Dangerous Innocence (Five-Leaf-Clover)

Lorcan had refused to take me with him to meet with Laurence. He claimed it was to protect me, but I couldn’t help but wonder if he did it to choose which information to share with me. I hated being left on the sideline, especially since this was my sister. He didn’t care about her wellbeing.

Left to my own devices, I decided it was time for a grocery haul. When I realized that there was no way I could carry the four heavy bags by myself, I called for a cab. I didn’t have a driver’s license. I had never needed one in Dublin and lacked the money to get one. Considering the crazy traffic in New York, it was probably for the best anyway. Back at home, I got to cooking. Thanks to the newsletter of our Irish parish that I was now following, I knew about the potluck taking place this Sunday after Mass. Gulliver hadn’t spoken to me since the wedding. I couldn’t say if it was because he didn’t care enough about me or his conscience had caught up with him and he couldn’t bear to inquire about my wellbeing. I was certain that Lorcan would want to attend the Sunday service and even the potluck. He needed to be involved in the community, and I had every intention of working my way into their hearts through food. Traditional Irish cooking wasn’t my forte, because I loved experimenting with the dishes to give them a new edge. For the potluck I wanted to stick to traditions, but I wouldn’t go into this without practice, so I’d made a list of recipes to test. First, I made the apple cake and custard sauce to go with it. Then I got the oatmeal soda bread going. Last but not least, I started the two main dishes, a Dublin coddle—a recipe I’d never made before with bacon, sausages, onion and potatoes—and a cottage pie with peas and minced beef.

Around lunch time I was done with everything and had packed part of it into a basket. Then I headed out toward Mrs. Byrne. After I’d dropped off a container with each dish, to her utter surprise and begrudging thanks, I headed on to Talulla’s shop. Her face tightened when she saw me.

“I come with a peace offering,” I said.

I set the basket down on the counter and pulled out my cooking. Talulla watched with raised eyebrows. Today her dark hair was put up in a messy bun.

“Traditional Irish food. I’m practicing for the potluck on Sunday.”

After a moment of hesitation, she dug into the cake with a generous dollop of custard sauce. “That’s better than anything they serve in the pubs around here. Good, really good.”

I smiled. “Now you can focus on your work and don’t have to take care of your lunch and dinner.”

With a wave, I left. The more people I had on my side, the easier things would be for me. My last stop was Maeve’s place. By now my feet ached and my arm was stiff from carrying the basket for so long, but Maeve’s ecstatic expression when she spotted me in front of her door soothed my physical pain.

“You have to eat with me. Seamus won’t be back until very late tonight. He and Lorcan are paying a visit to the photographer your sister went to and then later they have a meeting at the Doom Loop.”

“Do they?” I asked. Apparently, Seamus always gave Maeve a briefing of important events from Seamus. Lorcan was still a closed book. I needed to change that.

I helped Maeve set the table and unloaded the rest of the basket.

“Wow,” she breathed. “I really would love to start with cake, but I’ll be good.”

I chuckled. “Do what you want. I don’t mind.”

She considered the cake then shook her head with a resolute smile. “Cottage pie first, then cake.”

We dug in and I told her about Finn and Lorcan’s suggestion to bring him to New York.

“That’s a wonderful idea! I’d love to help you take care of him. I love kids and I have experience watching them. I pretty much raised my sisters.”

“I still don’t know. He’d be part of Lorcan’s world. I don’t want that for him.”

“I’m sure Lorcan won’t expect him to become part of his clan, especially because of his…” Maeve looked at me with uncertainty in her eyes. I nodded. I knew what she meant, and though I didn’t want Finn to be part of Five-Leaf-Clover, I didn’t want his spasms or stutter to be the reason for it.

“He’s only three.”

“Yeah.” Deep in my heart, I wanted Finn here. Mum was busy with work, and Finn was mostly left to his own devices. Mum loved him but I knew how the debt forced her to work overtime. It had always been like that. Imogen and I had had each other but Finn didn’t have anyone.

“I’ll call my mother tonight.”

Maeve touched my hand. “I’ll help you however I can. I’ve been looking for something to do. I’m bored out of my mind.”

I chuckled and pointed at her belly. Maeve’s pregnancy wasn’t apparent yet because she was a bit on the curvy side and she wasn’t far along. “Soon you’ll be busy.”

“That’s in six months! And I took care of an infant and a toddler before.”

I felt lighter when I left Maeve and made my way home, I passed the police station again, my eyes seeking the barred windows, and wondering where Desmond was. But I didn’t slow my pace.

It was six o’clock when I returned home, and I picked up the phone before I could lose my courage.

Mum didn’t pick up. It was shortly before lunch time in Dublin. I put all the food I’d cooked into the fridge. If Lorcan didn’t return for dinner, I didn’t need to let it sit at room temperature. I scoffed. I was a real wife, cooking and warming my husband’s bed.

My phone rang and I picked up immediately.

“Aislinn, what’s up?”

I could barely hear Mum over the sounds of voices and clanking dishes in the background. Was she in the pub? I thought she had the evening shift.

“Are you at work?”

“Yeah, Sean needed me and I need the money.” I didn’t have to ask who would watch Finn all day.

“Mum, I think it would be best if Finn came to New York.”

Silence.

“Pardon?”

“I have time to take care of him. And Lorcan will pay for all the costs. It’ll make things easier for you.”

“Aislinn, maybe things don’t seem like it just yet, but being part of a Devaney’s life isn’t easy or safe.”

“I know, Mum. This isn’t for always. You know that. Only until I can return. But Finn needs someone who loves him. I don’t know when I’ll be back. He can’t be left on the sideline until then.”

“I’m doing all I can, Aislinn. I don’t know what else to do. Maybe I should marry Sean.” She laughed bitterly.

“What?”

“Don’t mind me. Things have been rough without you.” She sighed. “Okay. I’ll send Finn to you.”

Surprise surged through me. Things had to be dire for Mum to give in like this. She wasn’t telling me everything. Once I was back, I’d handle that too, but now I had Imogen—and soon Finn—to worry about. One thing after the other.

“Can you check flights?”

“Finn needs a passport.”

“I’ll talk to Lorcan, okay? We’ll handle it, Mum. Take care. Please.”

“Aoife!” someone shouted Mum’s name in the background.

“I must go.”

She hung up. I blew out a breath. Finn would come to New York to stay with me. I closed my eyes and smiled.

I was already in my nightgown when Lorcan came home that night around ten and to my surprise he was dressed in a suit, as usual without a tie.

“There’s cottage pie and Dublin coddle in the fridge in case you’re hungry, and even apple cake if you’re in the mood for something sweet.”

Lorcan moved toward the bed. He looked exhausted, and his stubble was slowly turning into a beard. I hadn’t seen him shave yet. “I’m hungry. For something sweet.”

The look in his eyes told me that I was the sweet treat.

Thirty minutes later, we were both panting, stretched out on our backs, our bodies slick with sweat. Lorcan had done quick work this time. It was our shortest sexual encounter so far, probably because of his exhaustion, but no less successful. After a quick but powerful orgasm by his tongue, he gave me another with his cock doggy style. This time he’d used a condom. I paid extra attention.

“I talked to my mother,” I said when I could finally speak again. “She agreed to send Finn to New York.”

Lorcan rolled over on his side and supported his head with his palm. “Good decision.” He scanned my face. “You’re happy.”

“I am. I miss him,” I admitted.

He nodded. “How much money does she need for the flight?”

“I don’t know. I paid about seven-hundred-fifty. I don’t know how to organize a flight for a three-year old, though. Maybe there are extra charges. Someone will have to take care of him before and during the flight.” I sighed, overwhelmed by the idea of Finn doing this by himself.

“I’m supposed to get two new recruits for the clan in a month. I’ll talk to Balor and say I need them sooner. Your brother can fly with them.”

“Really?” I paused. “They aren’t scary or anything, right?”

Lorcan chuckled and brushed a strand of hair from my face. “Not as scary as I am, and you deal well with me. Finn’s related to you, he’ll be fine.”

I laughed. “There’s another thing. Finn doesn’t have a passport yet. It’ll take weeks to get one.” I waited a little over three weeks for mine. “We’ll need it to book the flight and get the ESTA.”

“I’ll handle it. I’ll have someone issue a passport for him. Your mother needs to get his photo taken though.”

I nodded. So Finn would travel with a forged passport. Considering I hadn’t wanted to be involved in Lorcan’s business at all, I was reaping its benefits more and more. I guess that was another thing to add to my list for confession this Sunday.

“Aren’t you curious what Laurence told me?”

My eyes widened. Figuring the whole Finn situation, I’d forgotten all about the photographer. And all the sexy times really messed with my brain too. That was probably Lorcan’s intention. Keeping me too exhausted to cause trouble. The soreness between my legs had become a constant ache that would probably never cease.

“Tell me!”

“Please?” Lorcan’s smirk sent a shiver down my back, but I fought my body’s reaction.

“Please,” I gritted out.

“As expected, your sister didn’t pay the four thousand dollars herself.”

“Four thousand?”

“He’s a good photographer, I guess.”

“Who paid? A Russian business-man?”

“Laurence was a bit reserved with his answers. But yes, a Russian business-man. Not hard to guess considering Laurence’s involvement with them.”

“Did you find out who it was? You beat people up if they don’t tell you what you want to know.”

I couldn’t believe what I said, but life with Lorcan was taking its toll.

Lorcan chuckled darkly. “Ahh, sweet Aislinn.” He brushed a thumb across my lips. “Your innocence is fading too fast.”

“Losing interest?”

“Not at all, not at all.”

I swallowed thickly at the look of hunger in his eyes.

“So you didn’t find out anything else?”

“As I said, Laurence is under the Bratva’s protection. New York isn’t all mine. The Bratva and Five-Leaf-Clover have a sort of understanding. We don’t meddle in each other’s territories or businesses. The Chinese are causing enough problems. We don’t need additional stress. So even if I have many ways to extract information from someone, I don’t always use my methods. Laurence belongs Sergej, not me.”

I gnawed on my lower lip. “But we need to find out who the person is. Imogen might be trapped in their grasp.”

“And I’ll find out who he is. Don’t worry. Seamus and I were in Sodom for a meeting with the boss of a counterfeit laboratory we intend to cooperate with, and I talked to a few Russian contacts. Again they won’t spill any information without Sergej’s approval, but he and I are going to meet for lunch next week.”

“Next week? So much can happen between now and then. We need to find out more. Would you just sit back and wait for a lunch meeting with a Russian crime boss if someone had kidnapped me?”

“If a Russian kidnapped you, peace would be a thing of the past and I’d do what I love most …use my iron rod to break as many of the two-hundred six bones in a human’s body to find out where you are. I’d kill and I’d torture, until you were back in my bed. But Imogen isn’t you and she most likely wasn’t kidnapped. Despite his tight-lippedness, Laurence mentioned how cozy the Russian and your sister had been. She’s fucking him for money, and she’s probably letting the sun shine on her ass right now while sucking his dick somewhere in the Caribbean. Your sister isn’t a good girl. She’s a snake. No need to protect her.”

I didn’t want to believe it, but Imogen was Imogen. Still, I needed to know the truth, no matter what it was. I’d really hate her if she didn’t answer my calls because she was busy fucking a Russian gangster for money and a possible career.