Page 50 of Forbidden Romeo

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. My blood runs cold, a wave of panic washing over me.

“What?”

“I don’t know the full story, but…” the doorman begins, but I can’t bear to hear more.

Without bothering to say goodbye, I hastily leave, my mind racing. I sprint down the stairs from the foyer, trying not to panic about the amount of movement I can already make out.People are buzzing in the equipment room beneath the main floor—trusted men with heavy guns. Whatever they’ve found out, Padraic’s taking it damn seriously.

In the chaos, Kate isn’t easy to spot. But when I do, I find her checking through her equipment methodically.

“Kate,” I call out, relieved to see her.

She glances up at me for a moment before continuing her work. “Oh, good, you’re here.”

“What’s going on?”

Kate gives me the brief. “Buzz finally managed to pull the admin records from Lenox Hill ER. Seems they had someone on file called ‘Aimee’ who recently requested a name change.”

“There must be a hundred thousand ‘Amys’ in New York City,” I point out, slurring the name in an attempt to downplay the significance.

“Aye. Not many changing their name from Maguire, though,” she counters.

Shit,I curse internally. “So we’re going to the hospital?”

“No, we have her home address,” Kate reveals, unaware that the news is crushing me.

My heart pounds in my chest. “Where?”

“Brooklyn.”

In a small apartment about halfway up the building. Soft, pale curtains and bedsheets. A well-used coffee machine. A couch that’s seen better days. They’re going to find her because that’s exactly where I was this morning.

“You okay?” Kate’s voice breaks through my thoughts, concern etched on her face.

“What’s the plan?” I redirect, trying to buy time to regain my focus.

Kate narrows her eyes at me but replies anyway, “Three men have gone to scout ahead. Then we’ll approach together. See if we can’t lure her out without violence.”

“And if we can’t?” I press, my voice betraying a mix of worry and doubt.

Kate nods toward where Morris and Buzz are loading up a four-by-four with an obscene amount of hardware.

I swallow hard, the weight of the situation settling heavily on my shoulders. “She’s just one woman.”

“So am I,” Kate points out, her tone resolute. “But Buzz said she listed someone called ‘Roisin Maguire’ as her next of kin. Do you remember seeing the Maguire kids when we were younger? There were two sisters.”

“You think they’re both in New York?” I ask, mentally cursing Buzz to high hell.

“I never saw one without the other,” Kate says, landing on the same conclusion I did only a few days ago.

“That was almost twenty years ago, Kate,” I say to try and throw her off. “Things change.”

“Maybe. But after what happened last time, Padraic doesn’t want to take any risks.” Her words carry the weight of what she left unsaid. Padraic doesn’t want another Graham.

I watch Kate for a moment, her focused demeanor and unwavering determination, and I can’t help but feel a pang of admiration amidst my turmoil. As much as it has often pained me to admit, she’s always impressed me with her unwavering loyalty to the family and her fierce dedication. It’s still strange to discover that we share a bond forged through our grief and a deep understanding of the dangerous world we inhabit. That we share a common goal, to get justice for Graham’s death, whatever it takes.

But now, as she sets out to find Aimee… I feel my resolve wavering.

The mere thought of Aimee falling into the clutches of the mob… I can’t help but imagine the horrors that could happen to her if she is caught.

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