Page 93 of Dublin Brute

“How can you possibly know that?”

“Because my father is heading up the task force to take down organized crime in Dublin and…”

“And what?”

“And I’ve been sort of…secretly sleeping with Brendan Quinn. He was the one who saved me during the shooting outside the Confession Box, and he told me about the disappearances of the girls from clubs.”

Kate’s eyes go wide. “You’resort ofsecretly sleeping with Brendan Quinn? What the hell? That’s something you share with your girlfriend. He’s brutally hot.”

“I’m aware.” Even half-drugged and covered in vomit spittle, just thinking about how sexy Brendan is makes my insides flutter. “But it’s also very complicated.”

“What’s so complicated? He’s fit—like really physically fit. I bet he has the sexual endurance of a machine.”

He does.My ovaries tingle just thinking about it. I groan and crawl over to the door of our cell to yank on it and make sure we’re as trapped as it seems. “Now is not the time to girl talk.”

Kate grumbles. “Really? You’ve got somewhere else to be?”

There are plenty of places I’d rather be, but no, I don’t see us getting too far, too fast.

“We’re here until someone comes to let us out.”

She’s right. And hey, at least we’re talking. “That’s why I couldn’t move out. My father is planning to destroy Brendan and his family. I overheard him talking on the phone and I couldn’t move out and not know what he’s going to do.”

Kate’s gaze widens. “You’re telling Brendan what your father is doing? Nora, that’s insane. Your father will lose his mind, his job, and possibly his life.”

“I know.” Tears burn behind my eyes. “And no, I haven’t shared anything. I thought about it, but I won’t. If my father is playing it straight and doing his job, I won’t interfere, but if he gets creative, I won’t let Brendan go down on the fabricated charges of an angry man.”

Kate lets out a long sigh. “That’s a fine line, chickie. This is a dangerous game.”

“It’s not a game.” My voice cracks and I swipe at the tears. “I tried to stay away from him. At first, I didn’t know his full name. I didn’t find out who he was until I saw him at the charity fight.”

“Ohmygod, that’s why you bolted during his fight.” Kate reaches over and clasps my hand. “You had no idea?”

“None. I was devastated. The protective and sexy man who saved my life and comforted me after Tanya was killed wasn’t the man I thought he was at all. But it was too late. I was already falling for him. Still, I ended it. I told him about my father and that I wouldn’t be caught in the middle. Then he showed up at Legend and I got sucked right back in.” I wrap my arms aroundmyself. “He’s not what everyone thinks. He’s so much more than just the Quinn muscle man.”

“And?”

“And I love him.” The confession comes out in a whisper. “I didn’t mean for it to happen. I fought it so hard. But being with him—it’s the first time in my life I’ve felt truly alive, truly myself. He is so good to me. I think he loves me, too.”

Kate reaches over and squeezes my hand. “But you don’t know?”

I shake my head. “It’s not something we can really discuss. How could it be? My father wants to destroy his entire family. Any chance we had was doomed from the start.”

Kate sighs and opens her mouth to say something when a door swings open at the far end of the warehouse. Two of the men from the club stride in, still wearing their fancy suits.

“Ah, good. You’re awake.” The guy saunters toward our cage, shrugging off his suit jacket. He sets it on a stack of wooden skids and then unbuttons his ice blue dress shirt button by button.

Kate frowns. “What are you doing?”

He waggles his brows. “I rarely test the product, but after all that flirting at the club, I’m going to make an exception.”

The second guy pulls out a set of keys and moves to unlock the door of the cage. “And I’ve got dibs on the feisty friend.”

Everything in me shudders with revulsion.No. This can’t be happening.

Brendan

The SUV reaches the end of berth 35 and slows outside the warehouse. I shove the door open and leap out before Aidenhas even slipped the shifter into park. The night air is cold and foreboding, every breath a struggle to draw oxygen into my tight lungs.

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