SWNOVELS Chapter 29
I head for the office at the back of the Emerald Shamrock nightclub, looking for Shane Ryan, one of the four brothers who owns the club. He also happens to be one of my best clients.
He’s perched on the edge of his desk, and he eyes me over the rim of his coffee mug when I step inside his office and take a seat. He places the mug down and jerks his head toward the coffee machine behind him. “You want one?”
I shake my head. “I’m good, thanks.”
He sits behind his desk and leans forward, his hands clasped on the table in front of him. His huge biceps strain the fabric pulled taut over his arms, and I instinctively rub my jaw, recalling how he almost knocked me on my ass the last time I saw him. I’ve been on the receiving end of this man’s right hook many times, just like he has mine.
“Haven’t seen you at the gym for weeks, buddy.” He arches an eyebrow at me. “Did I kick your ass a little too hard last time?”
I run my tongue over my teeth. “You fucking wish.”
He laughs. “Congratulations on the wedding, by the way. That was … unexpected.”
I shrug. “What can I say, I’m a hopeless romantic at heart.”
That makes him laugh harder. “Yeah, right. You should bring her to the club sometime. Jessie would love to meet her.” Jessie is his wife, and she’s the reason I’m here.
I narrow my eyes. “And which club are you talking about?”
He smirks. “Whichever one you prefer, buddy.”
As well as owning the Emerald Shamrock, the most exclusive nightclub in New York, Shane and his brothers also own a private members-only club. Some would call it a sex club, but it’s much more sophisticated than that. “Maybe. We’ll see.”
“Well, let one of us know if you need a booth reserved.”
An image of me fucking Mel in one of the private booths at The Peacock Club burns itself into my brain, and I shake my head to clear it. I never used to be distracted this easily.
Shane smirks at me. “Enough pleasure. I assume you’re here to discuss business?”
“Yeah. I have something I need looking into. It’s not urgent, but it’s delicate. I can’t trust just anyone with it.”
He drums his fingertips on the desk. “You want Jessie to look into it?”
“Yeah.” His wife is the best computer hacker in the country, possibly the world. There’s no information this woman can’t dig up, and she does it faster and cleaner than anyone I’ve ever known. And given the business I’m in, I’ve known a lot of people who offer those kinds of services. There’s one guy in Los Angeles who comes close, but he lacks her finesse.
Shane’s lips twitch in a smirk. “You do understand that I have you on a retainer, Nathan, and not the other way around. Seems like I’m the one working for you these days.”
I hold his gaze, aware he’s only half joking. I’ve requested his wife’s services about half a dozen times in the past six months. And while Shane and I might be friends, he’s still the head of the Irish mob, and I don’t ever take his position in this city—or the things he’s capable of—for granted. “First, I’m not asking you to do it. It’s your wife whose services I require. And second, you’re keeping your nose so clean lately, it’s not my fault I have nothing to do for you.”
He rubs a hand over his stubble, and his lips curve as he sighs. “What can I say? The love of a good woman does something to a man.”
“Yeah. And I also know that your wife loves this sort of work, and that you and your brothers would do anything to make her happy, so it’s almost like I’m doing you a favor if you think about it.”
He chuckles. “You’re a cocky fucker, and I like that. But yeah, she does love it, and it sure as hell keeps her out of trouble. And if there is one thing my wife is good at finding, it’s fucking trouble.” He shakes his head.
“This is nothing dangerous. I just need information on a murder that happened seventeen years ago.”
His green eyes narrow. “And why is it delicate?”
“The victim was my wife’s father. I’d rather not let anyone know I’m looking into it.”
He gives a knowing nod. “I’ll give her your number and you can tell her what you need. No sense in me continuing as the go-between if she’s going to keep doing this kind of work for you.”
“I appreciate that, Shane.” I’m fully aware of the trust he’s placing in me. The Ryan brothers might share their wife with each other, but they’re notoriously possessive of her—bordering on rabid—when it concerns anyone else. “I wish she’d let me pay her for her time and effort.”
He shakes his head. “I already told you, she doesn’t give a fuck about money. Make a donation to charity instead.”
“Yeah, I will.” I know the perfect one, and she’ll definitely approve because she helped bring down the fuckers who hurt the woman that set it up.
“So, your wife?” Shane asks, and my hackles rise.
“What about her?”
“It was sudden. I never thought I’d see the day you settled down. I guess I’m curious.”
“She’s one of the most incredible people I’ve ever met,” I tell him honestly.
“I hope she brings you some of the peace you need, Nathan.”
I frown at him. “You think I need peace?”
He sucks on his top lip for a second, then gives one firm nod of his head. “I think all men like us need peace. Not that we’re ever willing to admit that until we find it.”
“And who exactly are men like us, Shane?”
“Men who don’t know we’re broken until someone comes along and fixes us.”