In the house, Justin turned to her and nodded as he walked away, speaking quietly on his mobile phone. His unusual tight-lipped smile shot her ball of fear to a new level. If he—someone who worked for the criminal who’d spoken in that office—was concerned, then she hadn’t heard wrong.
With red-rimmed eyes and a tissue in hand, Diana waited on her brother’s khaki couch that had seen better days. The spots of black dog hair that clung to the woman’s peach-colored blouse made Moira notice the absence of said dog. Normally, Moira would’ve been bowled over by the beast before she made it through the entryway.
She turned back to her brother, who’d closed the front door behind them, sliding the dead bolt. “Where’s Bella?” Really? Those were the first words out of her mouth? Where was the dog? She’d heard someone wanted to kill her brother and Diana, and she asked about the dog. Great. Avoiding serious situations had been one of the things Cassie had told her she had to stop doing. Moira would consider this fitting right into that realm.
When he ignored her, she walked over and plopped on the sofa beside a pale Diana. Hadn’t Boyle said she was pregnant? Once again avoiding the main issue, she repeated, “Where’s Bella?”
Declan dropped into the chair opposite the couch. He looked ten years older than yesterday, and her heart clenched at his obvious pain. This couldn’t be easy for him. She’d be freaking out worse if the threat had been against herself. Maybe it was the cop thing that helped him remain calm. “The neighbor has her. Don’t try to stray. Tell me what happened. Then we’ll make some decisions.”
“I’m here.” Justin returned and stood near the front window. After he peeked through the curtains that she’d just realized were closed on this beautiful day, he gave the room a nod. “Tell us.”
With a sudden fierceness, she wanted to rail at Justin. It’d hit her hard that he worked for the man who wanted her brother dead. And, how could he? The Frankses had been good people. While Justin appeared to be a good man, his choice of profession stymied her. He’d been deadly serious in his response of “No” when she’d once asked him if he was a cop working undercover to catch Boyle’s criminal activities.
Before she dug into her recitation, she allowed part of her anger to spring forward. Turning her gaze from Justin, she pleaded with her brother, “How can you trust him? He works for the man who wants to kill you? He could be here to kill you now.”
Before she realized it, her hand slapped over her mouth. She’d said all that out loud—in front of Justin. Good grief, why not give him a chance to kill them all now? This was the time a person’s loyalties would be tested. It scared her to know that she had no idea where Justin’s lay. How could her brother have allowed him inside knowing of the threat? Heck, he’d even brought Diana with him. Kill two birds with one stone. Now three since she’d opened her big mouth.
Justin laughed, and she tossed him a venomous gaze. Why hadn’t her brother tied him up or something?
“If I planned to kill you, I’d have already done it and been long gone.”
She bristled. Okay, his lethal tone and the fact his statement was probably true nearly put her in her place. Nearly. Declan had always told her she didn’t know when to stop, so she opened her big mouth, once again. “Well, what are you going to do then? Take us some place and do away with us, so no one can find the bodies?”
Leaning back, with his feet crossed, against the wall beside the window, Justin assumed a relaxed pose with his arms draped over his chest. Under eyelids that seemed to droop, he slowly stated, “It depends on what you have to say.”
As her heart pounded at his threat, her gaze raced back and forth between her brother and the man she no longer knew if she could trust. If Declan wasn’t jumping up to fight Justin, he must trust him. Although, his tenseness when looking at their friend didn’t go unnoticed.
Diana bolted up and rushed into Declan’s lap. “I can’t believe it. I knew he was upset when he found out I was pregnant and wouldn’t tell him who the father was, but this?”
Closing his eyes, her brother pulled Diana into his arms and rubbed his hand up and down her back. Her brother’s loving, soothing touch appeared to calm Diana, somewhat, but she remained glued to him. “We knew things wouldn’t go well if he found out about us. We’ll figure this out.” Looking pleadingly at Moira, he demanded she tell them everything.
Pushing aside her jealousy for the attention her brother bestowed on Diana and not her, she spent the next fifteen minutes speaking. It should have taken less time, but Moira halted every time Diana wailed for Declan to calm her. Justin only broke in for clarification.
In wonder, she observed the closeness of the couple. Their love for each other glowed in their gazes, even with the fear in Diana’s and the combination of fear and anger in Declan’s. As she thought back, she remembered all the sensual looks, light touches, and whispers between the two when the group had connected. She’d not put it together more than that, and it made her feel like such a fool for being blind to her brother’s happiness.
While it’d become glaringly obvious Justin had known of the relationship—actually helping push it along—her irritation at him swelled. Although, she should’ve wondered why the four of them hung out more often. When Justin had started offering to take her to her flat, she’d thought maybe he’d been doing it for time alone with her. He’d
