Ronan continued. “About the men you hired… Do you think there’s going to be any blowback because they killed each other?”
“No, they were independent contractors. We kept it clean. There won’t be any problems. The thing is, guys like that wake up knowing every day might be their last. It was just ironic how it all went down.”
“No kidding,” Ronan replied, arching an eyebrow at me.
Something did gnaw at me about this whole thing. I figured it was time to get an answer. “I got a question for you.”
“Shoot.”
“You never told me, and I didn’t ask, but how did you get the information Todd was delivering the package to Reno in the first place?”
Ronan eased back in the seat, chuckling. “If I told you, you wouldn’t fucking believe it.”
“Try me.”
“He showed up at my office in Manhattan.”
I frowned at him. “No shit?”
“Yeah, no shit. I mean, the balls on this fucking guy. He walked right up to my secretary, demanding to see me. How he got in there, I still have no idea. But anyway he tells her that if I won’t see him in the next five minutes, he’s heading straight to the district attorney to tell them what he knows about me.”
“What did you do?”
Ronan paused, leaning forward and resting his forearms on his thighs. “What the hell do you think I did? It’s not everyday someone comes in my office and makes threats like that. I told my secretary to bring the dipshit in to see me. Fuck. Dorian, you know better than anyone that the feds are always on my case. The last thing I need is to give another agency an excuse to crawl up my ass.”
“True. So what happened?”
“Well,” Ronan said, relaxing his posture some. “It was pretty simple. He told me what he had, he told me he was supposed to deliver it, and he told me how much Malcolm was willing to pay him to do it.”
“What did he want?”
“Money. What else would a low life like that be after? He was looking to double up on what Malcolm would have paid by turning the case over to me instead.”
I nodded. “Obviously you didn’t go for it.”
Ronan shook his head.
“No way, man. For all I knew, he could’ve been an informant or just some nut off the street. Besides, I knew I had a secret weapon at my disposal of it all turned out to be legit.”
When he finished speaking he winked at me.
“Anyway, so I knew when and where the transaction was happening, which of course is what you and I discussed before the job went down. If his story was complete bullshit, then no harm would come of it. Turns out he was telling the truth. In the end he was just a really stupid person, just another greedy asshole. Hopefully, this will be the end of it.”
Glancing down at the case, I exhaled. “Hopefully, but I doubt Malcolm is going to give up the fight.”
Ronan’s expression went blank. It probably wasn’t easy to hear. He looked at me. “That’s true. There’s nothing quite like brotherly love is there?”
I never got used to the idea of the two of them being brothers. It couldn’t be possible for two people to be so different. Even so, Malcolm was his problem to handle.
I shrugged. “Honestly, I wouldn’t know a thing about brotherly love. All I’ve got is Ainsley.”
Ronan’s expression changed again, a broad smile stretched across his face. “And how’s that beautiful sister of yours?”
Shaking my head, I chuckled at him. “Still off limits to you, asshole.”
Ronan laughed. “Now you sound like Ainsley!”
Before I could say anything, Ronan spoke again, his brow creased with a serious expression. “Hey man, I just wanted to add, I had no idea about the girl, Tempest. I didn’t tell you that the night you called me, the night you found her. I should have. That selfish prick Todd never mentioned anything about a woman being involved.”
While he talked, I glanced out the window of the limousine and looked at my plane. It wouldn’t be long before I saw Tempest again and held her in my arms.
“What about her?” Ronan asked. “Do you still have her with you?”
I turned and looked at him again. “I do.”
“I see. Listen, if I’m overstepping my bounds here, feel free to tell me to fuck off. But, I’m wondering what you’re thinking by keeping her around. Seems like an unnecessary risk and not like you.”
I was getting tired of answering the same question over and over.
“Yeah, it’s real simple as far as I’m concerned. I think it’s in everyone’s best interest I keep her close. Both of us know Malcolm is not about to let this go. She’s safer and so is your little secret if I keep her under my watchful eye.”
Ronan shook his head. “I’m sure she’s a goddamn knockout if you’re willing to go to these lengths. If it was anyone else but you I would say this is more about getting your dick wet than doing what’s smart.”
I couldn’t disagree with him. If it was anybody else but Tempest, I would’ve let them fend for themselves. But it wasn’t, and I wouldn’t. Ronan sat up straight in his seat again.
“Okay, well, I don’t want to keep you. Thanks for running this up here to me. “
Shrugging, I replied, “No problem. I’m sure you’d do the same for me if the situation was reversed.”
“Goddamn right. You know you can count on me for anything.”
With that, I passed the case to him, glad to finally be rid of it. Ronan stuck out his hand and I took it in mine, shaking it. After, I shifted in my seat and got ready to exit the limousine.
“Hey,” Ronan started. “I’m going to be coming to Vegas soon for business. We should have dinner. Of course Ainsley is always welcome.”
Sliding across the seat and opening the door, I nodded in his direction. “That sounds good. You know how to reach me.”
After getting out of the car, I took a handful of steps towards my plane as Ronan’s limo pulled away. I stood there, thinking about what he said.
What was it about Tempest that made me want to protect her so much? Fuck, it was like I’d been hypnotized from the first second I laid eyes on her. Every day that went by, I felt more drawn to her, more connected. The truth was, I still hardly knew her. Even so, there was no doubt, no question deep in my bones, I would do anything to keep her safe – anything.
The good news was that goddamn case wasn’t my problem anymore. Soon enough, Malcolm would find out that his brother finally had possession of it. Still, I was going to feel a hell of a lot more comfortable once I was back in Vegas and had Tempest safe in my arms. Yeah, maybe I’d been overly cautious about protecting her from Malcolm but if being a success in business taught me anything it’s that just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean someone isn’t out to get you.
If it was just between Malcolm and me, that would be one thing. Tempest wasn’t ready to deal with somebody like that. She might have been tough, feisty, and independent, but none of that amounts to shit when bad men with wicked intentions come calling.
13
Forewarned (Tempest)