Page 28 of Shattered Empire (Shattered World)

“If you lose focus in a fight,” Seamus scolded, “you die.”

My lip curled into a snarl. “And if you keep pushing me,” I taunted, “so will you.”

“Feisty today.” Kiernan laughed from the doorway. I kept my focus on Seamus, but a slight movement from behind my brother drew my attention.

“Fuck.”

I was pretty sure I saw stars when Seamus landed a punch to my jaw, knocking me off balance and sending me careening to the floor.

“Seamus!” Bailey’s voice was panicked. “You need to be more careful.”

The motherfucker shrugged as he watched his girlfriend peel me off the floor.

“She should have been paying attention,astoré.”

Bailey rolled her eyes at my brother, then turned back to me. “Ava, there’s a delivery for you upstairs.”

“Wait,” Seamus called out. “I’m not done kicking your ass yet.”

I flipped him off as I headed up the stairs to the main floor.

The bar was empty at this time of day. No one but my father, the twins, and Bailey were usually around, except the few kitchen employees who came in early to prep for the night’s crowd. Marianne was blissfully never around unless my grandmother forced her to help, which wasn’t a lot because Liam couldn’t stand the bickering between the hotheaded pair.

A small, unmarked box sat on the bar top. I wasn’t expecting any packages except the one from Portland, but it was too tiny to be filled with evidence.

“Came by special courier.” My father spoke up from behind the bar where he was polishing glasses. “O’Malley’s boys dropped it off. Said it was urgent.”

I winced. My father wasn’t on the best terms with the O’Malleys.

“Want to tell me what is so important that it has them risking their lives to deliver it here?”

There was only one person it could be from. The officer from Portland where the O’Malleys were based. No one else knew I was here.

“It was supposed to be evidence from the night my mother was murdered.”

Tilting his head, he studied the box for a moment before he frowned. “Seems a wee bit small for that.”

A smile tilted my lips.

We really were alike.

I shrugged. “Might as well find out what she sent me.”

Liam nodded and grabbed a pair of scissors, cutting away the tape in a few quick slips. I opened the flaps to reveal a small black burner phone nestled among some foam.

I picked it up and turned it on.

There was only one number programmed into the directory. Before I could second-guess myself, I dialed it.

“Jesus, those couriers are slow,” a woman huffed as she picked up. “Took you long enough to call.”

“Took you long enough to send something my way,” I shot back. “I didn’t ask for a phone call. I asked for a box of evidence.”

The woman on the other end of the line snorted and chomped her gum.

“Yeah, well,” she sighed again, “things came up, and that’s why I’m calling.”

“Please tell me you didn’t lose my box of evidence.”

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