Page 16 of Forbidden Bond

“Have you tried hospitals?” Lachlan asked.

“He wouldn’t go to a hospital.”

“Where would he go?”

She twisted to glare. “You better not be pumping me for information with ideas of bringing down my guy when your own father is a murderer. Whether Conn is alive or dead, our father killed our grandpapa, he did. Can you believe that? I couldn’t… Let it sink in. It’s all about Manzani. About power. Greed. Money. Our father killed our grandfather because he promised Silvio Manzani votes. Henry was smarter than him, smarter than both of them, he was asking questions. He knew something was going on, something was happening, and he wanted to stop it.”

“Did he know?” Lachlan asked, though not of her. “Did Henry find out you were working with Manzani?” Ronald said nothing. “I’ll back her. Don’t doubt it, Dad. You can dismiss Sersh as crazy, deluded, whatever, but I’ll be with her. You better be ready to trash both of us.”

He’d stand with her because it was the right thing to do, because it was right for their grandfather’s memory.

“I already told her if she comes for me, I come for the McDades.”

“Then you better hope Ire is alive,” Strat said. “He’s the only one who’ll listen to her, and she’s your only chance of getting out of this with your life.”

“The McDades will come for him.” She exhaled and settled in her seat again. “I guess it’s all moot. Why shout about his crimes to the authorities when the families in the city will run him out on a rail? He took the money and failed to deliver. He put a bullet in one McDade and held another captive for almost a week.”

“Not much of a future.”

“You threaten me while allying yourself with a criminal.”

“Who’s a criminal?” Strat asked.

“Ire! Ire McDade!”

“Oh, really?” her friend played it straight. “I didn’t know that about him.” They shared a smile. “I’d love to see the proof of that.”

If the authorities had enough to bring down Conn, they’d have done it. Just like her father claimed now, that she had no proof, he wouldn’t have sufficient proof to back up his claims either.

“You’re both hypocrites.”

Her friend’s wrist slid to the top of the wheel. “Say that’s true, we’re hypocrites and you’re both murderers, you and Ire, like say, hypothetically, it’s true. There’s still one major difference.”

“What’s that?”

“Ire loved her, loves her.” More support from her friend. If she wasn’t ready to accept Conn’s death, Strat wouldn’t either. “She is loyal to him and his people because they all love her. She’s one of them. One of us. She isn’t on the outside, she isn’t judged. Sersha cares about people. You have no fucking idea howfar she’s gone to protect the people she cares about. People I care about. Hell, to protect practical strangers. And that’s without breaking the law.” Though could be classed as the gray zone. “Your daughter is an amazing woman, strong and virtuous…” maybe, sometimes. “You should be proud of her, support her. Maybe if you had…”

She wouldn’t have ended up in Conn’s bed? They wouldn’t be in this mess?

“If she comes for me, if any of you come for me, I guarantee I’ll be the last one standing.”

“Because you’ll abuse your position. Just like you abuse the city’s faith. Like you abused your father’s trust.”

“I won’t take this. You class yourself as a McDade,” her father said. “Judge one by one measure and use another for others? I won’t take it. It’s a double standard.” The truth, unfortunately. “You have no proof of your claims, and I control anyone who might investigate them, which means, like I said, no investigation.”

“Resign.” A single word from Lachlan, who’d been quiet for a while. “Resign your position.” In silence, they reflected on the suggestion. Well, she did, her father was probably dumbfounded. “Today. Right now. Email in your resignation.”

“I will not! Why would I—”

“Because you’re not the right man for the job, you don’t understand it. Proposing to use your position in order to free yourself from a criminal charge proves you don’t understand it. Henry would’ve insisted on this. You know that. You know he would. That’s why you shot him, why you killed him, right? He found out you were in Manzani’s pocket and influencing others to accept his bribes? There are repercussions for that, for what you did. You can’t just get away with doing what you want and lining your own pockets.”

And that was before addressing him being a murderer. Ronald seemed to be taking the fifth.

“I agree,” she said, backing up her brother. “Resign. You expect us to cover up your crimes? To stay silent? You can’t walk back into your life like nothing’s changed.”

“No one would believe it. Why would I suddenly give up a role I value? I excel in it, it’s my life, my purpose—”

“Your family,” Lachlan said. “You’re giving it up to spend more time with your family.”

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