Page 44 of Forbidden Bond

If her guy was raising his voice, only one guy would be bold enough to give it back.

“He did look for me,” she muttered.

“Whoa, fucking hell, look for you—”

“Daly,” Hock said, strolling on up. “We got work?”

“I don’t know, ask Bluebell. We have work?”

“What work?”

“We going anywhere?”

“My guy has,” she said. “You seen him around?”

Both guys laughed.

The way Hock’s shoulders went back broadened his already formidable chest. “No one sees Ire these days. Just Niall.”

“Yeah, maybe he doesn’t exist anymore.”

For the duration they’d been apart, it felt that way.

“Oh, he exists,” she said. “I can vouch for that. I’d submit to an exam to confirm it, but he wouldn’t like that. How long have the guys been here?”

“Our numbers are growing. We’re keeping things low-key at Stag.”

“Because…?”

Hock and Daly shrugged.

“We’re not top of the phone tree.”

“Something’s going on,” Daly said. “Been a lot of chat, a lot of activity. Manzanis are thinking about it.”

“Thinking about what?”

“Making a move,” Daly answered. “Makes guys like us nervous.”

And women like her too, her friends were out there vulnerable. “I want Strat here.”

“We can bring him in if—”

“I’ll call him before we go full deployment.” Her friend wouldn’t argue, he’d want to see she was okay too. The request didn’t require an abduction, just an invitation. “What about Lachlan?”

“Your brother?” The guys looked at each other. “I’d ask the boss before making that call.”

She raised her hands. “This is the McDade Mansion! I had no idea it was still in the family.”

“Hasn’t been the base since Clancy left, way I hear it anyway.”

“Do you know where Conn is?” The guys would get in less trouble if she heard this from their leader’s lips too. Seeing him and hearing him were two different things, and they claimed to have done the latter. “Is he still in the building?”

“No fucking idea,” Hock said.

“Word is he hasn’t been venturing far. Could be because of his—”

“Let the boss talk to her about that.”

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