Liam felt weak and achy as he released his friend. He twisted toward the end table, reaching for the box of tissues there, his hand shaking so badly it took three tries before he managed to grab it.
His heart thudded as he wiped away the evidence of . . . of the biggest mistake he’d ever made.
“Uh . . . I . . .” Sullivan sounded sated. Confused. But his body had relaxed and his breathing had steadied, and when he spoke again, his voice was drowsy as hell. “Thanks, mate.”
And then he fell asleep.
Liam could barely get up without keeling over, but somehow he made it back to his own bed and collapsed on top of it. His cock was hard. Painfully hard, but he was too stunned to dwell on that right now.
In the other bed, Sullivan was dead to the world, oblivious to the uncontrollable waves of panic spiraling through Liam’s body.
He curled his fists into the sheets and stared up at the ceiling, his heart beating so fast he was surprised it didn’t burst out of his chest.
Jesus Christ.
What the
hell
had he done?
“No way. You’re not going.” Bailey’s tone was as steely as the glint in her eyes.
After the incredible night they’d had, Sean hadn’t expected them to go right back to arguing in the morning. But then again, nothing was ever easy with him and Bailey.
They’d woken up fifteen minutes ago to find a text from Rabbit on Sean’s phone. The man was requesting an audience. Though
requesting
probably wasn’t the best way to describe it. He’d summoned Sean, pure and simple, and despite Bailey’s more than obvious thoughts on the matter, Sean had every intention of going.
“I have to,” he replied as he rinsed his coffee cup in the sink. “If we want to make a move against Flannery, we need to know where Rabbit’s head is at.”
“Then why can’t I go with you?”
“Because he asked me to come alone.”
Not only that, but Rabbit wanted to meet at a bar near the Docklands, when the man never conducted business outside his own establishment. If Rabbit was picking a place off the grid, that meant he had something of dire importance to discuss.
A frown touched Bailey’s lips. “I don’t like this.”
“It’ll be fine,” he assured her. “D and Isabel will be watching me the whole time in case he tries to pull something.”
Except now it was Sean’s turn to frown. Oliver and Ash had left that morning on another fact-finding mission, and with Sullivan still on the bench and Liam refusing to leave his side, Bailey would be completely unprotected.
“Shit. You know what? D will back me up alone. I want Isabel to come here and stay with you.”
“No way,” she said again. “You need the assist more than I do.”
He hesitated.
“I’m serious,” she insisted. “I want D and Isabel with you. I’ll be fine here by myself. This place is wired with motion sensors, and there’s an entire armory in that back closet.”
Sean relented with a sigh. “All right. But I want you to stay put. And when I get back, we’ll figure out what to do about Flannery.”
“Sounds good.”
He moved away from the sink and was surprised when she blocked his path to the door, leaning on her tiptoes to kiss him. It was the first time Bailey had ever initiated a kiss, and damned if his heart didn’t skip like a cartoon princess prancing through a forest.
He was so fucking whipped.
Sean couldn’t resist slipping her some tongue, but just as the kiss got hot and heavy, Bailey laughed and pulled away.
“Go,” she said firmly. “I want this over with as fast as possible.”
Christ, so did he.
On the entire drive over to the waterfront, Sean
thought about all the crap they still needed to deal with. Like Flannery, who probably wouldn’t be happy that Sean had left the Dagger again. And Cillian, who
certainly
wasn’t happy and had already threatened to make him regret it. And then there was Rabbit, who was . . . hell, who knew what that man was up to.
And to top it all off, Sean had no idea if the woman he was head over heels in love with felt the same way about him.
Yup, he loved Bailey.
The realization hadn’t hit him out of left field. It wasn’t like
ding-ding-ding, you love the woman
. Something about her had captivated him from the start. Not just her looks, but her intelligence, her sarcasm, her fire. He’d always known his feelings for Bailey ran deep, but after last night, he’d finally allowed himself to give them a label—
love
.
He just wished he knew what she felt for
him
. She was definitely warming up to him. She’d told him about her family and her ex-lover. She’d spent the whole night in his arms. She’d kissed him just now. But he still had no clue where her head was at.
Twenty minutes later, he parked in the gravel lot outside the waterfront bar and turned on his earpiece.
“Just got here,” he murmured. “Heading inside now.”
Isabel’s voice filled the feed. “I see you. D’s already in position.”
Yes, D certainly was. Sean spotted the man’s close-cropped head the moment he entered the bar.
The huge merc sat at the splintered wooden counter, nursing a bottle of Stella, but neither D nor Sean gave any indication that they knew each other. Sean strode past the tattooed soldier and headed for the table in the corner, where Rabbit was waiting for him.
The Irish Dagger leader wasn’t looking so good today.
His beard was more unkempt than usual, and there was a greenish tinge to his face, though maybe that was because of the neon green-and-blue sign glowing on the wall behind him.
“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” Rabbit remarked as Sean slid in the seat across from him.
“I told you I would.” He couldn’t stop the sardonic jab that followed. “Unlike some people, I happen to be a man of my word.”
Rabbit heard the unspoken accusation loud and clear, because a crease appeared in his forehead. “It had to be done, lad.”
“Why? Because Kelly said so?” The sarcasm continued to pour out. “Oh right, I forgot. Because it’s time for us to enter the
twenty-first century
.”
“No.” Rabbit’s tone was calm. “Because I needed to see how you’d react.”
Sean faltered. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Rabbit wrapped his hands around his coffee cup. Steam rose from the rim and dampened his upper lip as he raised the cup to his lips. He took a hasty sip, and it became glaringly obvious that he wasn’t well. His hands were visibly shaking, and his face
was
green.
“What the hell is the matter with you?” The question popped out before Rabbit could even address the first one.
But the man answered neither.
“I loved your father.”
Sean shook his head in frustration. “No, we’re not talking about my father right now. I don’t want to hear about how much you loved him and how loyal he was and all that fucking bullshit. Why am I here, Rabbit?”
“Colin
is
the reason you’re here. Your father was the best friend I ever had, Seansy. I could tell him anything,
trusted him with my life. I always thought we’d grow up to be old men together.” He shrugged. “Either that, or I’d die and he’d take over for me.” Rabbit looked sad now. “I never expected him to die first.”
Sean gritted his teeth. “Why. Am. I. Here.”
“Your father can’t take over the Dagger, Seansy, but
you
can.”
He wasn’t thrown for a loop often, but Christ, he hadn’t expected
that
.
“Why would I do that?” Sean said in disbelief. “And why would you even want me to?”
Rabbit watched Sean over the rim of his cup as he took another sip. He swallowed, then set down the coffee.
“I have cancer.”
Wait—
what
?
The shock caused Sean’s jaw to hit the floor. He wondered if this was a joke. A ploy he didn’t understand.
But Rabbit’s brown eyes conveyed nothing but sorrow and sincerity. “I found out three months ago.” The man tapped his chest, laughing harshly. “Lung cancer. Lovely, huh? Never smoked a day in my life.”
Sean offered a wry smile. “I saw you puffing on your share of cigars back in the day, old man.”
“Ya, a few, but I kicked that habit a long time ago.”
When Rabbit exhaled, Sean didn’t miss the wheeze in his breathing. Shit, maybe the man really was sick. It
would
account for the unexplained absences Sean had noticed since he’d rejoined the group.
“The doctors gave me six months.”
Sean looked over in alarm. “That’s it? What about chemo? Radiation?”
“Cancer’s too far gone. Surgery’s not an option either. Short of cutting out half my chest, the docs can’t save me. I’m dying, Seansy.”
Sean couldn’t fight the sympathy that flooded his gut. Despite all the laws he’d broken and the people he’d killed, Eamon O’Hare had still been a major presence in Sean’s life. The man had raised him alongside Sean’s father.
“So . . . what, you want me to step up and take your place?” Sean said skeptically.
“Yes.” Rabbit let out another breath, this one lined with exhaustion. “Kelly’s not cut out for the job. I’ve been watching him for years, waiting for him to convince me that he’s up to the task, but he’s too ambitious, too prone to violence.”
Sean snorted. “You want to talk about men who’re prone to violence? Your group got its nickname because you
gut
people, Eamon.”
“Always for the cause,” Rabbit said, vehement. “I never killed innocents.”
“You killed ten yesterday,” Sean replied in a biting tone.
“It was a sacrifice that had to be made. I needed to see what you would do afterward.”
Anger shot up his spine. “Jesus Christ. You’re saying it was some kind of sick test?”
“Yes.”
“Did you know all along that you wouldn’t call ahead?”
“Yes. Cillian insisted on it.” Rabbit leaned forward in his chair. “And that’s when I knew for sure that Kelly isn’t the man I want to take my place. He doesn’t understand the Dagger. Doesn’t appreciate our roots or respect the code we live by. But you do.” Rabbit’s intense gaze locked on Sean’s face. “You endorsed the attack when you thought it would follow the rules. And when it didn’t, you walked out. That tells me you know what’s right.”
Lord, this was priceless. Rabbit preaching about wrong and right after all the bloodshed he’d caused over the years.
“What if I’d stayed?” Sean challenged. “What would that have told you?”
“That you weren’t the man I thought you were, the man your father was. But you didn’t stay. You told me to shove it where the sun don’t shine, then walked out the door.” Pride filled Rabbit’s eyes, shining as bright as the neon sign over his head. “You’re the only man who can follow in my footsteps, Seansy. I need to know that when I die, I’m leaving my legacy to someone who deserves it. Someone who understands it.”
Bloody hell. This meeting was not going at all like he’d expected.
“I know I let you down yesterday,” Rabbit said gruffly. “I let
myself
down, and I’ll be going to hell for it, don’t you worry. But something good came out of yesterday’s destruction. It confirmed my faith in you, showed me who the
true
leader of the Irish Dagger is. And it’s not Cillian.” The man raked a shaky hand through his gray beard. “So what do you say, Seansy? Will you take over the Dagger?”
Hell, no
was the first response that came to mind.
But Sean knew he had to play it smart. Flannery wasn’t going to let him get away with disobeying Cillian yesterday. Which meant that Flannery or Kelly or both would be coming after him. Which meant he might need an ally.
An ally like Rabbit.
“I . . .” Sean dragged a hand over his scalp. “I’d have to think about it.”
“You will?”
“Why do you look so surprised? Isn’t that what you wanted?”
A slight smile lifted the other man’s lips. “Yes, but I thought you’d turn me down. I was prepared to watch you walk out that door.”
“Believe me—I’m tempted.” The ensuing lie came out smoothly. “But if my father were alive, he’d turn me over his knee if I walked out right now. He’d want me to say yes.”
“Is that what you’re doing, then? Saying yes?”
“No, I’m saying Da would have wanted me to. I still need to think on it.” He sighed. “It’s a dangerous life, Eamon. I’ve got my woman to think about, you know? Keeping her safe is my first priority.”
Rabbit’s eyes grew pained, and Sean knew he was thinking about his sister, yet another casualty of the cause.
“That’s the reason I never got married,” Rabbit confessed. “I didn’t want the dark parts of my life to touch any woman I loved. But your lass is strong, Seansy. She’s got fire beneath the surface. She can help you lead.”
Sean thought about him and Bailey leading a terrorist organization together and bit back a laugh.
But he had to tread carefully.
“I’ll need to talk it over with Bailey.” He slanted his head, staring at his old mentor. “Is there anything else?”
“No. I’ve said everything I needed to say.”
On a whim, Sean reached across the table and squeezed the older man’s hand. It was cold to the touch and frailer than he’d expected. He’d been so focused on Flannery and keeping everyone he loved safe that he’d missed the signs. Eamon O’Hare was no longer the powerful force he once was. He was a dead man walking.
The depressing realization caused a pang of pity to tug on Sean’s insides. Rabbit would die alone. No wife, no kids, nothing to leave behind except the fruitless cause he’d devoted his entire life to.
Sean never wanted that to happen to him. Christ. He would
never
follow that path.
“I’ll be in touch,” he said as he stood up.
Rabbit nodded. “Don’t take too long.”
Because there isn’t much time left
was the silent implication, and Sean’s pity deepened, joined by a rush of sadness he hadn’t expected to feel.
Swallowing, he left Rabbit at the table and forced himself not to look back.
* * *
Bailey was going to strangle every member of her mother’s nursing staff. She really, truly would. She’d been arguing on the phone with Dr. Levinson for the past twenty minutes, but the stubborn old man still refused to approve the transfer unless Bailey signed the paperwork in person.
And to make matters worse, Daniels had texted her five times since Sean had left, giving her “updates” about his agents’ movements. She was glad the spooks were watching the facility, but goddamn it, she didn’t need to know every time one of them took a leak.
It was clear what Daniels was doing. The damn man was trying to weasel his way into her life again.
But she wouldn’t let him. That chapter of her life was over. It had ended a long time ago, and it was time for Isaac to accept that. She would
make
him accept it.
Bailey opened her contacts list and scrolled until she reached Daniels’s number, but just as she was about to dial, the security monitors across the room buzzed.
Her spine stiffened. Someone had triggered the motion detector in the lobby.
She hurried over to the screens but caught only a blur of black before the monitor revealed nothing but an empty lobby. Whoever had set off the sensor was now inside.