Page 11 of Vengeful Devotion
“How do we even know Seamus was telling the truth?” Dean asks. “He and Liam were low-level players. It makes sense that he would concoct a story to cover his own ass.”
“We can’t take that risk,” I reply, texting my mother as I speak. The sooner she’s here, the better. “If there is someone out there who is dead set on ruining my operation, then we need to know.”
“It’s possible that Liam and Seamus weren’t the only traitors in the organization,” Balor says. “If the man Seamus told us about exists, it’s rational to think that he approached more than one man with his plan.”
“Like one of the other families from Ireland?” Dean asks.
“Unlikely. Those families agreed that the McBride’s would be the leaders. They get their territories, their own businesses, but they have no actual power.”
“Maybe that’s why they’re going after yours,” Balor says. “With your father gone, it’s possible.”
I clench my jaw. No one questioned my leadership when I took over. But I can’t say that Balor is wrong either. This could be another family making a power play. Whether it’s taking over or just to rip me off, I don’t care. If they’re stupid enough to pick a fight with me, I won’t feel any guilt about killing them.
“Keep this between the three of us,” I command. “No one needs to know. Keep your ears open and eyes peeled. Let me know the second you find anything.”
“Got it, boss,” They reply in unison.
“Good. I need one of you to run my mother’s new hire through a background check. I want to know everything there is to know about her.”
“If she’s your mother’s hire, why isn’t her team running the check?”
“Run the goddamn background check,” I seethe.
I hate being questioned. Even by my two oldest friends. But Balor is right. Technically, my mother’s non-profit has their own team to do this. But I don’t trust them. What if she’s a threat? What if she’s a spy for whoever is trying so hard to take me down? I need to know who she is before anyone else does. So I can handle it before she becomes a problem, or my mother gets attached.
A knock on the door ends our meeting. Balor and Dean give me silent nods as they walk out the door, allowing my mother to come in.
“What did you need, Declan?”
“Why did you bring Gemma here?”
“That’s all you wanted me for? With all the texts, I would’ve assumed you were dying.” She gives me a hard look. “I told you. She’s my new assistant and as an employee, that gives her the right to live here.”
“I want to know what she’s really doing here, mother. You don’t need an assistant. You haven’t had one in years.”
“So?”
“So? Do you even know her?”
She scoffs. “I don’t need to know her to help her.”
“If you wanted to help her, you could’ve just taken her to the non-profit and given her a job there.”
“The non-profit isn’t hiring. I am.”
I raise my eyebrow at her, as I round the front of my desk.. “The non-profit makes room for every woman that walks through its doors. You could’ve found her a place. It’s unsafe for us to have someone like her here.”
“What do you mean ‘someone like her’?”
“A stranger, mother. You know what goes on within these walls. You know the only staff allowed to work and live here are the ones who know what we do. The ones that have sworn to look the other way. We know nothing about Gemma. She could be a threat.”
“You’re right. But I have a good feeling about her.”
“We can’t put our family at risk just because you have a good feeling about someone. What do you know about her? Anything?”
She shrugs, content with her decision to bring a complete stranger into our home. “I know her name is Gemma Rossi.”
“That’s it? You brought her here only knowing her name? She could be a spy placed by another family. She could be anyone and we wouldn’t know it. Where the hell did you meet her?”
