Page 8 of Shattered Diamonds

“You know why I came here. And you need to broaden your horizons.”

“Ireland has some of the most beautiful horizons. This place is all buildings and people and they are always in a hurry.”

“Aye. Feckin right about that.” He grabs his coffee and then takes a bite of his eggs before vaguely explaining. “I have my reasons, Haven. You may not understand, but everything I do is for a reason.”

“I would like to know them.”

“Soon. What did you and Ciarán get into last night?” He effectively ends my line of questioning.

“She cringed watching a UFC fight. Too much blood for her.” Ciarán walks into the room. “Mornin’, cousins.”

“Finn said two nights ago, he couldn’t find you. Did you leave the estate?”

Ciarán quickly covers with a joke when I stumble. “You know your sister. She is a wild one. I took her to a rave. She got trashed. I carried her in at the crack of dawn.” He grabs an orange from the picture-perfect bowl of fruit in the center of the table as he conspiratorially smiles and winks at me.

“You’re late. We leave in fifteen minutes.” Cillian pushes his chair back and stands. “Hurry up and eat. The car will be waiting out front.”

“Shit,” I whisper with anxiety when my brother walks away. “He knows. He totally knows!” I whisper-yell.

“He doesn’t know anything, cuz.”

“Then why did he ask what I did last night? And the night before too? Where is Finn now? Why is he so clipped with his answers this morning? I’m telling you, he knows.”

“A deal went sideways last night. Finn is working out some issues. We’re on our way to meet with the suppliers. Relax, I’ve got you.”

“You sure?”

“More than.” He pops a slice of orange in his mouth. “Want to get in trouble tonight?”

“No!” I look in the direction my brother just walked out of.

“You do. You know you do. Be ready by ten. See you later, cuz.”

He walks out, whistling. Not a care in his lighthearted steps. Leaving me to wonder what my cousin is getting me into.

Can’t say he didn’t show me a good time the other night, though.

ChapterFive

HAVEN

My lungs constrictfrom the amount of smoke lingering through the atmosphere. Swirls of breath-gripping plumbs rob me of my oxygen. Less than a step behind my cousin, I follow him through a long, narrow, damp, and dark concrete tunnel. It’s ominous and thrilling in its path of the unknown. My two fingers are hooked in the loop of Ciarán’s designer dark wash jeans. Men and women crowd the space, making us weave our way through.

“Ciarán? What is this place?” I ask from my quick steps behind him.

“It’s blood, sweat, and vengeful tears, cuz. Also, the place where I am going to win some cash flow.”

“What? You’re making no sense.” That is until we reach the end of the hallway, and the opening mouth to the main room broadens my horizons. I gasp and step even closer to my cousin. “Why are we here?” I instantly become his second skin.

“You liked the UFC fight that we watched the other night, right?”

“I mean…” I waver. “Not sure all that blood was something I enjoyed, but…”

“You did,” he yells as the base of the song drums even louder. “I saw it in your eyes.”

I look up toward the ceiling, searching for a speaker like it will lessen the deafening beat if I find it.

“Choices (Yup) by E-40. Good song, right?”

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