Page 20 of Bozo

"What kind of help would I be expected to provide?" I ask cautiously.

Connor sighs. "Honestly? Probably patching up his men when they can't go to a hospital. Maybe some discreet house calls like Dr. Murphy did last night with you. Nothing illegal, Grá. He knows you want to be a doctor to help people. He won't ask you to compromise that."

I nod slowly, still processing. "And what about you, Con? How did you get mixed up in all this?"

He grins. “Nothing nefarious, Grá. I’ve met Jer a few times at poker tables. I helped him out a time or two, and I knew that he’d help me if the time came, which it did last night.

I reach out and take his hand, giving it a grateful squeeze. “Thank you,” I whisper, so fucking grateful that he came home and came back to me.

“So, what do you say to Jer’s offer?”

I take a deep breath. I’m unsure if I’m making the right choice or not, but it’s the one that feels right to me. “Yes,” I say, my voice a little hesitant. “I’m saying yes.”

I really hope I’ve made the right decision.

SEVEN

BOZO

Five and a Half Years Ago

As I step out of the shower, I hear my cell ring. I wrap a towel around my waist and move toward the bedroom, where my phone is lying on the bed. I’m hoping it’s Grá calling. Tomorrow is her eighteenth birthday. Instead, I see it’s Lorcan Black calling.

What the hell? Why is he calling? "Hello?"

"Connor," he says. There’s anger in his voice, which makes my blood run cold. "We’ve got a problem."

I raise a brow. The fuck? “We?” I ask, wondering when anything I did became a ‘we’ with him.

“Yes, we. Your dad’s a fucking menace and today he’s pushed me too fucking far.”

I close my eyes. “What the fuck has he done?” I knew this day was coming. It was only going to be a matter of time before my dad pushed someone too far and ended up getting himself killed.

Lorcan's voice is cold and menacing. He’s just as done with Dad’s shit as I am. "Your old man tried to pull a fast one onme. Thought he could cheat at my tables and get away with it. He's sitting in my office right now, bleeding all over my fucking carpet."

"Is he...?" Not that I’d give a fuck if he was or not.

"He's alive. For now." Lorcan pauses, letting the threat hang in the air. "But that depends on you, Connor."

I frown. What the hell is going on? "What do you mean?"

"Tonight, your father has made it clear that he’s willing to put his debt on you and Gráinne."

"That's impossible," I hiss, my anger rising through my body. "Grá has nothing, not one fucking thing, to do with that prick."

Lorcan chuckles darkly. "Oh, I know that, but your father has been very vocal this evening while at the tables about Grá being someone who’ll pay his debt off."

Fuck. That bastard. I’m going to fucking kill him.

"It just so happened that Jerry Houlihan was sitting at the tables tonight," Lorcan continues. "I can hazard a guess that you know how he feels about this shit."

"Oh yeah. Jer’s probably about ready to lose his mind. Am I right?"

"Yep, he’s beyond pissed. He let it be known that if anyone comes after Grá, they’ll have to deal with him. Of course, your father wasn’t happy about that and started yelling about how much of a whore she is."

My blood turns to ice. "I’m going to fucking kill him," I growl. No one calls Grá a whore. Fucking prick.

"Then I suggest you get your ass down here." The line goes dead.

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