Page 73 of Crown of Smoke

"Hey, stranger! I was starting to worry?—”

“I’m pregnant.” I probably shouldn’t blurt it out like that, but that is the point of this call, right?

“What?”

"I'm pregnant. And the father… he's not who I thought he was."

Silence stretches across the line. "Is this the dangerous stranger who took care of you? Did he hurt you?—”

“No. It’s nothing like that.” I start from the beginning and tell her everything. Well, almost everything. I leave out the part about Flint being an Ifrinn and about witnessing a murder. Instead, I say he's involved with dangerous people, that I got in over my head investigating a story.

"Come stay with me," Kate says immediately. "Mike and I have plenty of room, and Springfield is far enough away that no one would think to look for you here."

"I can't just run away," I say, although I can’t deny it’s tempting. I feel like the Kean reach is probably everywhere in Massachusetts. If I’m going to get away, I should go home to Maine. Or maybe leave the country. I could start over, find a safe place to raise my baby.

"Why not? Lucy, you're talking about bringing a child into what sounds like a really dangerous situation."

"I know." I rest my hand on my stomach. "But I want this baby, Kate. I didn't realize how much until I saw the test." I can see now that I worked a lot not just because I liked it, but because there wasn’t anything else in my life. Perhaps that’s why I got so quickly and easily caught up with Flint. While being a mom does sound scary, it doesn’t sound dangerous. It’s a much better way to find more purpose in my life than my work.

"Then that's exactly why you should come here. We'll help you. You can have the baby safely, away from all of this."

The thought of leaving Boston, of leaving Flint, creates an ache, even as I think it’s exactly what I need to do. Except… what if Flint comes looking for me? Or worse, the Keans. I can’t bring that to my sister and her family. Or to my parents.

“I’m fine, Kate. I was just in shock about the pregnancy. But I’m good?—”

“Lucy—”

“No, really. I’ve got a good job, and Boston has wonderful resources. It’s all good. Thank you for letting me sort this out. Give my love to Mike.” With a quick goodbye, I hang up.

My hand drifts to my stomach. "I'm going to keep you safe, I promise.” The only way to do that is to expose everything—the Keans' corruption, their violence, their stranglehold on Boston. But I need concrete proof, something that can't be buried or dismissed. Something that will bring them down for good.

I return to my table and pull out my laptop. I sort through my notes with fresh determination. My journalist instincts kick in as I create a new timeline, this time focusing on the months leading up to the Ifrinn fire. Property transfers, business licenses, police reports. The Keans had Marshall in their pocket. Who else could they have had? Prosecutors? Judges? Politicians?

And if Hampton Kean and Mr. Ifrinn were once close, what made Kean turn on him in a way that was able to turn Ifrinn’s allies against him too?

I make a list of calls to make tomorrow, starting with my contacts in City Hall. Now, I’m not just chasing a story. I’m trying to bring down a family so my child can be safe. And maybe, I’m doing it to save Flint as well. The Keans didn't just take his parents. They stole his whole world, forced him and his brothers into a life of violence and revenge. I won't let that become my child's legacy.

26

FLINT

Ilie in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to convince myself that staying away from Lucy is the right call. The memory of her face when she realized who I really am haunts me. That look of betrayal, of fear… It guts me.

Ash is right. Love is a liability we can't afford right now. Look what happened with Megan. My brother hasn't been the same since she died in our family home. I won't—can't—let that happen with Lucy. The Keans would use her against me in a heartbeat if they knew what she meant to me.

The truth is, I've already compromised everything by letting her get close. By wanting her. By needing her. Each time I close my eyes, she's there—her blonde hair fanned across my pillow, those questioning blue eyes boring into mine, asking me who I really am.

Sleep doesn't come easily these days. When it does, my dreams are filled with her—the way she gasped my name… well, Flynn, that night in her bathtub, how perfectly she fit against me in the fight club bathroom stall, the softness of her skin under my hands. But the dreams always end the same way, with that look of horror on her face when Marshall spoke my real name.

I roll over, punching my pillow. Ash dealt with his loss by shutting down completely. Maybe he had the right idea. These feelings, this weakness for Lucy, could get us all killed. The mission has to come first. The Keans need to pay for what they did to our family.

But even as I tell myself this, I know it's bullshit. Lucy's already under my skin, and no amount of distance is going to change that.

The sun's barely up when I head to Phoenix's place for our morning meeting. It’s time to regroup now that we know the Keans are clueless about Lucy.

I grab coffee and join my brothers.

Blaise slides a folder across the table. "I've been tracking Hampton Kean's finances. It’s amazing how he just took over Dad’s accounts and didn’t move them.”

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