Page 30 of Sins and Salvation

"Mom?" Conor stands in the doorway again, dressed now. "Are the bad guys coming back?"

Maeve and I both turn to him. I hate the fear in his eyes, hate that I brought this into his life.

"No one's getting past me," I tell him.

"Can you teach me to fight? So, I can also keep mom safe?"

Pride and heartbreak mix into one shattering realization, he is six and ready to fight for his mom, he is my son it is in his DNA to fight.

"Maybe some basic moves," I say. "But your job is to listen to your mom and stay safe."

"I want to be able to help."

"The best help you can give is doing what mom says."

He frowns, unsatisfied with this answer.

Maeve touches his shoulder. "Go eat your breakfast, honey."

When he's gone, she turns back to me. "I need air. I'm going for a walk."

"Not alone."

"I'll take one of Finn's goons with me."

"Maeve..." I reach for her hand. "I'm sorry about what I said. You always have a choice."

She meets my eyes. "Do I?"

She walks away before I can answer.

I go to the kitchen and call Cormac. "We need to end this. Now."

"Working on it," he replies.

"Work faster. They left a wax crayon death threat on my door this morning."

Silence for a beat. "Meet me at Quinn's in an hour. I have things to tell you, in person."

I hang up and stare out the window. Maeve walks in the small garden, one of Finn's men hovering nearby. Her shoulders sag.

I'm losing her. Again.

* * *

Quinn's is nearlyempty at this hour. Cormac is waiting at our table, a glass of whiskey already in front of him. Another waits for me.

"That bad?" I ask, sliding in across from him.

"Worse." He pushes a folder toward me. "The Russians are just hired muscle. This is coming from inside."

I open the folder to find surveillance photos of a woman with dark hair. The main shot was taken at our father's funeral, which we all believed she didn't attend. She was hanging back in the distance, watching. It takes me a moment to recognize her.

"Siobhan? Our fucking nut-bag, lunatic sister is behind this? Come on, she hasn’t got the balls."

Cormac nods grimly. "She's been working with the Bratva for months. Promised them access to our distribution networks if they helped her take over."

"Why target me? I've been gone. I don’t even have a stick in this fire."

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