Page 36 of Forbidden Need

“That what you’re here for?” Lachlan asked. “To take over? I don’t think so, McDade.”

“We are not on opposite sides of this,” Connel said. “Pride is the only reason to shut me out.”

Pride again. Shit. Maybe the McLeods weren’t that different from the McDades.

“How do we know you weren’t involved?” her father demanded. “Maybe you orchestrated this whole thing.”

“To what end?” Connel asked. “Why would I hurt a man important to Sersha?”

“You may have drawn my daughter in with your lies, but you won’t manipulate me.”

“Okay,” Connel said. “That’s an interesting take, Superintendent.” His focus switched to her brother. “Tomorrow. In the club at noon. Whoever wants to solve this should be there.”

Lachlan grew discerning. “We won’t share information with you.”

“I shouldn’t be surprised,” Connel said. “None of you trusted Sersha enough to involve her in the first place. Doesn’t matter. She has her own team, people loyal to her who will make this their life until it’s solved. I’ll see to it.”

“You’re full of shit,” her father spat.

Lachlan faltered. “He’s not lying. Imogen’s on it.”

“Jagger Dunn, Strat’s son,” Connel said. “She even has the ear of the Manzanis. Something none of you can claim… in public.” She caught his hand when he muttered those last words. He linked their fingers but didn’t turn around. “This can be adversarial, or we accept where we are and deal with each other.”

“Accept where we are?” Lachlan asked. “Where is that?”

“Yes!” Her father stormed over to his son’s side. “Where are we? The way I look at it, nothing has changed since this morning. Except we now know you took callous advantage of a weak woman.”

She didn’t want to look at the audience gawping at the scene, and couldn’t see Connel’s face from behind him, so she was as startled as anyone when he laughed.

“A weak woman…” His laugh died on a rough, “mm” that vibrated in the back of his throat. “Sersha McLeod…” The way he drew out her name was peculiar. Was he talking to her or about her? “She is not a weak woman. Anyone who thinks that is an idiot. Sersha’s strength gets her through every day. And I can see she didn’t get that quality from you.”

“You think you can come in here and insult us?”

“You think I’ll stand here quiet while you insult her?”

“Okay,” she said, leaping around Connel to quell the ire before it rose any further. “It’s late, everyone is tired. No one should say anything they might regret tomorrow.” Connel’s chest was hard, warm. Her hand was up there, all on its own, stroking him. Connel was in her apartment with her dad and brother. The others didn’t matter. But he was there. He’d come to her. “Why did you come?” Her words escaped on a breath. “Why did you come here tonight? You knew I wouldn’t be alone.”

“Aye,” he said, his gaze searching hers.

“You came here for me,” she whispered.

“You sacrificed your honor for my liberty.”

“You don’t owe me anything. I couldn’t let you sacrifice your liberty for my honor. You could’ve gone to prison. For life. And all you needed to do when they asked for your alibi was say my name. I wouldn’t have lied.”

“Your wishes were clear.”

“And now?” she asked.

Her wish to keep them a secret might have been clear and the reason they ended their affair, but that was no more.

“The only barrier to this that existed has gone,” he said, laying a hand on hers to guide it up, under the edge of his shirt to his skin beneath. “Put another obstacle in front of me and I’ll obliterate it, Macushla. You declared it to the world tonight. You’re all in. Mine. No going back now.”

Curling her fingers, her nails dug into the ink beneath them, his stag head tattoo. “I’m a McDade.”

“Aye.”

“This is too—”

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