Page 49 of Dublin Devil

I meet his stony stare with my own. “You think Piper will attack Laine? You’re taking paranoia to a whole new level there, brother.”

Tag shrugs. “Whether or not you acknowledge it, you brought someone into our home who is not only an unknown danger, but who also has a mafia family hunting for her.”

“Well, that sounds familiar. Wasn’t Aiden spewing those exact words at you when you brought Laine here? You knew heroneday when you brought her home. And she had not only a Chicago crime family searching for her but a psychotic husband.”

Tag’s gaze narrows. “You’d be wise to leave Laine out of this.”

“You were the one who brought her into it.”

It doesn’t escape my attention that Finn, Brendan, and Bryan have grown unnaturally quiet.Whatever.Tag may think Laine is the center of the universe, but her coming here was messy, too.

Still, they got through it, and it all worked out.

“At least we’ve known Piper her entire life and know what we’re dealing with, right? There are no surprises, so we can plan for the fallout.”

Tag frowns. “You say that like it’s an advantage. Aye, we know her, but we also know how bad it will be if Gravely and an army of men come take her from us. Whether or not you want to admit it, her being here endangers Laine, our baby, as well as Cora and Connor.”

I feel bad about that. Especially since Connor is still in a cast with a broken leg after being attacked by Laine’s dead husband.

“Give me one night to rest and regain my strength. Tomorrow, I’ll find a spot and move her somewhere you find more suitable.”

Tag lets off a long sigh. “Fine. Tomorrow works.”

When Tag turns to leave, I feel the anger and tension between us, and it doesn’t sit well. “I’m really not trying to jam up the family, T. She was terrified to go back, and with Gravely closing in, I wanted her safe until she could make her own choices.”

Tag dips his chin. “Until tomorrow, then.”

Piper

Tears stream down my cheeks and drip to leave damp spots on the t-shirt I’ve been wearing for days now. It’s Sean’s, and the black fabric hangs to my mid-thighs.

When he first gave it to me to wear, it was gallant and the swoony girl in me softened to the man who was kind to me when no one else was.

And while I don’t regret a moment I’ve spent with him, hiding from my family changes nothing. In truth, it’s shifted the focus of my father and his men and got my brother killed.

The loss of Ryan so soon after Declan compounds the hollow ache in my heart. We weren’t that close—given that there were almost twelve years between Declan and me and more than ten between Ryan and me.

By the time I was old enough to understand that I had six brothers, Niall, Declan, and Ryan, had already moved out to a flat of their own and were busy learning the family business.

Their mother was Aimee, Da’s first wife, and when she died, the boys were only toddlers. From what people say, Da loved her with all his heart and after her death, he was never the same.

He married my mother a couple of years later and while it’s never smart to judge the relationships of others, I’d say they have always been a smart match, but not a love match.

They are partners. They are aligned in focus. And they each do their part to keep the family strong.

It’s not the kind of marriage I want.

I want passion, kindness, and for my children to know they are cherished for who they are—regardless of whether they are a boy or a girl.

Because in our household, the boys mattered. Period. End of story. I was always left behind and dismissed as being too young, naïve, or delicate to understand the cruel realities of our lives.

Niall, Declan, and Ryan were more like Da’s favorite enforcers that came around the house for holidays. They escorted me to school at times. They intimidated boys who stopped to talk to me. But they never treated me like family.

Still, Ryan was my brother, and my mother loved him as if he was her biological son. She must know by now that he’s dead and will be grieving.

It hurts my heart to know that while she grieves Declan and Ryan, she’s likely also worried and hurting that I’m missing.

Does she know how badly Vladmir and Arkady hurt me? Would she ever have let Da promise me to them if she’d known the way they would treat me?

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