Page 95 of His Forced Irish Mafia Bride

“Your Declan?”

“The same one.”

Maeve sat back slowly. I could see her replaying everything she’d learned, trying to fit the final piece into place. It changed the shape of the puzzle. It changed a lot of things.

When she finally looked at me again, there was concern in her expression. Real concern. Not for the investigation—for me, or maybe for Declan.

“What happens now?”

I glanced toward the window. Boston stretched beyond the glass—cold, rainy, and unforgiving.

“What happens now,” I said calmly, “is that I deal with it.”

“Sean—”

“You don’t need to worry about Peter Earl.” I met her eyes. “Or Stuart Justice, or Ian, or Gabrielle.” I paused briefly. “Or Declan.” My voice stayed steady, and I was amused by the look on her face. “They made their move.”

Maeve studied me carefully. “And yours?”

A faint smile touched my mouth. “My move’s already been made.”

The room went quiet again. And that meant there was nothing left between us and the truth. Only consequences.

***

Father Michael arrived just after midday. I noticed him before anyone announced his presence.

He moved through places like this the same way every time—quiet steps with no hesitation, the kind of poise that came with certainty. The doors opened and security stepped aside for him without question.

Maeve was still upstairs. She hadn’t come down yet, so I dealt with this first.

Father Michael walked into the penthouse and nodded once.

I stayed by the window. “Father.”

He moved farther in. His eyes scanned the room slowly, curiously measuring, like he was checking what had changed since the last time he was here.

“Is she resting?” he asked.

“She’s fine,” I said.

He gave a small nod, like he was deciding whether to accept that answer. “I heard what happened with Anton. I am sorry that you had to go through that.”

Anton. Fuck, I still need to kill him.I didn’t answer right away.

Father Michael stayed standing in the center of the room, hands together in front of him. Calm posture, but not relaxed.

“I want to see Maeve,” he said.

“What for?”

He looked at me properly. “That depends on what you already know.”

The silence that followed didn’t feel calm.

“You’ve been close to this longer than I thought,” I said.

Something moved across his face. “I’ve been close to a lot of things,” he said. “Some I chose. Some I was placed near.”