Page 20 of Crown of Smoke

"Under control?" I bark out a harsh laugh. "You were two steps from being caught by badass Ronan Kean himself. Don’t let his fancy suit fool you. He’s ten times worse than O’Brian and Connor.”

She goes still, studying my face in the dim light between the buildings. Her expression shifts to suspicion. "Wait. How did you know I was there?"

“What?”

"Have you been following me?" Her voice rises. "Is that why you showed up at the exact right moment?"

“You’re sure full of yourself.” Okay, so I did follow her a few nights ago. And I’d be a liar if I hadn’t thought about following her since knowing she’d do something stupid like follow Ronan Kean into a warehouse. But I’d been working tonight. “The world doesn’t revolve around you. Some of us have our own jobs. You sure have a way of showing up to fuck with mine.”

She has the good sense to look down and recognize her self-important statement.

I step back, giving her space. “Good thing I was here.”

Her chin lifts, defiant even now. "I didn't ask for your protection."

"Clearly, you need it."

Hurt flashes across her face. "I'm not some damsel who needs saving. I'm trying to do my job, expose the truth about what the Keans are doing."

"The truth?” I lean closer to her, wanting her to get the message. "The truth will get you killed. Is that what you want?"

"What I want is answers." She takes a step toward me, jabbing a finger at my chest. "And now I'm wondering if you're the one I should be investigating. Who are you really, Flynn? Are you working with the law or a rival family?"

The last thing I need is for her to start snooping around me and my brothers, although that’s a safer story than the Keans. And there’s a part of me that wants her to know me. The real me. But I have a duty to my family, and that means keeping her in the dark about who I am and my mission.

"You want answers?" I’m so fucking exhausted by her stubbornness. "How about we start with why you're sneaking around warehouses alone at sunset, following Ronan Kean, of all people?"

Lucy crosses her arms. "I saw an opportunity and took it."

"An opportunity to die." My voice rises despite my attempts to keep quiet. "Those men in the alley? That was nothing compared to what Ronan would do if he caught you snooping."

"You keep saying how dangerous they are." She steps closer, her blue eyes piercing through me. "But that only makes me more certain there's something worth uncovering. Normal businessmen don't have people murdered for asking questions."

I grip her shoulders, fighting the urge to shake some sense into her. "Fucking hell, Lucy, surely, you know enough about the Keans to know they’re not normal businessmen. They’re not even normal criminals. They're monsters. They destroy everything they touch."

"Then help me expose them." Her hand lands on my chest, and my heart skips. "You're clearly investigating them too. We could work together?—"

"No." I step back, breaking contact. "Absolutely not."

"Why?"

"Because I won't be responsible for getting you killed!" The words echo off the brick walls. I lower my voice. "You have no idea what these people are capable of. The things I've seen them do…" The images of my family’s charred home and the burnt bones of my parents fill my head.

Lucy's expression softens, but her jaw remains set. "I'm not stopping. With or without your help, I'm going to find out what happened ten years ago when they took power. Someone needs to hold them accountable."

“And you think you can do what the police haven’t been able to do, the FBI can’t do?”

“Yes. Maybe.”

"You're going to get yourself killed," I repeat, softer this time.

"Maybe." She lifts her chin. "But at least I'll die trying to do something that matters."

I drag my hand down my face, the stubble rough against my palm. This woman is going to be the death of me, as well as herself. But her determination burns bright in those blue eyes, and I recognize that look. It's the same one I see in the mirror every morning.

"Fine." The word comes out like gravel. "You want to keep digging? Then we do this my way."

Lucy's eyes narrow. "What does that mean?"

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