She could not tell him. She could just run away from it all, from him, from the Maguires. She could disappear so that neither of them could find her, but where would she go and how would she take care of herself? Her money was limited outside of what Alpha gave her. Despite what she had told Olcan, Sean had left her with extraordinarily little, and trying to get to even that would send up red flags far too soon for her to get away.
Then, there was Olcan. She’d be leaving him in the same situation he’d be in if she followed through with Alpha’s plans. If she didn’t finish the job, they would only send someone else, try another tactic. Perhaps they’d skip trying to find out the inner workings of his family and just take them out like they had the rest of their clan in Ireland all those years ago.
The Maguires had wanted their turf then and they wanted their turf now. They would have it before all was said and done if they weren’t stopped. From what she’d seen, there weren’t enough of the McNallys left to save themselves, no matter how fierce they might be in the human world. She wiped the tears from her face and put Thor out back to run around rather than taking him for a walk and risking running into Olcan again before she was ready.
The sound of her phone ringing sent her heart thudding against her chest again. She looked at it, half expecting it to be him, but it wasn’t. Instead, it was Alpha. She took a deep breath and answered the phone. He was getting impatient. It wouldn’t be much longer before he acted of his own accord.
“Where is Fergus McNally?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she lied.
“Why didn’t you tell me that Fergus had handed over the reins to his brother, Olcan,” he barked.
“I didn’t know. Olcan doesn’t discuss their clan business with me,” she lied, at least in part.
“In all this time you’ve had with his brother, he’s not mentioned where his brother has gone and you haven’t been made aware that Olcan is the current Alpha? I find that hard to believe, Niamh. You wouldn’t be getting soft on a McNally, would you, lass?”
“No, but I’ve already told you they aren’t exactly chatty about their personal business. I know his brother is on an extended family vacation, and that’s it.”
“I need to know where they are. I’ve got someone on their way out to take care of him and his wife.”
“They have a baby, Alpha,” she replied, hoping for some sympathy at least for a child.
“Easy enough mark then. Get back to work on your boyfriend. Kick up some pillow talk, suck his dick, whatever you have to do to get him limbered up enough to talk about where his brother is. It’s still early tonight, so I’ll expect you to have an answer for me tomorrow. Got it?”
“Aye,” she said, a wave of nausea threatening to send her to the nearest waste can.
“Good,” he replied, and then he was gone.
The nausea won. She raced to the bathroom and purged herself of the fear and loathing that had been festering inside of her. Then she went to take a shower, drying off as she walked to the back door and let Thor back inside.
Freshly dressed and scared shitless, she walked across the street to talk to Olcan, perhaps for the last time. She took a deep breath and rang the bell, but there was no answer. She tried again, but nothing. Walking to the garage, she peered in the windowed door to one side to see that his car was missing. Where had he gone?
By the time she saw his car, followed by his brother’s SUV, pull into the driveway, she was like a cat on a hot tin roof, prancing back and forth back in her own space, unable to get comfortable or stop. She watched as he and Ronan got out. Oddly, Ronan was driving. They left the car in the driveway and talked for a bit in front of the house before Ronan climbed into Niall’s vehicle and left with him.
Olcan glanced back toward the window she was at, and she quickly moved, not wanting him to know she was watching him. When she peeked back around the corner, he was already in the house with the door closed. Why would his brother have driven him home, she wondered? Then, it occurred to her. He’d been drinking, and quite a bit if he had to be driven home. Bears didn’t exactly get drunk that easily.
Nonetheless, she didn’t have the time to waste on him sobering up. Instead, she headed out the front door and crossed the street, ringing the bell again. At first, he didn’t answer and she was beginning to think he wasn’t going to, but then the door finally creaked open. He looked at her through bloodshot eyes that revealed a certain sadness she had never noted before behind them.