Kelly Clan 02 - Connor (2 page)

“Better the devil you know,” she mumbled.

“What was that?” Anna asked, snapping Claire from her thoughts.

She smiled at her. “I think I am tired,” she said and stood. “Maybe I’ll head home a little early tonight. You good?”

Anna stood with her and glanced at her phone. “Jason should be here soon.”

Claire stretched her arms over her head and yawned. “He working late again?”

“Big proposal here in a few months. I’ll be glad when it’s all over. He’s been working so hard, and when we are together, he’s just so grumpy.”

Claire walked over and patted her arm. “I’m sure it won’t be long. If he wants to make partner in the future, I’m sure this is just one of those things he has to do.”

Anna looked up and gave a weak smile. For the first time, Claire could see the toll that this was having on her.

“Sure you want to wait here?” she asked, not really sure where she was going with the idea. “Maybe you could come with me.”

Anna shook her head. “I’m good,” she said. “Besides, I’ve got a mountain of work to get done before Jason gets here.”

Claire hesitated. It was still light outside, and there was little chance that Anna would be targeted. “Okay, but anything funny, you call the cops.”

Anna waved a hand in the air, and Claire wondered how much the woman really believed about the whole thing. Knowing someone was trouble and seeing it in action were often two very different things. The best thing she could hope was that Anna never saw her family in action.

She picked up her purse and made her way to the door and stopped. “Hear any news about Harriet?”

Anna shook her head. “Not much. Prosecution is being pretty tight-lipped about this.”

Claire smirked. “I bet they are,” she said.

“We might be able to avoid testifying, since they have all that documentation, but there are no guarantees of that.”

“I know, but too many people could put their hands in this and screw the whole thing up.”

“I think that’s the last thing any of us want,” Anna ground out. She, most of all, had reason to be angry after all those years doing Harriet's busywork, taking her shit and then coming to find out that she was dirty. It wasn’t just a slap in the face. It was like she’d drug her through the mud as well.

Claire nodded. She was lucky to have someone so loyal to the idea of doing good on her side.

“See you in the morning,” she said and left for home.

Chapter Two

Conor paced the floor of the elaborate dining room. He hadn’t expected Ennis to have such lavish living conditions on a ship, but Conor supposed the man could afford it. The main branch of the family always had money, whereas his own came from a more working-class background. None of that had ever really bothered him much until Teagan started getting sick. Now, it just pissed him off to see them living so well, while he struggled just to keep up with her treatments.

He stopped and stared at the table setting. All perfect, like it came from a picture in a magazine. He frowned at the gold-painted plates. They looked pretty, but he could guess that the cost of the whole setting would likely cover about five of his sister's treatments. Finn would never have had something like this at his table. He liked his toys, sure, but not this sort of display of wealth.

Conor's heart hurt as he thought once again of his betrayal. There had been no choice as far as he was concerned, but that didn’t mean he loved the choice. In the end, he turned his back on men he had known since they were boys, and that was just something he was going to have to live with.

He clenched his fist against the fine silk tablecloth. It rumpled under his hand, and he glared at it. How many treatments would it buy?

Conor laughed to himself. It seemed like more and more, he measured things by how many treatments it would buy. It was hard not to though. He had come with Ennis so that his sister could get the care she needed. He had always said whatever it took, he would be there to make sure she got what she needed. His conscience was a small price.

He ran a finger along the gold pattern on the plate.

Despite the situation, the daily infusions seemed to help. Conor didn’t totally understand everything about the procedure, but it was all very cutting edge. At least it was better than where she was before, cooped up in the house all day, never able to see others, with even contact with him limited for safety. Just one little cold could send her to the hospital or worse. He shivered, thinking of the path she had been on. In the end, he had no choice but to take the offer Ennis set on the table.

No choice but to turn traitor.

His gut twisted, and he knew it still didn’t totally sit right with him. He wasn’t sure if it ever would.

“You seem deep in thought,” Ennis said from behind him.

Startled and slightly surprised that he had been caught off guard, Conor turned to look at him. Despite having the same strong jaw, dark brown hair and green eyes as his brother Finn, Ennis managed to make his look totally his own. In the end, though they looked similar, neither really looked that much like the other, even their builds were different. Finn was more lean and hard, where Ennis looked like a wall of muscle.

Something about this always tested Conor slightly. He stood taller and despite his height and muscle over Ennis, the unknown made his legs a little jittery. Finn he understood. Ennis he could never quite get a handle on. Too slippery. Then again, Ennis had surprised even his own brother, so obviously he was good at hiding his true motivations from people.

“Just waiting for you,” Conor said.

He watched as Ennis’s sharp eyes zeroed in on his finger touching the gold-laced plate.

“Just admiring your new table setting.” He removed his hand and watched as Ennis moved slowly around the table.

“Have you started to appreciate the finer things in life?” Ennis kept his eyes on him as he stopped by the door on the other side of the room.

Conor locked eyes with him. If this was a battle of wills, he wasn’t going to go down easy. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been down this road before. Ennis was the master of this. He had been doing it for most of his life.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Conor smirked. “Maybe.”

Ennis raised a brow in surprise. It was far better to keep him guessing in the end. Conor might not be a master of manipulation like Ennis, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t try.

"Interesting," Ennis said and rotated the plate back into place.

Conor shifted under the weight of his gaze. He was always watching him, like Ennis expected he might knife him in the back at any second. Or maybe it was just the level of people he was dealing with now. No one was to be trusted. Finn had a crew of loyal lifetime friends. Ennis had traitors and thugs-for-hire. How long could such a crew actually last?

“Did the men talk with the other council members?” Ennis stood across the table from him. His arms folded across his wide chest, rumpling his expensive suit jacket.

Conor looked down at his own t-shirt and jeans. He wasn’t about to change that, and he didn’t care if they all looked down on him. Comfort was number one in his book.

He looked back up and shook his head. The chair creaked as he leaned forward on it.

“They talked to them, but no one is willing to move on this,” Conor said.

Ennis narrowed his eyes, and Conor knew he wouldn’t like what came next.

“How hard did they lean on them?” Ennis asked, his voice cold.

Conor gripped the top of the chair. “As much as they could, without bringing attention to themselves.” He sighed. This was the part of the job he hated. “They are being watched too closely to get too involved, unless you want to take the risk of outing ourselves. All this shit the last few months is screaming for the feds to start drowning this city with agents.”

Ennis glared at him for a moment and relaxed. The quick change was almost as disturbing as having his anger focused.

“We can’t have that,” Ennis said and waved a hand in the air. “We’ll just have to find another way. We still need time to get everything where we need it.”

The muscles in his jaw clenched as Conor waited for whatever new scheme his new boss had concocted.

“What about working some of the fresh meat that’s running?” he offered.

Conor shrugged.

Ennis shook his head and pierced him with his sharp green eyes. “You know she’s going to win with all her noble crusader against corrupt boss crap. It’s our only choice.”

He shook with rage. “No fucking way.”

“It’s the only option,” Ennis said with certainty.

Conor stared at him with all the hate he’d ever felt. “Then, we find a new fucking way. We don’t involve her in this shit.”

“There is no other fucking way.” Ennis slammed his hand on the table. The fine china rattled with the force. “She's an opportunity, and I'm going to take it. And don’t be fucking pissed with me. Finn’s already involved her in this shit. Be fucking pissed with him. You think he’s not behind what happened to her boss or Claire’s campaign?”

Conor brought himself to his full height, a good foot over Ennis. “I won’t risk her being hurt. She doesn’t need to be involved.”

Ennis leaned forward and poked a finger at him.

“You’ll do what the fuck you’re told,” he said. His voice was just above a whisper. “I’m not my brother. If you wanted to do things his way, you should have stayed as his little bitch. I don’t give a shit what your past is with Claire. You need to decide.” Ennis leaned back and stared him down. “Do you care more about Claire or your sister?”

His heart twisted.

“What do I have to do?” Conor said.

Ennis gave a smug satisfied smile.

“Go and schmooze her. We need her on our side when she wins,” he said. “She's ambitious. That can be used. Even if Finn is pulling her strings, we can get her.” He stared at Conor for a moment. “It’s not like I haven’t taken other things from my brother.”

Conor responded with a cold laugh. “I think you’ve got the wrong guy for that,” he said. “She’s not exactly a fan of mine.”

“Well, change that,” Ennis said. “Lie to her. Fuck her. I don’t care. You do what you have to, so she’s in our pocket. Finn can’t have this win. I won't let him have this win, and I'm not going to let a little bit of sentiment get in my way. Do you understand me?”

They moved apart at the sound of footsteps in the hall. Conor turned and smiled. No matter what sort of shit the day brought him, seeing Teagan healthy and happy always did him good.

She walked in and smiled at him.

“How was the appointment?” Conor asked. He raised a brow to Braden standing behind her. The large man had been nothing short of a miracle when it came to Teagan. He made sure she made it to all her appointments and still managed to find time to do his own work.

“The labs are all good,” she said.

Conor stared at her sweet face. She’d taken after their mother's side of the family so much that there were some days that he swore she was their mother. Bitter memories swept through him at the thought of their mother, and he pushed them down. The past didn’t matter, only the future did.

“No appointments for two months,” Braden said and stepped just inside the door.

His sister blushed as she moved away from the hulking man slightly. She was so small, and it was clear that Braden’s large size still frightened her.

“Well, that sounds like a reason to celebrate,” Ennis said, his voice full of what Conor took as feigned sincerity.

Conor had nearly forgotten him. He watched as Ennis took his sister by the hand and led her to the table. She sat gently into the chair he held out for her and blushed when he pushed her in.

Conor felt his blood run hot. There was no way in hell he was letting someone like Ennis hit on his sister. He'd betrayed himself and a man he respected to protect her and wouldn't let her be a toy for a ruthless asshole.

Ennis stopped in front of him and smiled. “I’m sure you won’t mind if I dine with your lovely sister tonight. Why don’t you head home? I’ll have Braden take her home.”

Teagan beamed up at him, and he clenched his fist.

“Have a nice dinner,” Conor ground out. In the end he realized it'd only upset Teagan if he made a scene. Ennis had managed to outmaneuver him without even trying.

Conor headed for the door and stopped next to Braden.

“I’ll watch her,” the other man said quietly.

He nodded once to the large man. At least he wasn’t the only one who thought this was a bad idea.

Conor let out a sigh as he made his way off the yacht and onto dry land. She would be fine. Maybe he was just overreacting. He didn’t think so but, in the end, it was just dinner. Braden would watch out for her.

His car roared to life as he gave it some gas. Despite himself, he checked the mirror. It was like he kept expecting to see Finn standing there behind him running him a new one on why he’d bailed or maybe even ready to teach him a lesson with a gun or a bat, but there was nothing, just like every other time he looked. They hadn’t even tried to find him. It wasn’t like he had been trying that hard to hide.

Conor scrubbed a hand over his face. If he went sniffing around Claire, they were going to come find him. He only hoped that Teagan wasn’t home at the time, and it was over fast.

“God fucking damn it.” He hit the wheel.

Claire.

They had gone out of their way to avoid one another. Well, she’d gone out of her way. Conor hadn’t really been trying. There just wasn’t time for that. She had made it clear to him before what she expected, and there was no way he’d ever be able to give her what she wanted. His family wasn’t like hers. They came from nothing, so anything they wanted, they had to work for. With Teagan’s problems, there was only one way he’d ever be able to pay for them. He had to get dirty in a way Claire would never dare, and he had to do it his way.

She didn’t understand it then. He doubted she’d understand it now.

Conor pulled out of the dock and made his way home. If he was going to deal with Claire, there were things he needed to do first.