Page 118 of Forbidden Bond

Did he need any more reasons? She’d keep going if necessary.

“You heard what Whisper said. She leaves her guy to do his thing ‘cause if she was around, she’d fuck with his head. You want to fuck with Ire’s head?”

“No.”

Wasn’t that why she’d refused to call him in the car? Conn needed a clear space, safety to strategize. Worrying about her would steal his focus unnecessarily.

“Trust me, from a guy’s point of view, he needs to know you’re safe or nothing else matters.”

Such a double standard that no one seemed to acknowledge. “Everyone’s so worried what he’d do if I was missing, why can’t anyone see Conn’s missing? I don’t know where he is. If he’s hurt, if he’s—”

“He’s in the thick of it.” Lach’s voice brought her around. “He’s at the club. Alive.”

“How do you know?” she asked, flashing a look back, then forward. “Why did you come that way? You came in the back?”

“Checked on Dad first.” Oh, nice, so the murdering patriarch was more important than her sanity? “Because this isn’t the time for him to be pushing McDades. There’s a reason Ire put me in charge of him. Turns out, our dad’s a difficult prisoner.”

“No shit.” Ronald McLeod was used to being the one carrying the keys. “I don’t care what happens to him right now,” or at all, “but you… You brought him here then went back to Stag?”

“That was the plan,” Lachlan said. “Your guy’s been preparing this strategy for a while. I took point on Dad.”

Strat added a little clarity. “Other prisoners had other… jailors.”

Like Ford with Evander, maybe Play with Madison. Arrangements hadn’t only been for their enemies and assets either. Niall transporting her to Strat and getting her out of there pronto was no coincidence. Shit, even if he hadn’t known the when, Conn had been fully prepared for the Byrne invasion.

“When did he tell you—how did you—”

“You want to have this conversation here?”

In McDade territory, it didn’t occur to her to be vigilant. This was deeper inside than Stag, more than the loft in some ways too.

“It doesn’t matter where we have the conversation,” she said, though sailed past her brother to ascend the stairs. “You want somewhere private?” Resting a hand on the banister, she looked back to her friend. “Strat, you don’t get off easy. You’re in on this too.”

“Because I haven’t shown my loyalty enough tonight?” he asked, smirking, following her brother on his approach. “I don’t referee my own kids, why do I got to referee you two?”

She went into the office and propped herself against the desk while the guys came in and closed the door.

“Talk.”

“That an order, little sister?” Lachlan asked, half-smiling. “Look at you, in the big chair.”

“I’m not in any chair. I want to know the man I love is safe. What is so wrong with that? I want to know what happened to our home. I want to know why anyone would think attacking us would be justified.”

“Ire has something Byrne wants.”

Someone actually. “Blasting into Stag like they did—how did they get in?”

“Drove right through the front of the building.”

That was more horrific than anything she’d imagined.

“They drove into the building? Into it?” That suggested losses. “Who was hurt?”

“Don’t think anyone’s done a body count yet. Ire’s busy rounding up Byrnes. Turns out bringing Dad and others here was a good idea. Ire’s going to need the space at Stag.”

Sliding her ass onto the desk, she threw up her arms. “Explain this to me. How do you know so much about Stag?”

“Think the cops only know what the families share? There’s been stories of the McDades basement for years. Generations.”

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