Page 30 of His Forced Irish Mafia Bride

Liam’s smile grew a little. He took a few steps closer to her. “You’re not what I expected,” he said.

I cut in right away. “Liam.”

He didn’t stop.

That was also Liam. He rarely listened to me. He tilted his head, still studying her.

“Sorry I missed the wedding,” he said. “I was busy with work and life. That kind of thing.”

Maeve still didn’t speak. She didn’t look away from him, either. She just stood there, calm, like she was waiting for the right moment to respond.

Liam smiled again, more relaxed now, like he was enjoying himself. “If you’ve got any friends like you,” he added, still looking at Maeve, “you should introduce them to me.”

“Who the hell are you?” Maeve’s voice was flat, but sharp enough to cut the room in half. Liam didn’t look offended. If anything, he seemed more interested.

He gave a small nod, like he liked the question. “Oooh. Feisty. I like that. Well, I’m Liam O’Connor. Sean’s brother.”

That did it. Maeve rolled her eyes, slow and full of disgust. “Of course,” she said. “Not one O’Connor, but two.” She looked between us, like this was worse than she’d expected. “I didn’t know misfortune came in pairs.”

He should have reacted differently. Most people would’ve gotten angry or backed off or tried to match her tone. Instead, he laughed.

He shook his head slightly, still smiling at her like she’d just done something impressive. “I like you already.”

Maeve didn’t react to that.

Liam kept going, smiling even wider now. “She’s a tiger,” he said. “You don’t see that often. That’s a beautiful thing.”

That was when Maeve turned and walked out—fast steps, straight to the corridor, gone before anyone could speak again. The door closed behind her.

For a moment, neither of us spoke. Liam was still smiling when he looked at me. “She’s going to be trouble,” he said.

I didn’t answer.

CHAPTER NINE

Maeve

I promised myself I wouldn’t leave in anger this time. This time, I’d leave with a clear head. I wouldn’t raise my voice or act on impulse.

I had a plan. A simple and clean plan. Since Sean wouldn’t tell me anything, I would talk to my father. I’d find Dad. I’d demand answers. I’d pull the truth into the light piece by piece.

The elevator doors opened with a soft chime that felt absurdly normal for what I was trying to do. I stepped inside. My focus was already on what was ahead.

Ask Dad, find the truth, easy peezy. How hard could that be? I pushed the elevator buttons, but the doors didn’t close. A man stepped in front of me.

He was security. He wasn’t aggressive, but his hand was blocking the elevator door from closing. He stood there like my next move had already been decided. “Mrs. O’Connor.”

I stared at him. “I’m leaving.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t allow that.” The words hit harder than they should’ve, because I knew they were final. I didn’t move away.

“You can’t allow it?”

“No, ma’am.”

Before I could respond, another guard appeared behind him. Then another. They had no urgency; they were just certain about what they were doing, like this had been planned before I decided I was leaving.

I stepped out of the elevator slowly. Not because I was complying, never, but because I was recalculating.