—”

“So you’re allowed to investigate and I’m not? That’s bullshit. Damn your skills, your badge is a liability in this investigation, you said so yourself. Being a cop, your investigation could jeopardize any prosecution that—”

“And you think beating on people will secure a prosecution? Or does Ire plan on murdering the perpetrator? An eye for an eye?”

“You won’t even give him a chance to—”

“He’s a criminal!” He stopped by a car and the lights flashed. “The man has murdered people. I may not have proof, but I know it. He’s killed, tortured, maimed—this is not a good man. And now I have to see this? See what he’s turned you into?”

“He loves me.”

He opened the driver’s door. “You should hear yourself. Hear how ridiculous you sound when—”

“He gives me the power to do what I need to do.”

“That’s right, I forgot, they’re your family. Not the McLeods. Not me and Dad—the way you spoke to him yesterday—”

“I’d do it again.” She folded her arms. “He better stay the hell away from me.”

“Or what? He’ll be next in line for your enforcers? Yeah, sure, McDade hasn’t changed you.”

“Dad and I never got along. That’s no newsflash.”

“This is just how McDade likes you: isolated.”

“You’re doing that yourself.”

“I didn’t toss Dad out on his ass. I didn’t humiliate and embarrass him—”

“No, but he’s been doing it to us for long enough. He doesn’t like a taste of his own medicine?”

“He just lost his father. You can’t even give him a second to grieve. Now he has to lose his daughter too?”

“His choice.”

“Lose her to an evil that’s spreading through the city, darkening the streets he loves.”

Oh, yeah, now it was her turn to be incredulous. “Dad doesn’t love this city. He loves his status in it. And I don’t want to hear a damn word about him suffering when he’s in a mess of his own making. If you didn’t notice, in our meetings, he made no effort to communicate, to work with anyone, he showed no concern about finding his father’s killer. Ever wonder why? You and I have wrung our resources, we’re fighting for justice. What’s he fighting for? Nothing. He hardly bats an eye.”

“Why are you so desperate to judge him?”

“Why are you so desperate to defend him?”

“He works hard to make our streets safer—”

She laughed. “Shit, Lach, you keep on singing that tune. You have no idea. No idea. And you say I sound ridiculous defending Conn?”

“Our father is family, blood. He has integrity. Loyalty to the people of this city. He’s honorable, serves a noble purpose. He’s—”

“On the take.” Someone would have to tell him sometime. Though from the look on Lachlan’s face, the shock equated with catching a bullet. “He’s not righteous and noble, he’s as corrupt as every other official out there.”

“No.”

“I’m sorry. I know how difficult this is, but—”

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