Page 14 of The Devil's Price

I think about not opening, just leaving him standing there with those roses wondering what I'm doing. But just knowing he's here makes me feel a tinge safer. I got the shock of my life just now, and my hands are still shaking. The only reason I'm eating this food is to comfort myself. I could use the presence of someone I trust. Not that I trust Finn implicitly, but I trust him to be who he is—a mobster with ethics, at the very least.

"What?" I grump as I swing the door open. The dish in my hand is hot, steam rising from the sauce-covered noodles. I plunge a fork in and shove a bite in my mouth and he grins.

"Brought you these?"

A king's gift makes room for him… Something my father used to say, and now I’m learning what it means.

"Come in," I grunt and turn my back on him. There could be worse ways to spend my evening. If I didn't just fuck my case by speaking to the judge about it directly, this will surely put it in the shitter.

10

FINN

The annoyed look on Siobhan's face only makes me chuckle. I follow her into the apartment and lock up behind myself. Yes, I came here to get laid, but more importantly, I came with more information for her, and a warning. This is getting a whole hell of a lot more dangerous now, and I can't even tell her why it is. Ronan's intel is never wrong, though, so I'm doing the right thing by warning her. Besides, if she gets taken out, we have to start over with a new DPP.

"Well, that's a lovely greeting." The apartment smells like a man's cologne, making me wonder who she's had up to visit. It's not a scent I ever use, nor would I. Smells like an old man, or just one who bathes in the shit instead of a light spritz.

"I haven't had the best day. What do you want, Finn?" Siobhan parades her happy ass into the living room, and I lay the flowers on the glass dining table as I pass. Her short shorts are baggy, barely covering the curve of her ass, so that's where my eyes focus as she walks. The feel of that ass in my hands when wefucked last time comes to mind, making my cock start to swell just thinking of burying my dick in her again.

"I have a bit of news, maybe a warning." She rounds the couch as I speak, and I follow her. But as she plops down, I remain standing, watching her devour that bowl of pasta as if her life depended on it. She looks rattled, skin a bit pasty and pale, hands trembling slightly. I don't think I've had this effect on a woman in years, but maybe my surprise visit startled her. Or maybe there's another reason for her to be so shaken.

"Well, don’t just stand there, feckin' say something." She glowers at me, shoves another bite of food in her maw, and chews loudly as I study her. I wonder what's bothering her, but maybe I already know. Maybe they've already gotten to her and I'm too late.

"We have another player in the game." My eyes sweep around this room though I don't know what I’m searching for. Something just feels different now. "The Doyle Syndicate sent those two men to attack you. I'm not sure what they were aiming at doing, but that's who it was." Ronan called me yesterday to give me this update. He thinks somehow the Doyles have a stake in this game, that they sent men to rough her up and scare her into fighting harder to put Mick away.

It makes sense that they want her to be scared, and Mick would never hire a hit on a DPP while he's on trial. He's not that stupid. So the Doyles insisting that Mick be prosecuted, going as far as to frighten the prosecutor—well, it leads me to think they're behind this setup.

"It was O'Connor's men, Finn." Siobhan doesn't look impressed as she speaks. "My friend Detective Kearney already looked into it." She rolls her eyes like I'm stupid, but I know what Ro toldme and he's never wrong. He knows this city better than anyone, has ears to the ground in so many places it's not funny. So who is lying to this detective? Or is he lying to Siobhan?

"Alright, well I just wanted to let you know you're not safe. O'Connors or Doyles, they're coming for you." I don't know why I even care, anyway. She's a good fuck, and she's the target I need to manipulate to get what I want, but outside of that, if she got her pretty little throat slit, I shouldn’t even pay any attention. But I care. Dammit, it goads me.

"I can handle myself," she says dryly, but her breath catches, and she clears her throat. The food is gone, but she clings to the bowl like it's a weapon. Something really has frightened her tonight. No wine means she's trying to stay alert. No weapon out means she's trying to prove to herself that she's not scared. But she's closed off—sitting with her body guarded, curled around that bowl.

"You okay?" I ask, and she glares at me.

"I have a fecking mobster in my house. Am I supposed to be okay?" Her tongue bites, but her eyes are soft. I'm confused by her behavior, but my gut tells me I'm probably not actually getting what I came here for.

"I was tryin' to be nice, woman. I don’t have to be here warning you. I don’t have to pay any attention to you. We could break down that fecking prison and take Mick out if we wanted, but we're trying to do this the right way because Aiden deserves justice and to break things down would only make Mick look guiltier." I run a hand through my hair and stomp off toward the door, and she lurches off the couch and throws the bowl at me. This time, though it slams into the same wall as the shatteredglass I cleaned up, it doesn't break. She has a real fucking problem with that.

"Good, leave!" she screeches, and I whip around.

"What's your problem, cunt? I came here to be nice to you." I expect to see her angry, raging mad and desperate for me to get out of her apartment, but she's trembling, arms curled around her middle pushing her tits out in front. She looks small and frightened, and my instinct is to run to her and make her not feel that way.

"Leave," she squeaks, but I can't now. Not when I've seen this.

"Sib, what's wrong?" I take a step toward her and she tenses. "Did someone hurt you?" My eyes sweep the place again. I know something feels off. "Are they here still?" I ask in a whisper, and she runs to me, throwing her arms around me as tears leak out.

I pull her in, smoothing her dark hair down her back. I clasp her head to my shoulder, her middle against my chest, and hold her as she shakes. "Hey, what happened?"

"It was… Well, I can't say who it was, but they got in. He was in my fecking house when I got home. This place is secure." She pulls away and stares at me, but her hands rest on my biceps. My chest is pounding now too, adrenaline pumping to ready me for fighting, but I tell it to calm down.

"Who got in, Sib? Who was it?" I grab her by the arms and shake her gently, but she turns away.

"It wasn't someone dangerous, that's all I can say." Her lip squirms between her teeth and I shake my head. She's protecting someone.

"And you're frightened because…?" The only thing I can think is that this person is threatening her, and she is too afraid to tell me, maybe for fear they will harm her if she does.

"Because if this person can get into my apartment, anyone can." Siobhan's eyes turn to take me in, and I see the terror. I know all too well that feeling, hiding under my parents' bed, staring at the feet passing by as the men who broke into our home to harm my family search our things. It's normal in my world, but not in hers.

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