Internal Affair (13 page)

She trailed her fingertips over to his chest and played with his chest hair. “One day, a couple of men came in. They were wearing plain clothes but flashed a badge. My father told my mother to go into the back of the store and to take me. Later, though, my father had a bruised face and I overheard him and my mother talking about how they had to pay to avoid trouble. I didn’t understand at the time what was going on. Later, I came to realize they’d been paying protection money to cops.”

Daire’s grip tightened. “Did they ever file a complaint?”

She shook her head. “Of course not. They were immigrants, not stupid. They knew if they told the wrong person, they’d be in worse trouble. Eventually, somehow, those cops were discovered and prosecuted. The payments stopped and life went on.”

She shifted, pulling out of his embrace so that she could straddle his lap. “The image of my father’s face and the fear in my parents’ voices when they discussed what to do stayed with me. It pissed me off, to be blunt. By the time I was old enough to really appreciate what had happened, I vowed to protect other people. I made a plan to join the force to go into internal affairs. I never wavered from that plan.”

As she spoke, she unbuttoned the shirt she wore. Daire’s gaze tracked her fingers’ movement. When she bared herself completely, his Adam’s apple jumped up and down on a hard swallow. Leaning forward, she traced her tongue around one flat nipple, then across his chest to do the same to the other one. His breath exploded over her head.

“So, you see why I understand your compulsion.”

“Not sure it’s the same thing,” he said in a strangled voice. “But I’m not inclined to argue the point with you at the moment.”

She smiled against his skin and continued her journey with her tongue down to his ridged abs. With the snap to his jeans undone, she managed to lick the very tip of his cock that now stood at attention. When she reached to tug the pants out of the way, she found his hands already doing so. She helped him shimmy out of them before lunging for his cock again. She wasted no time in wrapping her lips around it and taking him into her mouth.

Daire grunted, and his hips bucked slightly before he placed his hands on her head. Instead of pushing it down farther onto his rod, however, he tried to pull her head back up.

“You don’t have to do this.” The groan he uttered immediately afterward belayed the sentiment. “I’m too big. I don’t want to gag you.”

In way of an answer, Parker pushed more of him into her mouth. He was big, marvelously so, and deep throating had never been something she’d achieved even with smaller guys. Still, she intended to do the best she could for him. As she sucked, she laved the underneath of his cock with her tongue. She wrapped her fist around the bottom of his shaft and cupped his tight balls with her other hand. Multitasking had always come easy to her. She had no trouble coordinating her hands and lips and tongue in an effort to ratchet up his pleasure.

Daire’s protests morphed into words of encouragement. His body shook and his fingers curled into her hair. When he started gasping, she redoubled her efforts, stroking his cock and massaging his balls in time to her head bobbing up and down. She took him as deep as she could toward the back of her throat and swallowed. At the same time, her tongue waggled against the part of his shaft right beneath the head. Then ever so slightly she bit him.

With a shout, Daire reared up and doubled over, his abdomen pressing against the top of her head. His fingertips dug into her skull and his thighs bobbed against her breasts. Cum jettisoned out and down her throat, and she greedily swallowed every drop, enormously pleased to make him lose control so fast and so hard. He sat gasping for long seconds after the last of his cum spurted. Parker kept his softening cock in her mouth, lapping gently at it until he slowly lifted her head off. She let out a squeal when he flipped her onto her back.

He straddled her, and the look he shot her made her insides quiver. “My turn.”

He didn’t say anything more, he didn’t need to, before taking her mouth in a quick kiss. She would have protested the shortness of it if he hadn’t proceeded to do to her exactly what she’d done to him. He spent far more time on her breasts, though, sucking the already hard points enough to make her gasp and wiggle. When he trailed kisses to her abdomen, she shook and moaned. As he licked his way through her folds to latch onto her clit, she begged and pleaded.

Then he sent her screaming over the edge.

Chapter Seven

Although Daire had no prior experience, he figured when a woman spent the night in a man’s bed rocking his world, the least he owed her was breakfast. Cooking had been Ronan’s domain, thank God, but Daire had picked up enough of the essentials that he could put together a decent meal of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. With Parker in the shower, he had plenty of time to accomplish the task before she came down and tried to do it herself.

He smiled at the sound of the water running. The plumbing in this old house would alert him to when she finished. In the meantime, he found he liked the idea of a woman in his house, using his shampoo, wearing his clothes. Last night, it had been hot to see her standing there in his shirt. Even his embarrassment at having been caught performing his ritual hadn’t been able to kill the fire in his blood. And she’d proven what a wonderful woman she truly was by not only not judging him but actually helping him do it. Having her by his side while he checked everything had actually helped to reduce the number of times he checked the locks.

Best of all, he had slept the rest of the night away without bad dreams or the need to get up again. Having Parker in his arms did him good, no doubt about it. The only thing that troubled him this morning was the worry that having him in her arms might not be good for her at all. Doubt crept in and needled him. He shoved it aside and got out the eggs and bacon instead. There’d be plenty of time to obsess about his relationship with Parker later. Now, he needed to concentrate on feeding her. After breakfast, the two of them would have to also figure out where they went from here in the investigation.

The sound of the doorbell caused him to freeze in front of the refrigerator. A visitor on a Sunday morning was outside the norm. He knew it couldn’t be any of his family, because, knowing Parker was with him, they’d have called or texted first. Slowly, he made his way through the dining/living area, grabbing the extra gun he kept in his mother’s old baker’s hutch on his way. Although it made little sense for anyone to announce their arrival if they intended harm, he wasn’t about to take any chances with Parker in the house.

He peeked through the curtains of the front window and frowned at the sight of the commissioner standing on the stoop. What the hell? Daire stuck the gun in the back of his waistband before turning off the alarm and opening the door. “Good morning, sir.”

Finnegan smiled back at him. “What ever happened to Uncle James?”

Daire tried to return the jovial expression. “It kind of went out the window when you became the police commissioner, sir.”

“Fair enough, although here and now, I’d rather drop the formality if it’s all the same to you.” He paused. “Can I come in?”

“Oh, right, sorry.”

Daire stepped aside to let the other man pass. Unease crept into his belly. He couldn’t even remember the last time his father’s old friend had made a social call. This didn’t bode well. As he shut the door, his gaze flew automatically up the stairs. He couldn’t hear the water running anymore. Parker must have finished up her shower, but where was she now and had she heard the bell ring? Not that there was anything wrong with Finnegan seeing her there, but for some reason, his protective instincts had just gone into hyper drive.

Daire followed his visitor into the living room, and when the other man sat on the couch, he sat in one of the wing chairs opposite it. “Would you like some coffee?” The question popped out of his mouth automatically even though the last thing he wanted was to prolong this unusual visit.

Finnegan sat bent over, knees splayed, his hands clasped between them. His gaze fixated on the floor. All of the man’s body language screamed that he didn’t want to be there, either. “No, thanks. I’m not going to take up too much of your time.” He sighed heavily and looked up at Daire. “I need to talk to you about something, and it’s not easy.”

Ice formed in Daire’s gut. “Please just say whatever it is out straight. I’m not a kid anymore,
Uncle James
.

The commissioner smiled grimly back at him. “No, you’re not and neither are your brothers. But from where I’m sitting, you’re the head of the family now, a position that was forced on you too early in life.” He sighed again and looked away. “I’ve tried to shield you. Maybe I shouldn’t have. After the murders, things were so damned crazy. We were all mad with grief, and when the rumors started flying…” He shook his head again.

Daire stayed perfectly still. This was the most this or any other man had said to him about his father’s rumored involvement with the mob. Why now?

“I heard what happened yesterday.”

Of course. That’s why now. “Detective Li and I are fine, sir. It’s not even clear what happened or for what reason.” At that moment, the floorboards above them squeaked. Both of them looked up.

“Is she here?”

Daire’s back stiffened, ready to take offense at the question. He made himself settle down. He and Parker had every right to do as they pleased together. “Yes. I had her stay just as a precaution.”

“Hmm.” Another long pause. “You know what they call her?”

Something in Finnegan’s tone got his hackles back up. “Who?”

The commissioner shrugged. “People. You know, on the force. The Chinese bulldog.”

Okay, now Daire’s hackles were like porcupine quills and ready to launch at the nearest target, which was Finnegan. “That’s offensive.”

The other man gave him a pointed look. “That’s how people are. I shouldn’t have to tell you that. Anyway, they mean it as a kind of compliment. She latches onto things and won’t let them go. And, I expect, she sleeps the sleep of the righteous.”

Daire clutched the edge of his seat cushion. “I don’t understand what you’re driving at, sir.”

Finnegan popped out of his seat and paced away. “You’re looking into the murders again, aren’t you?”

“Always. You know that.” Well, maybe the guy didn’t. It’s not as if Daire or his brothers had ever included Finnegan in their efforts. As their father’s old friend had worked his way up the ranks and into the mostly political position he now held, it didn’t seem fair to embroil him in it.

Finnegan frowned down at him. “I’ve suspected. I let it alone as I understood the need to find answers. But this time, I can’t ignore what you’re doing. Li has left no open investigations. She finishes each and every one. Most of the time, a cop goes down because of her tenaciousness.”

“Good to hear. Finding dirty cops is her job. I still don’t understand what your point is.” When the commissioner merely stood staring at him, Daire’s guts twisted some more in understanding. “You think she’s going to learn my father was dirty after all? Why?” He jumped to his feet. “Why the hell would you think that?”

Finnegan’s expression softened to one of pity. “I’ve tried to shield you, don’t you see? I put my own neck on the line quashing the investigation.”

Daire’s mind reeled. “Wait. What?”

“That’s why the murders have never been solved. If anyone had followed the trail to the trigger man, they’d have uncovered the whole truth.” Finnegan took a step toward him, hands outstretched. “Do you understand? It was better to leave the murders unsolved than to dig up all the dirt. I owed it to your father, to the friend he was and the cop he used to be. I didn’t want the taint covering you and your brothers, either, for your mother’s sake if not for Rory’s.”

Daire’s heart skipped a beat, and it felt as if his lungs couldn’t get in enough air. “No.” Shaking his head, he walked away from the man. “No, that can’t be true.”

“Why would I lie about it now, Daire?” Finnegan’s soft voice was laced with regret. “I’ve carried this knowledge in my heart for years now. And the guilt.”

Daire turned back. “Guilt?”

“I should have tried to stop him before it was too late. Even going to jail would have been better than being gunned down and your mother with him.” He shook his head. “She didn’t deserve that.”

“No,” Daire replied through gritted teeth. Nausea ate at his stomach. Bile tinged the back of his throat. He swallowed it down. “I don’t believe it.”

Finnegan shook his head on a sigh. Daire had an almost overwhelming urge to smack the pitying look on the man’s face. But that would be blaming the messenger and that wouldn’t be fair.

“I know this is hard to hear and even harder to accept. I’m telling you now because I don’t see what benefit there is in digging it all out now. Mahurin’s dead, as is O’Malley. I think Mahurin took over your father’s place in whatever all of this was and that O’Malley was the trigger man. With them gone, what’s the point, Daire, of pressing on with this?”

The commissioner spoke as if, with the death of those two men, the matter was closed. Daire knew better. The betrayal of Finn’s undercover work, the mountain of evidence of a large network from the stash Diego had found, all pointed to a still-active ring of dirty cops. Maybe Finnegan was blind to it because he couldn’t stand the idea of something so large and bad happening on his watch. “What would you have me do, sir?”

Finnegan walked up to him and clasped him firmly by the shoulders. “Let it go, son. Leave your parents to rest in whatever peace they’ve found and convince Li to drop the investigation.” His gaze flicked up to the ceiling. “I expect you have some sway over her.”

Okay, now he really did want to punch the older man. He held not quite a smirk on his face but enough of one to push everything else to the back of Daire’s mind. He didn’t want anyone thinking badly of Parker. It wasn’t the idea that Finnegan might hold Parker in contempt for sleeping with Daire. What really irked him was the insinuation that Parker could be swayed by a lover to fuck up her duty. Time for his guest to leave, so he said what he thought would work best to boot him out. “I’ll think about it.”