Page 75 of Bargain with the Irish Devil

“Who is it?” I couldn’t make out the figures.

“Mrs. Beckett, this is the FBI. Agents John Tully and Frank Rich. Open the door, please, so we can speak with you.”

My heart sinks. I open the door and step out onto the porch. “Can I see your badges, please?”

They give each other a look before opening their badges and offering them to me.

I study them, wondering if I'd even know if they were fake or not. "What do you want, gentlemen?"

“Mrs. Beckett, I think this discussion would be best done inside.”

“It’s Ms. Beckett. And as I don’t see the need for a discussion at all, I highly doubt whether it is outside or inside that would matter. Please state your business, gentlemen. I was about to sit down to dinner.” I lie without regret.

Another look passes between them, and Rich sighs.“Ms. Beckett, we came here tonight to offer you the chance to work with us and help yourself out. We have had Declan Kelly under investigation for almost a year now, and we are closing in. While we understand you might not know everything there is to know about Kelly, he is a dangerous man. If you help us, we can help you. When we take down his organization, we will take down everyone we can in it. There will be no repercussions for you. We might even be able to help take some time off your brother’s sentence in Las Vegas.”

Stealing Declan's move, I lift an eyebrow. “What my brother has gotten himself in to has nothing to do with me. And as far as Declan Kelly, I don’t understand what you’re talking about. He is the owner of pubs and a landlord. I don’t know where you’ve gotten your information, but I can’t help you. And I wouldn’t—even if I could.”

“Mrs. Beckett, we know about your brother and Declan Kelly. Don’t do this to yourself. We can help you. If you’re afraid of Kelly, we can protect you from what he’ll do to you when he finds out you helped us. Loan sharking, gambling, murder, this is not the type of man that you want to protect.”

“I don’t know the man you’re talking about. I would never be afraid of Declan. No matter what I did, he wouldn’t hurt me. I think it would be best if you both left now. We have nothing further to discuss.”

Tully stepped forward and handed me his card. “Ms. Beckett, call me. The deal is on the table until noon tomorrow. Don’t make a choice you’ll live to regret.”

I tear it in two. “Have a good night, gentlemen.”

Closing the door, I lean against it as my knees leave me too weak to stand on my own. Is this what my life is now? Is it worth it?

Declan smiling when I told him that I love him flashes. It's worth it. It's worth everything.

Declan

"You did what?" I fight everything in me not to send my fist into my uncle's face.

"Come now, Declan. This is on you. You brought a civilian into our world. She had to be tested. And she passed with flying colors. You've got a real one there."

"Fuck you," I growl, walking away from him until the need to shed his blood passes.

"Ach, enough of that." One of the old men waves his cane at me. He's one of the few who started this here in Ireland as a means to fund the IRA's fight and is still alive. His family was rich, and he funded the purchase of one of the pubs in Chicago and another in Boston. We lost control of the one in Boston in the 80's to the fucking Westies. "Sit down, you little fucker."

I frown as I realize this isn't just about them testing Miranda'sloyalty. "What?"

"It's time. The doctor says it's coming. Wants me to waste time on chemo. Fuck that. I'm not going through all that. In all these years, you handled shit better than we could have hoped. It's yours. Fuck answering to anyone. It's been discussed, and this is yours."

My head swings to my uncle. He nods. "It's time. I'm tired. I don't want to worry about shipments, police monitoring shit. The cold is getting to my bones. Your aunt is already in Costa del Sol. I'm looking at a condo next door to her." He shrugs. "We'll see how it goes."

"Now sit down. There's a lot of shit to iron out." The old man orders me.

I sit, still in shock from the news.

CHAPTER 23

Miranda

I’m in shock. I can’t believe it.

It’s supposed to be an inner ear infection or some other weird bug. I’m not supposed to be pregnant. I mean, I thought it once—just once. A part of me still didn’t believe it could happen.

“You’re sure?” I whisper.

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