Page 109 of The Devil's Obsession (East Coast Devils 3)

Donnacha

Lorcan’s waiting for me in my office in the Tunnels, face like a slapped ass.

It feels like a thousand knives are stabbing my stomach as I sink into my chair, but I grin and bear it, then pin my cousin with a scowl that matches his own.

“I got shot, and you didn’t send me so much as a fucking fruit basket.”

He stops pacing the tatty carpet and looks at me like I’m insane. “First of all, you were in the hospital for less than an hour before you ripped your IV out and insisted you got back to work.”

“Sounds like I deserve employee of the month.”

“Sounds like I should put you six feet under,” he hisses back, amber eyes glowing with fury. “What the fuck, Don? There’s so much to unpack here that I don’t know where to start.”

Rubbing my jaw, I consider everything he must have discovered during my very short hospital stay. He would have seen the news, seen what went down at Belsky’s announcement party, and put two and two together.

Clutching at my side and ignoring the little fireworks that flash in front of my eyes every time I breathe, I say, “Do you want the good news or the bad news first?”

“How about you just give me all the fucking news.”

“I’ll start with the good,” I quip back. My cousin is going to need some serious buttering up before I drop my bombshell on him. “You’ve seen that Belsky’s fall from grace has hit every major news outlet in the country already.” He opens his mouth to protest, but I hold up my hand—with great fucking difficulty— and make sure I finish. “There was a shoot-out between my men and his; no casualties on our side, four fatalities on his. I know what your next question will be, and no—you won’t see a single news article about the bloodshed. Ronan took the initiative to pay off every reporter and bystander, and the only way in which we’ll be mentioned will be in relation to me, Donnacha Quinn the local investor and philanthropist, being the supportive husband of Belsky’s victim. We’ve hemorrhaged enough cash to bankrupt a small country to pull it off, but it had to be done. Now, wanna know the best news of all?” At Lorcan’s snarl, I jerk my chin over his shoulder. “We got to Belsky long before the police did. He’s on his way from New York to Boston right now.”

Lorcan regards me with suspicion, his eye twitching. Then he thumps his hands on my desk, his head dipping between his shoulder blades. “And that would be an excellent outcome, Don, if you hadn’t failed to mention the biggest plot hole in your story: the fact your brave, darling wife is a fucking Russian rat.”

My fingers twitch at the venom in his voice. It’s become an instinct when it comes to Romy. When anyone calls her a mole or a traitor, it makes me want to wrap my goddamn fingers around their throat and ask them to repeat their opinion. But Lorcan’s my boss, my cousin, my best fucking friend.

If I can’t guarantee him my loyalty, I owe him my honesty at least.

I suck in all the air my wound will allow and pin my cousin with a blistering glare.

“And that leads me to the bad news. If you force me to choose between my wife and our family…” I grind my jaw, unable to believe what I’m about to say. “Then I choose Romy.”

Lorcan’s eyes damn near pop out of his head. His lips curl over his teeth to form a snarl. “You’d choose the woman Belsky hired to kill you over your own flesh and blood?”

His fist lands on my desk with a sickening crack, but I don’t even flinch. “First of all, she was forced, not hired. Second of all…” I shake my head in disbelief. “I’m in love with her, Lorc. I’m so fucking in love with her that just the mere thought of anyone hurting a silver hair on her head makes me want to start a war.” I swallow the knot in my throat. “She makes me want to do bad things to good people and good things for bad reasons.” A bitter laugh escapes my lips, pained and defeated. “So I’m pleading with you: don’t make me choose.”

The office falls into a pregnant silence. Lorcan turns to the door, the muscles in his back working as he rakes his hand through his hair. After what feels like forever, he mutters, “I’ve never seen you like this.”

“I never thought I’d be like this. It turns out, I’m human after all, despite all the evil entwined in my DNA.” He takes his time turning back to face me, and when he does, his gaze is weary. “She’s not who you think she is,” I say quietly, picking up a pen and twirling it between my thumb and forefinger. “She wants Belsky dead more than you and me combined. She wrote a whole damn list of everyone she knows who’s working with Belsky, and I have my men working through them right now.” I run my tongue over my teeth and add, “Because of her, we can cut the head off the serpent and keep it from growing back. And that’s exactly what I intend to do.”

He mutters an oath under his tongue, the vein in his temple clocking in overtime. “I can’t fucking think straight. But all I can think of is Poppy.”

I arch an eyebrow. “At a time like this? Jesus, you really are whipped, even after a decade of marriage.”

He slashes an angry glare in my direction. “I mean, all I can think about is what she’d say right now if I made you choose between family and the woman you love. She was in tears, watching the news.” He swallows, like he’s trying to rid himself of the image of his wife crying. “Couldn’t believe all the shit that girl had been through. Said she was so brave telling her story like that, all because it’d help us.” He purses his lips. “She also called you a few choice words for adding to her pain when you forced her to marry you in the first place, but that’s a story for another day.”

He’s thawing around the edges, and that’s good enough for me. I flash him a grin, feeling a weight lift off my bruised chest. “Wouldn’t want to upset Poppy now, would you? I heard it’s cold in the doghouse.”

He rolls his eyes and mutters another curse word, but I know I have him. I also know it won’t be smooth sailing from here. Romy will have to earn my family’s trust like she’s earned mine.

My cell vibrates in my slacks, and I glance at the screen.

But she can earn that trust another day. Right now, there are more pressing matters to attend to.

“Hope you’ve warmed up, cuz,” I say, slipping my cell back in my pockets and staggering to my feet, “’cause Belsky’s arriving at any minute.”

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