But they’d always known this might happen. It was the price they had to pay. And Erin O’Reilly had been brought up to make good on her debts. She dialed.
“Evening, darling,” Carlyle said. She heard the background noise of the Barley Corner, the usual hubbub of sports TV and inebriated Irishmen. She also heard the tension she’d learned to recognize under his calm, pleasant voice. She wondered whether any of them had been truly relaxed in days.
“You heard about Twitchy and Maginty?” she asked.
“Aye. I’ve also heard your lads collected Lonnie Burke. He’s still breathing, I trust?”
“Yeah, he’s fine. I’ve got a couple guys I trust watching him. Look, can we go somewhere and talk?”
“I’d love to, darling, but I’ve a wee situation here.”
“What sort of situation?” She tensed, imagining all the things that could go wrong in Carlyle’s world. If he was able to answer the phone, she reasoned, it couldn’t be all that bad.
“A couple of lads came in a short while ago. Out-of-towners, I’m thinking. I don’t much like the looks of them.”
Erin considered the sort of clientele Carlyle was accustomed to, and tried to imagine what kind of guys he’d find alarming. It wasn’t a pretty mental picture.
“Are they doing anything?”
“At the moment, they’re sitting down the far end of the bar, drinking cocktails. Tequila with ginger ale and bitters, unless I’m mistaken.”
“Carlyle, I don’t give a damn what they’re drinking.” She started the car. “I can be there in five minutes, maybe less.”
“Don’t do it, darling. If I’ve any eye for this business, they’re watching and waiting for something. If they’re startled, there’s likely to be some unpleasantness.”
“These guys, do they look South American?”
“Aye, they might well be.”
Erin took a deep breath and plunged. “They’re looking for Siobhan.”
“You’re certain of that?” His voice sharpened.
“Yeah. When did they show up?”
“Just a few minutes ago. Darling, why would they be seeking her out?”
She closed her eyes, the car still sitting in its parking space. “She was the shooter in back of the restaurant. She killed Conti and his bodyguards.”
Carlyle was silent for a very long moment.
“Did you hear me?” she asked.
“Aye.”
“Say something.”
“What exactly do you want me to say, Erin? She’s my daughter.” There was real, genuine pain in his voice. But he didn’t sound surprised by the revelation. On some level, Erin supposed, he’d known what Siobhan was for a long time.
“They’re going to kill her,” Erin said.
“No,” Carlyle said with cold certainty. “They’re not.”
“Carlyle, stop,” she said. “I know you’ve got guys who’ll do this for you, but think, damn it! If Ian, or Corky, or you start blowing holes in people, then you go down, too. I can’t protect you from that. Don’t make me cuff Ian. Or you.”
“Then I’m not precisely clear on my course of action.”
“Oh, shit,” Erin said, realizing the trap Carlyle was in. “Siobhan’s there right now. At the Corner. Is she upstairs?”
He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll have two dozen uniforms there inside two minutes. Sit tight. These guys won’t try to fight the whole NYPD.”
“You’re certain of that?”
She wasn’t. “There’s just two of them,” she said. “If we go in fast and hard, we can have them in custody before anyone gets hurt.”
“Assuming the two at the bar are the only ones about,” he said. “Who’s to say they don’t have a spotter on the street?”
Erin saw the situation. It was a weird kind of hostage setup. At least two gunmen, probably armed with sawed-off shotguns or automatic weapons, in a confined, crowded space. They were looking for a specific target, but she knew they were perfectly willing to shoot at cops. Two officers were already in the hospital, and it was only due to quick reactions and good luck they weren’t in the morgue. Erin wasn’t going to lose another officer. Not on her watch.
“Okay,” she said, trying to think. “What if we just wait them out? They can’t stay in the bar after closing time.”
“I rather suspect they’ll make their move before then,” he said dryly. “I also suspect it’s me they’ll be going after in that case.”
“Get out of there, damn it!”
“Easier said than done,” he said with maddening coolness. “I’m avoiding eye contact with the lads, but I know they’re watching me. Once I get up to leave, I’ve no idea what they’ll do, but I doubt they’ll allow me to simply walk out.”
“Siobhan needs to leave,” Erin said. “And they need to know she’s gone, but she can’t give them a shot at her.”
“A grand strategy, Erin. I trust you’ve a plan to accomplish this?”
“I’m working on it. Look, even if you could kill these guys, which you can’t, it won’t make a difference. They’ll just send more guys, and then they’ll be looking for you along with her.”
“I’m aware of the nature of the business I’m in,” he said.
“The only way this ends is with her in custody,” Erin said softly. “That’s the only way we can protect her.”
“Don’t ask me to do that, Erin. Don’t.”
“I’m asking you to save her life. And yours. Plus the rest of your people at the bar.”
“And how are you planning on squaring this with my employer?”
“Shit, I don’t know. One thing at a time. Let’s deal with the bad guys with guns first, okay?”
“I look around, I’m seeing nothing but bad lads, Erin.”
“The worse guys, then. Think about it, Carlyle. If we take Siobhan in, she’s got a chance. She’ll get fair treatment and a fair trial. On the street, you know what her odds are better than I do. Let me help her.”
“Don’t pretend you’re fond of her.”
“No, I’m not,” Erin admitted. “But I love you, and you love her. I’ll protect her.”
He was silent again, and she knew he was thinking fast and hard. Erin held her breath. She felt that her future with Carlyle hung on the moment. Either they’d find their way forward together, or they wouldn’t. And he
