Page 6 of Retribution

“What’s that?” His voice carries a hint of an accent that isn’t Bostonian. Of course, I know from the file his parents sent him and his brother to boarding school in Ireland.

“Everything.” Carys beams at me.

“That’s quite a compliment.” Lorcan takes a drink and tilts it in my direction. “What do you think of that?”

“It’s not much of an exaggeration.”

He chuckles and again his gaze roves over my face as though he’s trying to piece me together. My hot-pink dress is garnering little attention from him. Should I be pleased or offended?

“You got any mates? I’m looking for someone like you.”

Carys tightens her grip on me and sips her whiskey. “She’s taken. Keep your mitts off her.”

He raises his glass, eyeing me over the top. “People who can be bought aren’t for me, Carys. You know that.”

She scoffs. “Not true, Lorcan. Idoknow you. I’ve played this all wrong. I should have told you she was thinking about leaving my organization.”

“Iamterribly unhappy.” My gaze connects with Lorcan’s, and I offer a mischievous smile.

An answering smile spreads across his face. “That so? Now, Carys, you need to treatyour everythingwoman a touch better before someone swoops in and sweeps her away.”

“As long as you aren’tthe someone, Lorcan.” She glances at me. “I appreciate the effort, but I’m afraid once he’s on the hunt, he can’t be deterred.”

“You make me sound terrible.” Amusement pours out of him.

“I used to like you,” Carys says. “Finn, on the other hand…”

“… is an acquired taste.” Lorcan’s grin fades. “One I’ve gone off recently.”

She glances at me and then back to Lorcan. I’ve seen that look on her face before. She’s trying to figure out the best approach.

“Sorry to hear that,” I murmur, surprised by the sudden chill in the air.

His lips quirk up. “You wouldn’t be sorry if you knew him.” He empties his whiskey. “It’s been a pleasure, ladies. Thank you for the drink. You know me well, Carys.” With a nod to his men, Lorcan drifts into the crowd, leaving me and Carys to finish our drinks on our own.

“Shit.” She sighs and taps her glass with a fingernail. “I should have left Finn out of it.”

“Can’t ask him if he wants a deal without letting him know there’s a deal to be done.”

“Their organization buys arms, just not from me.” Carys purses her lips. “It should be me. It’d be a good time to slip in there. Maybe we can still salvage it later.”

“Are you doing that or…”

“If you get a chance to ask, fine by me. Plant a seed, see if it grows.”

Lorcan breezes through the crowd with his two burly security guards trailing behind him. He’s a small fish in an arms world. Carys does much bigger, more ethically comprised deals than this. She hasn’t let me near those yet. If I get out of here tonight with what I want, I’ll never see them. I’m going to need to work fast to recapture his attention. His late arrival means there are two hours until this event finishes, and he’s cut our conversation short.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“You’re not one to be charmed,” Carys draws out the words, and I think she must be watching Lorcan like me.

I smirk and raise my eyebrows. “Is there a but?”

A smile plays on her lips. “No, I suppose there isn’t.”

“You’ve got nothing to worry about,” I say. “If I can get him to consider a deal, I will. And, if not, it’s been a pleasant evening. We haven’t been to an event like this in a while.” I knock back the rest of my whiskey and wiggle my glass at her. “Another?”

“No, I have people I want to connect with. Tonight is bigger than I expected.”

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