I gulp. “I-I don’t need him to do that.”
“You’re too kind, Belle. Don’t worry, I’ll negotiate on your behalf. We’ll have him on his knees in no time.”
18
CADE
After scopingthe rest of the building, taking note that Kitty’s out, waking Róisín up and growling at her for not keeping her goddamn mouth shut about Belle to Lucas, then banging on Neev’s door so loud that her dog starts howling, I head to Ma’s and find she isn’t hiding Belle either.
What she is doing is tending to Lucas’s black eye—his wrist is already isolated with bandages. Three boys and she’s gotten as much experience as Kitty has with fixing up injuries from fights.
“What have I told you two boys about fighting?”
“He fucking started it. Ripping into me about all the mistakes I make—”
“The truth hurts,” Lucas grouses before he jolts in surprise as Ma slaps a steak onto his bruised eye.
“Lucas, how many times do we have to talk about this? I’m starting to think you’re not just stubborn, but stupid, son, and I didn’t raise any fools.
“Vinny was the older of the two of them. He should have been the one talking Cade out of that nonsense, not the other way around.” She tuts under her breath. “I love my boys, but if there’s one thing I know about you, you’re hardheaded.
“Now, tell me what’s going on here. Why’s everyone caterwauling like Jesus himself is rising from his grave?”
Her Irish accent is coming on strong and thick at this point, so I know there’s no turning back.
Once the brogue is out to party, the next step is her fingers pinching our ears as she forces us to apologize to one another.
You wouldn’t think Lucas answered only to the head of the Irish Mob and his family. Nor would you think I was on an O’Donnelly’s crew.
“Cade was tasked with finding this girl in L.A.,” Lucas grumbles. “He was supposed to bring her back, take her to Aidan, and then, that was it. Job done. But instead, the fucking moron starts banging her, and he tells me he’s in love with her and that—”
“Wait a second. What is she, an Amazon package that’s gone missing? Why did he have to bring her back? Was she lost?”
“She ran away from her dad. He was abusive, Ma. Told her she needed her tits reduced—”
“Language, Cade. But sweet Jesus, why on earth would a father say something like that to his daughter? I’d have battered your da with a frying pan for the audacity.”
“It goes deeper than that, Ma. She believes he killed her mom.”
“Davis told Aidan that she’s dependent on prescription meds. She’s not well. He thinks the Disciples are a cult.”
“With a name like that…” The Catholic in her clearly disapproves of the MC’s name. I snort to myself, wondering if Blade McCormick will give a damn about my little Irish ma’s opinion. “We are talking about Belle, aren’t we?”
“We are. She’s fragile, but there’s nothing wrong with her.”
Uneasily, she wipes her hands on a dish towel. “Maybe that’s what I can sense. Her father.”
Lucas rolls his good eye—he doesn’t believe in Ma’s “sight.” “I can tell you what Idoknow. The head of the Five Points, our boss, was so grateful to his surgeon that he offered to do him a favor—”
“If a favor is all it is, then why would Aidan be caring about his surgeon if he’s a crappy daddy?”
I shoot Lucas a pointed look. “Exactly.”
“Because a man like Aidan doesn’t just let a favor lie.”
“The O’Donnellys are many things, but they’re not going to force a lass like Belle to go back to an abusive household.” She plucks at her bottom lip. “I can speak with Magdalena. She can help—”
Lucas jerks upright at the mention of Aidan’s mother. “Don’t! She’s not doing well after…”