by KB Winters
A chill slid down my spine as I thought about what he’d said. How did he know I was lying? The TV was muted. There is no way he could’ve known I wasn’t looking at my laptop. And how did he know whenever I lied to him? Was he that good? Or was I that obvious? I flipped off the TV and turned my attention to the laptop screen, as commanded.
“Aye aye, cap’n,” I said. “My eyes are glued to the computer screen.”
I looked around, half expecting to see Aidan’s reflection in my patio door, watching me with a mischievous grin plastered to his face. But no, my curtains were drawn completely shut. No way anyone could be looking in on me.
“How did you—”
“I can read a person’s voice, Maggie. I knew you were distracted, and I assumed you were watching TV. It’s part of my job and what I’m trained to do. And I’m very good at my job, as you well know.”
I nodded to myself. That made sense. I was simply being paranoid. But after the last few days I’d had, I could hardly be blamed.
“Ahh okay, you creeped me out for a second,” I said.
“Thought I was spying on you or something?” He laughed.
I faked a laugh, but the idea that maybe I wasn’t as alone as I thought I was still put me on edge. But Aidan was already on to explaining how to check the cameras, so I figured I better listen.
“What about these cameras here?” I asked. I clicked on them, and instantly I saw the sidewalk in front of my house along with my front entryway. “Holy cow. That’s cool.”
I went through and clicked on all of them, seeing the outside of my place from all directions. There was even lighting installed in the back that hadn’t been there before, making it so that I could see as clearly at night as I could in broad daylight.
“Wow, Aidan. Thank you so much. I feel safer already,” I said. “I really do.”
I meant the thanks I gave him. After all, he didn’t have to go through the trouble or the cost of having cameras installed all over my place. And yet, he had. I didn’t think I needed all of this hardware and security equipment, but he seemed to think I did. I wasn’t going to argue with him. I was pretty appreciative of his need to protect me and all. It made me feel like he cared.
“Good,” he said. “If you see anyone suspicious, give me a call. I’ll be right over.”
Give him a call. Not the cops. Him. Not that I was surprised by that. I knew getting the police involved in his affairs could make things incredibly awkward and uncomfortable. Especially given the fact that there was a dead man in the mix and all. A dead man who had never been reported to the police to begin with.
“Will do,” I said as I yawned.
“Tired?” he asked.
“Very. I have a boss who can’t leave me be. He even calls me up on Friday night. Geeze, what a control freak, huh?”
I was teasing, and it brought out a laugh from Aidan. It sounded good to hear him talking like his old self again.
“Well, get some sleep then,” he said. “And don’t forget, there are alarms you can turn on and off from your computer as well. I’ve switched them on for tonight, it’ll alert both of us if anyone tries to get into your house while you sleep.”
It almost felt like sleeping inside Fort Knox—which amused me to no end. There really wasn’t anything all that valuable inside my house that needed that level of security. Except me, of course. Or at least, Aidan was making me feel like I had more value than gold with his concern about my well-being. I shook my head and smiled to myself.
“Goodnight, Aidan. I’m sure everything will be just fine.”
“Aye, I know it will, Mags,” he said. “Goodnight.”
Chapter Twelve
Aidan
I wanted to feel guilty for lying to her. Wanted to—but didn’t. While I stared at my computer screen and watched her, I told myself it was for her own good. I wasn’t doing this just for me. It wasn’t because I was worried about her turning me in and my own paranoia. I was doing all of this for her. To keep her safe.
On my screen, I watched Maggie shut her computer and set it down on the nightstand next to her bed. I watched as she unmuted the television and focused on it again—which made me cringe. I didn’t want to listen to the show she was watching, so I muted it on my end. She was settled in for the night, and I didn’t want to be a creeper, so I minimized the screen with her on it. It was enough for me to know at the moment, she was safe.
After she’d given me access to her computer, I searched her browser history just in case she was trying to find a way to blackmail me. Not that I thought she would—I liked to think better of her than all that. A quick scan of her recent searches—all were related to principles of law, old cases, and were obviously for her schoolwork. I closed my computer and decided to get some sleep myself.
In the back of my mind, there was a nagging sense that I was invading her privacy—and I was—I just didn’t feel bad about doing it. That’s what ate at me. This was Mags, after all. In the years we’d been together, she’d never given me a reason to doubt her loyalty. Never given me a reason to not trust her. I told myself that I probably wouldn’t utilize these tools too often. I wouldn’t be that big of an asshole. I’d only use them in the event that she set off warning bells in my head and in that case, I could check in on her.
I told myself that I wouldn’t watch her while she was showering or changing because I wasn’t like that. Did that make it any less creepy? No. Even though having the cameras installed at all—without Maggie’s knowledge—was a bit creepy in and of itself. There was no way in hell that she’d have let me set them up if I had told her. And like I said, I’d installed them not just to ease my own paranoia, but for her own safety and welfare, too. I could make sure she was safe and that whoever was after me didn’t go after her.
Damn! Mags! If only you hadn’t walked into the office when you did. If only her classes hadn’t been canceled that day. If only a million other things—then we could pretend like none of this had ever happened. I wouldn’t have to watch out for her or spy on her. But since she did walk in on a dead body, she knew too much and had left me little choice. Most of my men would argue that killing her would be the safest route and one we should take just to be sure. Some were probably already seething that I’d put everyone at risk by letting her live. But they had to trust me. And I trusted her. Much to their chagrin—my word was law.
***
I walked into the Golden Shamrock around noon on Saturday, just as Dave was preparing for another rowdy Saturday night. I found him polishing glasses and refilling the bar’s fridge with beer. He gave me a nod and set a cold pint of Guinness on the end of the bar as soon as I stepped foot in the door.
“Any word on the Russians?” I asked him, taking a long pull off the dark beer from the glass.
“Nothin’ yet,” Dave said. He cracked open a beer for himself and leaned against the bar. “But one of the guys I know says his sister is involved with one of those pricks, so I have some feelers out there. I’m just waiting for a few things to fall into place.”
“And you trust this guy?”
“With my life,” Dave said. “We served together in Iraq. Family name is Russian, but he’s a Heinz 57 mutt if I ever saw one. His sister is some pretty blonde, which is probably why the Russians like her so much.”
I wasn’t sure this was good enough to go on. As much as I trusted Dave—and I did—I couldn’t be sure his friend had the right connections we needed to get the answers I needed.
“Can I ask ya something, Aidan?” Dave asked, leaning in closer to me. “Just man-to-man?”
“What’s on your mind?”
“That girl, the one who works in your office? Maggie, I think her name is?”
“Yeah, what about her?” I asked, suddenly feeling on edge and a little defensive.
“You in love with her or some shite?”
His question took me by surprise, and I wasn’t sure how to respond to it.
“Why would you ask me that?”
was about all I could muster.
“Some of the guys are talking and wondering why you didn’t get rid of her after she walked in on you. I mean, she’s a witness and all. She’s not part of the syndicate and knows more than she should. I was thinking maybe there was something going on between the two of ya. Somethin’ that kept ya from making her disappear. Bryan said she’s a nice piece of ass—”
I felt a spike of anger shoot through me. “Bryan’s an arsehole. And ya shouldn’t talk about Maggie like that,” I snapped and then took a breath and added, “Please.”
“So—ya do love her then?” A smile slowly crept across his face.
“Not your business, mate.”
“Aye. Be careful with that,” Dave said, stepping away to continue restocking the beer cooler. “Caring for people and protecting them—especially living the life we do—can put you in a world of hurt in a hurry. Not to sound cold, but look what it did to your brother, Flynn.”
My ears perked up at the mention of my brother. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, nothin’ much. Just that sometimes he let Colin walk all over him,” he said. “Let him get away with some stupid shite. And we all know how that turned out.”
Colin. My cousin. Now there was a name I hadn’t thought about in a while. I couldn’t say I really cared for the guy. He always gave me a wrong vibe. As a result, he and I were never especially close. Not like he and Flynn were, at least. Growing up, I was always the odd one out. They would do their thing while I did mine, and that was fine by me. I knew they shared a close bond—probably closer than even Flynn and me—but maybe old Dave was on to something there.
Dave had triggered an idea in my head. Something that was worth looking into a little deeper. I thought maybe I’d put Jason on the case. Have him look into Colin more closely. Maybe there were some answers there, something that might help my brother’s case. Maybe even something that would help me answer some of my own lingering questions.
“The wheels are turnin’ in that head of yours, Aidan. I can see ‘em workin’,” Dave said. “Need to bounce anything off me?”
“Just see what you can find out about the Russians,” I said, standing up to leave. “But don’t be too obvious. Just see if anyone had mentioned us, perhaps someone overheard something, somewhere. Any detail, no matter how big or small. Put the feelers out.”
“Aye.”
I should have been thinking about the Russians, but after the conversation at the pub, my mind went back to Colin. Despite a few objections from me, Flynn had always put so much faith in him. I always trusted my older brother and his ability to read people, but maybe he was too close to Colin to be able to see it. Maybe he was so close, he couldn’t see the danger staring him in the face. I was going to look into it and find out for myself.
As soon as I got out to my car, I called Jason. And just as he usually did, he picked up the call after the first ring.
“Aidan, how are you?” he asked.
“Good, good, thanks,” I said. “Hey, think you can you do me a favor, lad?”
“If it’s within my power and control, absolutely,” he said.
I told him everything I knew about Colin, which, admittedly wasn’t much. I thought if I could somehow link him to betraying my brother, well, it would only be a matter of time before I could prove Flynn’s innocence and I’d be one step closer toward getting my brother back.
And ultimately, getting my own life back as well.
Chapter Thirteen
Maggie
I kept looking out my window, expecting to see Aidan or one of his thugs sitting outside of my house watching me. I knew there was no way he’d not keep an eye on things—things, meaning me. I didn’t think his idea of keeping an eye on things meant watching just the exterior of my house either. If there was one thing I knew about him, it was that he was always thorough. Call me paranoid, but I knew I was being watched inside my home. I wasn’t entirely free from Aidan’s protective—and slightly paranoid—gaze. Belatedly, I realized he’d given in and called his robot off a little too quickly. Or maybe I was a little cynical and knew the way men like Aidan operated.
He trusted me, yes. But that trust was finite, and I knew something about him that could take him and his family down. Something that could unravel their entire operation. Which meant it wasn’t just Aidan I had to worry about. His mobsters also knew I’d been there and witnessed everything. They probably perceived me to be a threat. Hell, I knew they did. How could they not? I just hoped Aidan’s word was enough to keep them from killing me.
Stepping out of the bathroom in nothing but my bra and panties, I walked through my house looking for some kind of device. I figured if he was watching me in here, there had to be a camera somewhere. I poked and prodded all the places I’d put a recording device, but he was a professional, so I was sure they were all very well hidden.
I should give him a show. That’ll teach him to spy on me!
And hell, if I could somehow convince him to be more than friends with me because of my little experiment, all the better. Not that I counted on it, but a girl could dream. At the very least, I could let him see me in an entirely new light. Maybe get him thinking of me not just as a sexless worker drone but as a sexual being. An object of desire and lust.
Yeah, I could handle the idea of Aidan looking at me like he wanted to bend me over his desk. And the idea of him touching himself while he was thinking about me? It was enough to make me wet on the spot.
I plopped down in front of my TV as casually as I could while looking like some type of lingerie model in my Victoria’s Secret bra and panty set. It most definitely wasn’t something I’d normally wear for an evening of Netflix, but I had to admit it felt nice to wear something sexy even if it was just for me.
I thought back and didn’t think I’d worn lingerie since I’d left my ex, and that was years ago, back when I was still an undergrad. Not that my ex deserved any of this, all things considered. That cheating son of a bitch.
Thinking about my ex reminded me of how long it had been since I’d been with a man. Way too long. School, work, and more school just got in the way of anything remotely resembling a social life. Forget trying to have an intimate life, too. My time as an undergrad had been little more than studying and tests. And eventually, I’d fallen head over heels for Aidan O’Brien. And since then, I knew that no other man would do for me. Even though I’d gone on a few dates since meeting him, I realized that I kept comparing them to Aidan. The one time I’d actually slept with one of them, yeah, who was I thinking about?
Aidan.
I hated that he did this to me. And I hated that I did it to the guys who took me out. It wasn’t fair to them—in fact, it was kind of cruel. I hated that I couldn’t keep my mind off Aidan regardless of who I was with. I was a grown-ass woman, not some obsessed teenager. I shouldn’t have desired him as much as I did. But truth be told, I desired him with every fiber of my being, and even though I tried to shut my brain down by distracting myself with some TV again, I kept thinking about Aidan.
And knowing that he might be watching me—and the fact that I’d worn sexy underwear just in case he was—didn’t help keep those thoughts at bay in the least.
Chapter Fourteen
Aidan
I wanted to do a quick drive by Maggie’s place to check on her. Surprisingly enough, I’d found that I checked on her less than I thought I would. And my reasons were less about not trusting her and more that I just wanted to make sure she was okay. I would have figured it would have been the other way around.
But she was always in the back of my mind now. It seemed like barely a minute would pass without a thought about Maggie. And naturally, I worried about her. Especially with all the shite going on lately.
Sure, I knew I could call or text, but I found myself wanting to see her, so rationalized it in my mind, saying it wasn’t too far away. It was on the way home, so it wasn’t like I was going out of my way or anything.
I
parked on the curb right outside her house and was surprised to see her blinds wide open. From where I was on the street, I could see inside her living room, clear as day. And if I could, that obviously meant that others could, too—others with less savory, far more dangerous motives than my own.
I was ready to knock on the door and tell her to be more careful when she stood up and walked into the kitchen. And I stopped moving. Hell, I was almost sure I’d even stopped breathing.
Through the open window, I could see that she wasn’t wearing anything but her bra and panties. My jaw nearly hit the ground, and I was quite sure my eyes were bulging out as I stared. I could make out the line of her cleavage. Damn! I noticed just how beautiful and ample her breasts were. How soft and inviting they had to be. But as she stood there, framed within her kitchen window, my cock twitched. I mentally scolded myself, though I still couldn’t tear my eyes away.
“Stop that,” I hissed, as if my cock could hear me. “It’s Maggie for fuck’s sake.”
But my cock didn’t listen to logic. All it knew was there was an incredibly sexy, half-naked woman in my periphery, and it wanted her.
Maggie seemed to be dancing now as she shuffled back into the living room. I couldn’t hear any music, so she must have been dancing to a rhythm only she could hear. I had to admit, I was enjoying the hell out of it. Her hips moved in circles as she danced like she was at a club. Granted, she was dancing around in her own house wearing nothing but a skimpy bra and some panties, but she was doing it in front of an open window for me and all the world to see.
And I didn’t know how I felt about that.
Thanks be to God her street was quiet and empty. There wasn’t a soul to be seen, and it was a decent enough neighborhood that I doubted it was overrun with Peeping Toms. I looked around and saw that there was nobody out and about who would be able to catch a glimpse of her. Even if there were, though, judging by the looks of it, Maggie didn’t seem to care either way. If she was worried about someone seeing her, it didn’t show. She pranced around without a care in the world.