Cormac releases a low whistle, but Keenan’s heard enough.
“Then what?” Keenan asks.
She tells them the story, about how she was attacked and I helped her. She gets as far as the my coming to help part, then stops and looks at me.
My turn.
I tell them everything.
When I’m finished, Keenan closes his eyes and shakes his head. Cormac works his jaw. “Did you see any signature ink?” Keenan says.
Megan looks to me, but I shake my head. “No. Likely homeless.”
Keenan nods. “No ties to the O’Gregors, but you killed a man on their territory, and that alone is worthy of retribution.”
“Of course,” I tell him. “Understood.”
And Keenan knows as well as I do that I shouldn’t be even flirting with such things, not when I have the job ahead of me that I do.
“Well, then,” Keenan says. “You both fucked up properly, didn’t you?” Christ, I feel as if we’ve both been hauled into the headmaster’s office.
“Well, now, I wouldn’t go that far,” Cormac says, “I’d have fucked the man up as well, wouldn’t you, Keenan?”
“Killed him? No,” Keenan says. “Incapacitated and warned? Aye.”
Shite.
“True,” Cormac says. “Killing on O’Gregor land is feckin’ stupid.” He looks quickly at me. “Erm, sorry, Carson.”
I only shrug. “Aye. ’Tis though. I don’t disagree with you.”
“I’ll contact Father Finn,” Keenan says. “Conduct an investigation on the side, ensure that killing the man didn’t just start a fucking war.”
“Aye.” I nod. I’ll do my own investigation as well, and Keenan knows it.
“We have a bigger problem here, though, Carson.”
We all look at him curiously.
He jerks his chin toward Megan. “With all due respect, cousin, we can’t have you traipsing about causing mischief and havoc.”
Megan rolls her eyes. “I’m hardly—”
“And I won’t allow you do something like this again. There are times when most of us fight against the laws of the Clan, but know this, lass. The laws are here to protect you, not hinder you.”
She blinks, swallows hard, and looks down at her hands.
He’s giving her a dressing down worthy of a younger lass, but there’s too much at stake here.
“So I have a solution.” Keenan gets to his feet. We all watch him warily.
“Carson, you’ll be her personal guard until further notice. See to it when she goes out her guard goes with her. See to it they’re attentive and vigilant, and if they’re not, report back to me.” He turns to Megan. “And Megan, what Carson says is law. No more endangering the Clan, lass.”
He gets to his feet and she opens her mouth to protest, then slams it shut. Her cheeks flush a little pink, but still, she says nothing in return. When they go to leave, she opens her mouth. “There’s… well there’s one more thing,” she begins, but when they turn to look back, she shakes her head.
“Forget it. It’s nothing,” she says. “Ignore me.” She’s looking at her hands again.
Keenan looks with curiosity at me, then back to her. “You sure, lass?”
“Aye. Sure. All good now.”
They leave. When the door shuts, her sweet face falls, and her shoulders slump.
I’ve never seen Keenan assign a man of the Clan on security detail before. But I know it’s punishment for me for my lapse in judgment as well. He could’ve punished me worse than this. And he’s right. I could have incapacitated or maimed, but no, I had to lose my fucking mind.
Still, I feel badly for Megan. I sit on one of the overstuffed chairs in her living room. “Megan.”
She lifts her eyes to mine. “Yes?”
I crook a finger at her. “Come here, love.”
She eyes me warily but comes.
When she’s in front of me, I tug her onto my lap.
At first, she sits stiffly, and I gently rub my palm on the small of her back. “You’ve had a rough day,” I tell her.
She nods. “Aye.”
They say that having a child softens you. That you learn to be more empathetic. And I know she’s been through much today. I used to be more aloof, more detached. But being dad to Breena, even though she’s still little yet, has made me a bit more aware.
“You know they only want to protect you.”
As do I.
She sighs. “Aye. I do know. Gets a bit oppressive though, you know. Makes me feel like a child.”
I bend my mouth to her neck and kiss her gently. “You’re no child, lass.”
She smiles and sighs, letting her head rest on my shoulder. “I’m not. It’s interesting to me he put you on duty with me.” She looks up to me. “You think he knows there’s… something between us?”
I shake my head. “No. He knows that I killed a man today unnecessarily. And this is my punishment.”
She smiles and winces. “I’m your punishment.”
I laugh. “No, lass. It’s duty that’s my punishment. Men of my rank don’t get guard duty. That’s entry-level.”