Page 22 of The Devil's Price

"I promise. It's a deal." Backing away, I steal one more kiss before letting myself out. I'm not sure if she's going to end up getting cold feet anyway, but I know how to convince her that we are good for each other if she does.

Outside, I turn toward my car as my eyes sweep the street, and I notice something I shouldn't be seeing. Halfway down the block on the right hand side sits a car I recognize all too well. It belongs to Shaman Doyle, one of the two men I know were involved in that attack at the restaurant the night Siobhan and I had dinner, and I'm not going to let them sit here and stake out her house. I walk right up and tap on the window.

It comes down slowly, allowing a puff of smoke from the interior to roll out toward me. I stoop to peer into the vehicle to see another man in the passenger seat whom I don't recognize.

"What're you boys up to today?" I ask, knowing full well they've camped on Siobhan's apartment because they have some stake in this trial. If they think they're going to get one past me, they've got another thing coming.

"Mind yer business, O'Rourke. Stay in your own lane." The window starts to go up and I reach for my weapon, resting it on the edge of the glass to prevent it from shutting.

"I'd say this is my business as much as it is yours." My threat doesn't go unnoticed. The door slowly opens and the man climbs out. He's taller than me, broader in the chest, and his glare is directed only at me.

My weapon in hand, I look up at him, unintimidated by his looming form, and he takes a swing, but I dodge it. I'm not going to just gun him down. That would start a war, but I don't shy away from using my weapon to crack his skull. Unfortunately, I don't see the other one coming up behind me. He knees me in the back of the legs then brings his elbow down on top of my head when I start to crumple.

The beating is hard and fast, a few blows to the face, one to the gut, and the two of them have me overpowered. The bigger one, Shaman, grabs me by the hair and holds my face up while he punches me in the nose repeatedly, and the second man kicks me in the back and thighs over and over.

My salvation comes when one of the two shouts, "Cops!" and both of them climb in the car. My gun skitters across the pavement, dropped by whichever one of them took it from my hand in the fray. I crumple to the street holding my gut and roll to the side after their car is gone. From where I lie, I watch the same cruiser pull up here that I saw the other day. The lanky cop climbs out of his car, oblivious to my presence, and struts into the building. I know he's here to see her, and I can't go up and eavesdrop.

Time is running out. I have to get to the courthouse and do my job or I can kiss a relationship with Siobhan goodbye. Ronan willsee to that. I also need to figure out how to connect the Doyles to this whole thing. Maybe Sarah Duncan will be of some help with that.

15

SIOBHAN

Astupid grin stretches over my face as I watch Finn walk out. I shouldn't be getting attached, but how can I not? He's strong and assertive, sexy as hell, knows what he wants. I'm lost in the sea of endless emotions and people pulling me in every direction, but when I'm with him, every cell in my body screams to be closer, to feel the pull of how he makes me feel. It's a good feeling even though I know it's wrong.

I know what kind of man Finn O'Rourke is—a killer, a criminal. Slipping my panties back on, I take my clothes and walk toward the bedroom to draw a bath and think of how twisted it is—that I made it my life’s mission to hunt men like him, and now I'm falling in love with one. Shame washes over me, but I can't help the guilty pleasure I feel when I think of him.

I stop the drain and turn on the water then slip out of my clothing, tossing my soiled clothes into the hamper and donning my silky house robe. Then I head out to the kitchen and reach for a bottle of wine and a glass, but even as I pour it, my stomach sours. I've been feeling a bit nauseated lately, extra tired too. Finn and I have been having unprotected sex, which is the lastthing I should be doing with him, but dammit if the pleasure isn't so good that in the middle of it all, I can't stop to put a condom on him.

So I leave the glass of wine and grab a glass of water instead. My body still pulses with the pleasure of orgasm as I pad back into the bedroom, ready to have a long, hot soak and think about how I'm going to proceed with this case, but I hear the bell and stop. It hasn’t been long. I wonder if Finn has forgotten something, so I shut off the tap, set my water down, and rush to the door to swing it open. Only to find Liam there with his phone pressed to his ear.

"Gotta go," he snips and flashes me a smile as I step back, inviting him in.

"I was just about to have a bath, Kearney. What's going on?" I've gotten more comfortable with him lately, especially after that day where someone drove past the courthouse and shot up the steps.

I don't like to admit that I cried on a married man's shoulder as he held me and I got wine drunk, but I was scared and he was here. In that aspect, he was good to me, and I feel I owe him something.

"I'm here to check on you, Sib. I worry about you, you know?" His eyes sweep my apartment as he speaks, like he's looking for something or someone. Maybe he suspects I'm still seeing Finn. Maybe that's why he's come to check on me.

I shut the door and walk deeper into the apartment, following him. "Wine?"

"For my bath," I say, crossing my arms over my belly. "Have it. I'm feeling off." I'm not lying, either. My stomach has beenroiling now and I just want a soak to help calm it. Water therapy is something I do to calm my nerves, not just relax my tense muscles.

He picks up the glass and downs it, then pours another from the bottle I left sitting on the table. Then he nods at the living room area, and I follow him reluctantly. The bath calls my name, but when Liam stops by, he usually has some sort of update for me.

"Sorry how that all went down, you know… The evidence thing. I knew it was risky, but…" His voice trails off, and he sips the glass again. I rub the back of my neck and stand next to the sofa as he stares out the picture window overlooking Dublin. Light is fading now as afternoon begins to turn to evening. I know I should get to the chemist to buy a pregnancy test, but it's looking doubtful now that a visitor has popped in.

"You said you were checking on me. I'm fine, okay? You don't have to hover like I’m your little sister." Feeling a bit annoyed, I find myself rubbing the back of my neck again. Liam's eyes shift to take me in. He downs his second glass of wine and walks toward me, setting the empty stemware on the table next to the remote.

"Here, let me," he offers, and before I can protest, he's standing behind me, firm hands kneading the muscles in my shoulders. It feels amazing, but I'm tense again now. "I get knots like these ones too, Sib."

My chest constricts and I press my eyes closed, wondering what in God's creation he's doing touching me. We don't have the sort of relationship where we do this for one another, but maybe I've led him on by what happened after the shooting. Maybe he thinks I'm more comfortable with him. I've seen the way he undresses me with his eyes, but he's got a wife.

"Liam," I protest, turning and pulling away from him. My eyes snap open and he is there with a smoldering expression. No way it's the wine this fast, so he has to have come with something on his mind and it's not something he's going to get.

"Siobhan, I think we should talk." His hand reaches for my hip, pulling me closer, against his body. His hands are firm and hard, not supple and inviting the way Finn's are. And he pulls at my robe too, trying to bare my chest to his eyes that greedily rake over my face and form.

It all happens so fast, I don't think. Liam's mouth closes on mine, forcing his tongue between my lips, hand reaching under my robe to find my flesh and grip it, and I push him away instantly. My hand flies without hesitation, clipping his cheek and chin, and he steps back, covering his reddened skin as I flounder for the ties to the robe and lash it shut again.

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