Page 58 of Starting Over

I spent well over an hour reading through those files, five times in total, before I was satisfied that our secret was still safely hidden away.

Now, I just needed a way to ensure it stayed hidden.

Tucking the files away in a locked drawer in my desk, I looked up when Jackie entered my office.

“Everything ok, boss?”

“Just some family shit.” Shit that had the potential to blow up my whole fucking life.

Jackie stepped into my office, closing the door behind her. She sat in the chair King had vacated and said nothing.

“Is there something you need?”

Jackie kept her gaze on mine and said, “You both got pretty loud. I wasn’t trying to overhear, but your voice carries, and so does his.”

I knew what she hadn’t said. She’d heard us talking about the Irish Mob and our relation to it.

“And?”

“Well... there have been some murmurs around town. Some people think maybe the Silver Shadows aren’t quite as clean as they want everyone to believe.”

“What is your point, Jackie?”

I knew what her point was. There were a few town folks who believed I wasn’t as clean as everyone thought too. They weren’t entirely wrong, but nothing I had done for my brother and his men could ever be proven.

“If folks in town find out your older brother is in the Irish Mob and, well, your younger brother wears a 1% patch—”

“They aren’t a 1% club, Jackie.”

“I understand, sir, but they still wear the patch. I’m just saying, it might make re-election difficult.”

She wasn’t wrong. All it would take was one person getting into the ear of influential citizens and I could lose my job.

I needed to have a talk with Allie.

“Thank you for your concern, Jackie. But as I told King, I haven’t spoken to our brother in thirty-eight years. If peoplechoose to believe I’m dirty because I can’t control who my family is, instead of looking at my track record of over twenty-five years as a cop and the last five as sheriff of this town. Then there isn’t much I can do to change their minds.”

Jackie nodded and stood from her seat. Much like King did an hour ago, Jackie stopped at the door with her hand on the knob.

“I just want to say, I don’t listen to murmurs. I have enjoyed working for you, Sheriff. And will continue to show you the respect you deserve, regardless of rumors spread in a small town.”

“Thank you, Jackie.”

She closed the door behind her and left me to mull over what she said. I couldn’t help but wonder how many people in town thought I was a dirty cop?

This was Maureen’s fault.

If she had never shown up here, none of this shit would have come up. It was time for her and me to have a little chat.

Chapter Fifteen

Maureen

Dinner at the clubhouse wasn’t as celebratory as King had planned it to be. When I got back to the clubhouse after moving my things, he was in a sour mood.

I could guess he’d had words with Declan. I didn’t know what was in the folder Nav had given him, but based on his reaction, it wasn’t good.

Sitting at the table with Evelyn Samson, I finally had a chance to get to know her. She and her husband James were surrogate parents to one of the members, Ace.

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