Page 49 of Mob Princess

“Do any of them speak French?” She keeps her voice low but speaks quickly. I know she doesn’t want to be rude.

“Passably, but not as well as me.”

“Would they know what it means?”

“No.”

Her smile’s soft as she nods. I squeeze her hand. All four of us walk to the chairs placed around a coffee table. Lina and I take the sofa while the guys fill the armchairs.

“Lina knows I have to be away, and I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. She needs to go back to Boston tomorrow. She can’t avoid Ewan, and she lives with him. I need you with her until I get back.”

“I’m sorry you have to do this since I’m certain you had other things to do. But I appreciate it. I’m not scared of my brother. I’m nervous about some of his men. If he tells them about Sean and me, then they’ll have plenty to say. He won’t let any of them touch me. I’m safe that way. He’ll kill anyone who tries. I’m not confident they won’t try to fuck with me. I’m not confident he won’t fuck with me. My relationship with my brother is tenuous. He’s going to see this as the utmost betrayal. It won’t go over well, so I might go to a hotel. The best I can hope for is he ignores me like he often does. Sean said you can be discreet and park on the street.”

She glances at me before shifting her gaze between my cousins. It’s Seamus who answers this time.

“We can. We’ll have cars with tinted windows that are just short of being suspicious. We’ll park at opposite ends of the block, facing each other. We’ll see anyone coming from either direction, and we can get to you quickly if need be.”

“I drive or take the T most of the time. I can stay home for a day or two, but then I have appointments next week I need to keep.”

I wonder what those are, but I won’t pry. Neither will Seamus nor Cormac.

“It would be better if we can drive you, but we can have one car in front and one behind yours. We can ride the subway with you.” Cormac offers her a reassuring smile.

Most people don’t believe my cousins are the shy ones of the six of us. They have the best manners because of it. We’ve all had chivalry ingrained in us since birth. It comes naturally to us all by now, but they’re the ones who always wrote thank you cards after their birthdays and Christmas without my aunt insisting. Fecking mother’s pets.

We all have no problem swearing. We swear like sailors. But the lesson drilled deepest into us was never swear in front of women and children, and never swear to or about family. We all abide by that, even in our heads. We’re in our thirties and still believe our parents have telepathy. They’d just know. So, none of us risk it.

“I’d like to accept that offer without a second thought, but I will have an impossible time explaining why I’m getting into a vehicle with tinted windows that isn’t part of my brother’s fleet. Maybe I could meet you at the T station instead. We wouldn’t ride, but I could get in the car there. Anything but getting into your car on my brother’s block.”

Seamus shoots a glance at me before answering. “If that’s what you want, we can do that. But one of us will follow you from your brother’s place to the station. You will not walk alone.”

“I didn’t think I would. I went through this the first year I moved down here for college. My grandfather insisted I have a bodyguard with me at all times. I didn’t mind the first few weeks because New York can be overwhelming without worrying about which international syndicate might use you for target practice.”

That hardly reassures me. She must guess because she leans a little against me before continuing.

“But it got inconvenient when I wanted to do things I didn’t want reported to my grandfather. I wanted to be a normal college first year. I became an expert at slipping past them. It’s no small wonder national security intrigues me.” She grins. “But all of that’s to say, I know the protocols and routines.”

I watch my cousins as I speak. “I want you to have a burner that has my number, Seamus’s, Cormac’s, my brothers’, and our other cousin Dillan’s. Don’t use it for anything but to contact Seamus and Cormac or to contact me if there’s an emergency.”

They nod their agreement, not that I thought they’d say anything otherwise.

“Hang on.” She gets up and goes to the bedroom. She’s only gone for a minute before she reappears. She’s carrying four burners. What the hell?

“Do you always travel with that many?” It shocks me, but it’s good to see they’re still in their original packaging.

“Yes. And these don’t include the one Ewan gave me. I’m not paranoid, but I am cautious since I’m traveling alone. I was coming here to spy on and hack a rival family. It’s not like I wanted to leave breadcrumbs for your family to follow.”

“But you texted Justin on your regular phone. Texted me on it.”

“Because I didn’t feel the need for anonymity. It would have made Justin suspicious if I had. He probably would have kicked the door in. I haven’t with you because if this is going anywhere, then hiding texts with you is pointless. Everyone will know soon enough.”

I hate the word “if.” There’s no if. It is going somewhere. I just pray it’s not straight into the shitter. Will Lina change her mind once she’s back in Boston, away from me? When her brother pressures her? When her grandfather has something—plenty—to say?

I glance at my phone to see the time. Fucking hell. I have to go. I can’t linger much longer.

“It’s time.”

I stand and help Lina to her feet as Cormac and Seamus rise too. They say nothing as they move to inspect the suite, ignoring the bedroom where they know Lina and I were. Cormac checks the windows, peering down at the street below. Seamus is patrolling, looking out for anything that could be used as a weapon. Either for or against them. I draw Lina into my embrace. We wrap our arms around each other’s waists and stare into each other’s eyes.

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