“Y’alright?” I ask her. I reach for the little tyke, who lifts his chubby arms up to me.
“He was up a lot last night,” she says, running a hand across her brow. “Bit of a tummy ache.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Maeve,” Sheena says. “I could—”
I shake my head sharply at her. No, she could not. We’re still establishing trust, and Keenan needs to know he can trust her as well. The best way for us to do that is to be sure she stays with me.
“I just… I’m not sure it’s the best for them, Nolan,” mam says. She looks to Sheena then to me. “All of you are in and out all day, Clan business and the like. They go to the library, they go out to the garden, but Fiona and Tiernan are getting restless. There isn’t much here for them.” She looks to Sheena. “They need to see more of you, I think.”
“That’s my doing, mam,” I tell her. “I want Sheena with me for now.” I don’t even realize I’m sort of swaying back and forth with the baby until I see Sheena’s eyes softening as she watches me.
“I know it,” mam says. “I’m just saying it can’t go on like this for much longer.”
“Aye,” Sheena says with a sigh.
Good girl.
“Where will you be off to today?” mam asks.
“Heading to the shops,” Sheena says. “Maybe we can take them with us, then? Shouldn’t be any harm that comes to them there. Might even help our plan. Soften the locals, as it were.”
I mull this over and finally nod. Mam needs a break, and something tells me seeing Sheena with the children will give me insight into her as well. Since today’s work involves phone calls and questions, no traveling, I concede.
“We can take them to St. Albert’s as well, when we go there,” I tell mam. “Alright, round them up, then.”
Mam smiles at me, stands, and squeezes my arm. “You’re a good man, Nolan.”
I smile back at her.
She was the one who stood by me when the others lost faith. She was the one who built me up, encouraged me, and helped me through the darkest time of my life. Leaving behind the vice that helped me cope, I lost my father at the very same time.
In short time, we’ve got Tiernan, Fiona, and Sam ready to go. We head to the lobby just as Lachlan enters.
“Nolan, a word,” he says. I hand baby Sam to Sheena. She looks funny, all feminine and “melty,” as she calls it, but I’m not sure why. I walk with Lachlan to the steps.
“What is it, brother?”
“Went to The Craic last night,” he says. “Me, Boner, and Tully. Tully ended up with a lass, a girl who’s in with the O’Gregors.”
Bloody hell.
“Yeah?”
He nods. “Seems the Captain has left quite a line of women in his wake. Hooks up, sleeps with them, has his way, pays them well, sees them off.”
Pays them well?
I hope if we battle I get first pick of who we fight. The Captain was the one that touched my woman.
“Alright?”
“The Captain reveals much, it seems. Has a gob he can’t keep shut.”
“Bloody hell.”
“Works in our favor this time. The girl told Tully she was with the Captain last weekend, heard tell of a few things involving the McCarthys. Came to The Craic so she could inform us.”
“What’s in it for her?”
“Money. Wanted to be paid for the information. Tully took care of her.”
“Tell me everything.”
“She said a few things you ought to know. First, she told us they’re planning retaliation. According to them, we’ve trespassed on their territory and caused trouble.”
“Right.”
“Second, she says we’ve taken one of their runners from them. And that, Nolan, is their biggest gripe. Did some digging myself. Seems the prick we beat gets into fights all the time, so much so, they’ve come to damn near expect it.”
“Wait, now. Their runner? What the fuck are you on about?”
Lachlan swallows hard, and his eyes go to Sheena and the others waiting for us in the lobby. He lowers his voice. “Her brother, Nolan. He did paid work for them. And they’re pissed he’s with us now, convinced that we stole him from them and worse still, he was a spy.”
“Mother of God,” I mutter. This is more complicated than I realized. I have to talk with Tiernan. And I wonder what Sheena will do when she finds out?
“Perhaps it isn’t wise to have Tiernan here after all,” Lachlan says. “For all we know, he’s been spying all this time.”
Keenan would lose his mind if he found this out.
“Thanks, Lach.”
“Anytime,” he says. He looks wistfully over at everyone by the door. “You know I had little brothers and sisters myself at one time.”
I know it. He was orphaned young and lost his whole family. A teacher at our school found him. We damn near raised him at our finishing school.