Page 52 of Lucky Strike

Images of Owen and Sloane Kelly, gathered on the deck behind their house in the country with their friends, come to mind. “Your godparents. They’re involved too, aren’t they?”

He squeezes my hand. I take that as a yes.

“But I thought …” My mind races as I try desperately to assimilate this information. The Kelly family, who I have known and adored forever, has a much darker side than I ever could have dreamed possible. “I didn’t think they were active anymore.”

“Things got hot in Boston during the nineties, so we went underground,” he says. “Adapted with the times.”

“Is this why you went to college in Belfast?”

“Partly.” He nods. “We have a lot of family there. My dad wanted me to make connections. Understand where we came from.”

“What does it mean to be a part of this syndicate?” I ask. “What kind of stuff do you do?”

“Whatever it takes.”

My head swims. Pulling my hand away, I climb off the bed and stumble over to the window. Drawing the curtains aside, I press my forehead against the cool glass. “You said it was dangerous for me to know, so why are you telling me all of this now?"

"Because I don’t want to lie to you anymore,” he says. “And because someone’s started making moves, interfering in how we make money?—"

I look over my shoulder. “The Bratva.”

Conlan’s lips thin. “Yes.”

“And how do you make money?”

He gets to his feet so fast that Shelby yips. “That, you don’t need to know.”

A chill runs down my spine. My father went to jail for his involvement in low-level gang activity. It ruined his life, and by extension, my mother’s. And now I’m living in a Saoirse member’shouse, as intimately connected to the world of organized crime as I can get without participating in it myself. The things I heard Conlan and Tristan talking aboutslam into me with nauseating force. What exactly are they up to? Could I be caught in the middle of a violent conflict? What about Liam?

“Now do you understand why I didn’t want you working here? Why I sent you away the day you interviewed?”

“But then you hired me anyway.” I turn from the window to face him. “Why? And don’t give me that line about Maeve and Nola.”

“Because Liam is my first priority, and I didn’t really have a choice. You were my best bet.” Guilt pulls his gaze from mine. “The safest option.”

His words hang heavily between us. The safest option for Liam, but also for him. His family. He knew, in his heart, that I’d never tell. I’d never blow up their spot. I don’t know how I should feel about that. And Maeve … I wish she’d trusted me enough to tell me herself. I thought we knew everything about each other. “It’s interesting that you care so much about trust when you and your sister let me make choices based on only some of the facts.”

"I understand if you want to leave now that you know everything," Conlan says, his voice soft as he approaches. "I won't hold it against you.”

I shake my head, not wanting him any closer. He still affects me more than I’d like. “Who would take care of Liam?”

“I don’t know.” He pauses, rubbing the stubble on his chin. “He’s grown pretty attached to you.”

Reminding me of that is manipulative, but it doesn’t matter. I already know that Liam needs me. Maybe they both do. Conlan’s bizarre behavior, his coldness toward me … he’s just a man torn between duty and desire, struggling to do what’s right for Saoirse while protecting the people he loves. There’s a sense of clarity, like the puzzle pieces have finally fallen into place. It’s also validating to know that my intuition was right—about the Kellys, but about Conlan, too. He’s still the Lucky I once knew. He’s just got a shitload of baggage now.

"I’ll stay.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” I nod once, allowing the weight of my decision to settle over me. "Liam’s my little guy, you know that.”

The corners of his mouth ease into a tender curve. “You have noidea how much that means to me.” His fingertips tangle briefly with mine, like he can’t help it. “I promise to keep you safe, no matter what.”

The flutters I feel at his touch almost drown the disquiet whispering through me. He’ll do his best, of that I’m sure, but I know how quickly things can fall apart despite good intentions. But at the end of the day, I could never turn my back on this family. The Kellys have always taken care of me. They’ve always been around when I needed them most.

Conlan’s eyes rove over my face as he steps away. “You should get some sleep.”

“So should you.”

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