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Maeve waves that away. “Och, nonsense. When I sent word around that Kate’s wee lass was coming, everyone threw together something and there we have it. Welcome to Ireland, Madelaine.”
Wow. And here I thought it was me against the world now that Mom is gone. I’ve never been so happy to be wrong.
After filling a plate with all kinds of delicious-looking food, I sit next to Finley on the sofa. “What was my mom like when you two were kids?”
Finley spends the next half hour sharing stories of when he and my mother met as children in the playground and then were mates at school and how they spent all their spare time together.
Mom never once mentioned Finley to me, but I would never tell him that. Maybe losing this relationship when she moved away was too painful for her to talk about.
It could be that, because after he spoils me with a dozen stories, he grows a little sentimental and then takes his leave to go home to do chores.
It’s mid-afternoon when my cousin Patrick—a guy with shaggy dark hair, dark eyes, and a bit of scruff on his face—calls Erin and I in from the little barn out back to find Aunt Maeve has laid out high tea.
“We’ve got Earl Grey with finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones with clotted cream, and plates of homemade squares that Gisele is famous for.”
I give my new cousin a nod. “Thank you, Gisele. I can practically feel the pounds going on my thighs.”
Patrick and I take our tea together and I find we have a lot in common. Not only are we both in our early thirties, we’re both lawyers, so we have lots to talk about.
“Do you mind if I make an observation, cousin?” he asks, a long while later.
“No, go ahead.”
“It doesn’t make much sense—your sudden relocation, I mean.”
I check that everyone is otherwise occupied in their own conversations and lean in a little closer. “Can we keep it between us?”
“Of course.”
And so, I tell him everything. I start with the home invasion and racing off in the middle of the night, starting over as Laine O’Neill, and then everything that has happened since going to the Jimmy Frances Pub.
When I finish, I can see by his expression that it’s as bad as I thought. “Tag Quinn? Oh, Mother Mary, you need to stay far away from him, Madelaine.”
“I didn’t mean to get pulled into his orbit. He was just a hot guy I shared a drink with at a pub. When the world exploded, I was right there beside him.”
It’s obvious Patrick is trying to figure out how to get me out of that. “What if you come stay here? We could go get your things and be back by dark.”
“I love that idea, but if Tag’s right and the McGuires took notice of me, I won’t lead them into your lives. Also, I don’t even know how things ended in Chicago. Are people looking for me? I just don’t know. For the next day or two, I’ll do as Tag asks and stay within his protection until this blows over.”
Patrick frowns. “The Quinns are an incredibly dangerous family connected to other dangerous people all over the Irish counties. His protection doesn’t mean you’ll be safe.”
“But he says they live by a code: the Quinn Laws. Do you know of them?”
Patrick nods. “Aye, I expect almost everyone in Dublin and the surrounding area does—hell, you could probably find them on the internet if you search—but even if the wolf tells the lambs he’ll do his best not to eat them, it doesn’t make him any less of a wolf.”
“Still, a code means he tries to keep things in hand, doesn’t it?”
Patrick pegs me with a stern scowl. “Don’t romanticize them, Madelaine. You are a lawyer. You know there is only one side of the law to be on—the right side.”
Ah, but he’s a family law solicitor and I am a criminal defense attorney. I’m already predisposed to look for the redeeming qualities in the clients I encounter.
A moment later, he pats the top of my arm and draws me out of my thoughts. “I’ve upset you. That was certainly not my intention.”
I wave away his concerns. “Not at all. It’s been good to talk to someone objective about this. I appreciate your thoughts and I’ll sort it out. Thank you for listening.”
He nods. “I still think you should come stay here.”
“Not until I know I won’t be dragging danger to your doorstep either from Chicago or from Dublin. I’ll be fine. Believe it or not, my life has prepared me well for situations like this. But for today, I should make my way back.”
