Page 66 of Dirty Eoin

Perfectly professionally delivered.

Molly ignores the dig. But Jaine does have a valid point. Now that Paddy’s no longer here to oversee her, we are exposing ourselves by allowing Molly to operate quite so unrestricted. After the accountancy fiasco, lessons must be learned.

“I’m sure it will be exactly as I predicted. I mean, why would you want to help the Dusters?” Molly laughs exaggeratedly. She smiles at me before turning her attention back to Jaine.

“You say that like I’ve never undertaken legal work on their behalf before now.”

“Only because youowedthem.”

Jaine glances at me. “That’s both arguable and debatable.”

“So, if you don’t owe them, why help them?”

“Because my son is a Duster.”

The words are spoken quietly and to remind us of that all-important fact.

She’s right, he is. And for that reason, Jaine would never harm this organization or the O’Connells as we’re Finian’s blood family.

She looks at me once more. “As said, I was simply between meetings. Please peruse the order from La eMe and sign the contract if you’re happy with the content. I can arrange to have it collected tomorrow. Rod’s also asked me to mention that he’s hosting a small function while in town. As business associates, the Dusters will, of course, be invited. I’ll forward the details to Jessie, and she can distribute them accordingly.”

She breaks eye contact with me. Then, in complete silence, she closes her briefcase, stands, and then leaves.

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE

JAINE

Jaine’s Apartment, Upper East Side, New York

I’ve just steppedinto the elevator to go from my apartment to the office when my phone rings in my hand. I look at the caller ID.

Jessie.

I exhale as I let it ring out. Any non-work-related conversations we’ve had of late have been strained as, despite what she claims, she’s still reeling from the big reveal. Like Dylan, she says she fully understands the reasons I didn’t tell anyone about Finian, aside from Ace and Sarah, that is, but I know she’s disappointed that I didn’t include her on the list of people in the know given how close we’ve gotten over recent months.

I get it. But I just couldn’t. There was too much at stake.

I haven’t verbally spoken to her since church-gate, but I can’t put it off any longer. I’ve been deliberately avoiding the confrontation as I knew it would mean spilling even more lies.

I can’t tell her what I’m planning.

I’ve only held that conversation with Ace. Dead people can’t talk or answer back, which is maybe just as well as I’m not too sure he’d condone the completely out-of-character thing I’m doing.

In fact, I know he wouldn’t.

I answer the phone second time around.

“What game are you playing, partner?”

She gets straight to the point. That’s the trouble with accountants. They’re as forensic as lawyers. It’s not easy pulling the wool over their eyes. Unfortunately, yet again, I have no choice but to do just that.

“I’m not playing any game, Jessie.”

Liar, liar pants on fire.

“No? Well, you may not like big bad Eoin all that much and you may also think he’s an asshole, but you can’t tell me you don’t want to fuck him after that display in the church.”

“I don’t.”

---