Page 77 of Mob Bride

“What do you think of all of that?” I want Shane’s opinion because he looked skeptical from the get-go.

“I’m not sure yet. I didn’t know there was an attack on Bartlomiej, and I definitely don’t know who did it because the list of candidates is pretty fecking long. However, the bit about the apple makes no sense whatsoever, and it definitely felt like you caught her in a lie at the end. I don’t know who put her up to that, or if she came up with it on her own, but she definitely wanted to trip you up or get you to come running to whichever syndicate member she thinks you’re with.” He flashes me a bright smile.

“What do we do about that?”

His smile drops as he thinks about my question. “I need to talk to the others and see if they’ve heard anything, but I know it wasn’t us, Carrie.”

“Are you waiting your turn?”

He says nothing. He simply stares at me.

That’s as good as saying yes. I don’t know how I feel about that. I’m conflicted since part of me is still a law enforcementofficer, and the other part of me is—I don’t know what the fuck I am to Shane.

Maybe a girlfriend? I don’t know.

My mind isn’t quite sure how to fill in that blank, but whatever I am, it’s more than just an acquaintance. It makes me think he’d retaliate on my behalf. If not for me alone, then because Bartlomiej went after something that’s his.

The machismo in syndicates is real. They have to constantly one-up each other, and if Bartlomiej threatened Shane, he has to react. It makes me wonder if another syndicate already feels that way about Bartlomiej and just acted on it.

Not necessarily about a woman, but because he wronged them. If it’s the bratva, it must go beyond just fucking up the deal between him and the Russians, then between him and the Armenians. It’s all so fucking complicated. You practically need a map to draw out the spider webs of how the syndicates connect. Like, for a long time, the Italians and the Irish got along, but for just as much time, they’ve been rivals. Right now, I’m uncertain how things stand.

“Do you need to call them now or go over there?”

“It would be best if I called. I’m not leaving you here, and I don’t want to take you out into the open, especially not after what we just learned. I need to confirm the attack happened before I believe what Angela said. I have a sneaking suspicion something went wrong, but it was nothing like what she described. Let me figure out what’s happening, and then we can go from there. If somebody saw you with Bartlomiej or figured out you were involved with him,andyou weren’t with him during the attack, then you’re not only still Bartlomiej’s target, but you’re also possibly somebody else’s too.”

That does nothing to set my mind at ease, but I know Shane’s right. I sit and stare at the phone in my hand, and I wonder what I should do next.

“Shane, do you think I should dump this burner and start using a different one to keep them from being able to call me?”

“No, I don’t think that’s necessary yet. It doesn’t have GPS on, so between that and the jammers here at the house, they can’t trace you. You’re safe from that point of view. Nobody’s getting in here unless I say they can, so I’m not worried about that either. But the moment we leave the house, it opens us up to an attack. We don’t need to make ourselves vulnerable for no reason.”

“All right, do you still want to watch a movie?” I offer him a tentative smile as I suggest we try to make things as normal as possible.

“We can, but let me call my family first. I need to take this in my office. I don’t know what else might come up. Okay?”

“Yeah, I understand.”

He walks away, and I’m left looking at the TV screen. I don’t know how long all of this will take, so I pull up a TV show I’ve seen every episode of. It doesn’t matter how many times I watchWings, I still love it. It’s a classic to me. I’ve gone through all the seasons several times, so it’s a mindless way to keep me company right now.

I can hear murmurs from Shane’s office, but I can’t understand what he’s saying. There’s more than just his voice, so he must have it on speakerphone. Is he doing something else while he’s on the phone, so he doesn’t want to cradle it against his ear?

The temptation to find out what he’s saying is overwhelming. I feel compelled to know because I don’t enjoy feeling so helpless right now. Even though I trust Shane, and I want to believe he’d tell me at least some of what is going on, I don’t enjoy feeling this out of control. Knowing he’s helping should be enough. It was a while ago, but Angela’s call shook me more than I realized.

I let temptation get the better of me. I know I shouldn’t do this, but I go ahead and creep toward Shane’s office. The door’s closed. Clearly a sign I’m not invited. I don’t quite put my ear to the door. I’m not that bad. But then, I don’t have to. I can hear the voices from inside. They’re muffled, but I can still make out what the men are saying.

If Shane wanted me to hear this conversation, then I’d be part of it.

My conscience screams this is wrong. Amazing how I’ve recently learned to ignore it so easily. I don’t know who’s who on the call besides Shane.

It’s Shane who’s speaking now, so his words are easy to catch. “I don’t give a rat’s flying fecking arse what happened to them in Boston. I want them at the station now. I’ll go tonight once I’m sure Carrie’s safe here and settled in. When I show up, they better be stripped to their pasty arse skin and hanging by a hook ready for me. Rough them up a little if that’s what it takes to get them there, but leave them alive enough for me to work them over and get my pound of flesh.”

I think it’s Dillan who speaks next. “And if they’re already pretty fecked-up from whatever happened?”

“Feed them and water them and get them back to being conscious because I want them to be awake when I walk in. I want them to know there are consequences for touching my woman.”

“Your woman?” This is an unfamiliar voice.

“Yes, Finn, my woman. And don’t act like you’ve never called your wife that before.”

---