Page 33 of Conor
She melts into her seat and sighs. “I’m exhausted.”
I reach over and squeeze her knee. “Then ye better get a cup of coffee when we get home. The night is still young.”
She blinks. “What do you mean?”
“I had a notion I might take ye out this evening.”
The gears in her mind are turning, that much is obvious, but I don’t know what’s going on in there until she speaks. “What about Archer?”
“I’ve already sorted out a sitter. Rory is game to hang with the little lad.”
“Really?” She arches a brow.
“Aye, he loves kids. Can’t wait to have twenty or so of his own.”
Ivy’s fingers tangle together in her lap as she stares off into the distance. She’s nervous. It’s natural that she should be, and that’s what makes her a good mother. But at some point, she’ll need to learn to trust me.
“The lad will be just fine,” I promise. “We look after our own. No harm will ever come to Archer while he’s with Rory. I wouldn’t ask him if I didn’t trust him with my own life.”
She digests my words in her own time, and I don’t bother her until she’s settled into the idea. “Alright.” She shrugs. “I guess a couple hours out would be okay.”
“What are we doing here?” Ivy eyeballs the back door of Sláinte like it’s the gate to hell.
Ignoring her tone, I reach down to help her out of the car. “Thought we’d pop in to say hi to the lads.”
She takes my hand, but her back is rigid. I didn’t think she’d turn up her nose at the club, but I suppose this is the part of the date where everything goes to shite. We’ve already been to dinner—a nice Russian restaurant owned by a mate in the Back Bay. Ivy kept insisting she didn’t need anything fancy, and I almost laughed when her eyes roamed over the menu prices. That sort of thing is nothing to me, but it’s a lot to her. Sometimes, I’d like to forget that she was sleeping on the streets and going without food just a short time ago. Those days are over, and I want her to know it.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” She slips her hand into the elbow I offer as we walk toward the back door.
“I think it’s a grand idea. This is where all of my mates are, and I want ye to get to know them.”
She looks nervous as all get out but doesn’t argue about it any further.
“There’s just one wee little detail.” I stop before we go inside and turn to face her. “It’s an important one.”
Her brows pinch together in concern. “What is it?”
“The lads don’t know we’re married. Not just yet. We need to keep it that way for a while.”
She stares down at her shoes like they hold all the answers to her problems. “I won’t say anything.”
If she has any questions about my reasoning, she doesn’t say so. It’s a discussion I intend to save for later, when I have more time to explain the dynamics of our brotherhood and Crow’s request. For now, I lean down and kiss her just because I can. Once her lipstick is good and thoroughly messed up, I’m satisfied that the lads won’t have any question about who she belongs to anyway.
Inside, the club is packed like it usually is on Friday nights, and the lads are scattered throughout the bar. I spot Crow and Mack through the crowd and make a beeline in that direction with the intention of introducing Ivy to her. But before we get that far, Reaper appears out of nowhere.
“Conor, I need a quick word with ye in private,” he says.
He wants to talk shop and being that I asked for his help keeping eyes on the Locos, this could be important. I don’t want to abandon Ivy to the wolves, but I know Crow’s missus will take good care of her.
I give her arse a good squeeze and bring my lips to her ear. “Head on over to Crow. I’ll be back shortly.”
She looks less than pleased when I send her on her way, and I tell Reaper we need to be quick. We sneak into Crow’s office for a bit of privacy and I get straight to business.
“What have ye heard?”
“You were right,” he says. “They’ve been looking for her. I snatched up one of their latest recruits, not a very bright one at that. Only had to cut off three of his fingers to get him talking.”
Ronan discusses the gory details of his job with a blank face. He’s got the stomach for torture, but right now the specifics don’t matter. I need to know what was said, and I tell him so.
