Smoked (The Invincibles 5)

“The two of you are staying put.”

I took one look at Siren’s face and laughed, which made both she and Decker glared at me.

“Sorry, man, but if you think you’re gonna get away with that shit, you don’t know a thing about Siren.”

Evidently, that was the wrong thing to say to Decker. On the other hand, Siren was beaming at me, and that was all I cared about.

30

Siren

Endless questions raced through my head. What in hell was in that safe, and why in God’s name had I set this chain of events in motion? What had started as a silly whim to assuage my boredom, resulted in a man’s death.

What was Byrne’s involvement in all of this? I couldn’t bear the idea that he had anything to do with Jimmy’s death. It was Byrne who’d recruited me for IMI in the first place. I had to admit I’d often wondered why. As a candidate, I hadn’t exactly stood out among my peers.

“Uncle Gene? Does the name Daniel Byrne mean anything to you?”

He didn’t answer right away. “Not that I know of,” he finally said. “Why, lass?”

“Just wondering.”

“What are you thinking?” Smoke asked me.

I motioned for him to follow me upstairs and then thought better of it. “Are you able?”

“I’m steadier now that the pain meds have kicked in.”

Instead of leading, I followed.

“If you’re looking for a command performance, I gotta tell you, I don’t think I’m up for it yet.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Smoke, I can’t keep my hands off of you; that’s why I asked you upstairs.”

“Why did you?”

“I’m trying to connect the dots.”

He nodded.

“James Mallory Sr. worked for Arthur Vicars, the man responsible for safekeeping the jewels at the time of their disappearance. His son was one of my father’s best friends.”

Smoked raised a brow. “Your father?”

“Right. I’ll come back around to that. Anyway, Jimmy Mallory is deceased, and the man who is the current head of Irish Military Intelligence is having me tracked, and sent someone to Kinsale where Jimmy, a now-missing safe, and I all were. And finally, we all agree that none of this has anything to do with my original subject of interest—the missing Irish Crown Jewels.”

“Can you circle back to your father?”

I told Smoke about meeting Gene O’Brien in the Kinsale Cemetery while I was visiting my mother’s grave. “I was so frustrated at not being able to remember anything of her other than bits and pieces.”

“You had no other memories of your mother?”

I knocked my head with my knuckles. “Amnesia, remember?”

“But your memory was back.”

“What would make you think that?”

“That’s why you left the ranch.”