Danny understood. Moira was off-limits. Damn if that didn’t wrinkle his mood further. It shouldn’t have, but he felt a connection with Moira since they were kids. He figured since a woman had been all but dropped into his waiting arms, then she had to be worth pursuing. So much for fate.
“Listen,” Justin said and stood, bringing Moira up with him, “we need sleep, and Moira needs to adapt to your time zone.”
“We’ll finish talking in the morning.” Danny watched Justin lead Moira up the stairs to the bedrooms. Why did they have separate rooms? Were they trying to fool him or something? He shook his head. It didn’t matter. He needed sleep as well, so he trudged up the stairs to his own room. Tomorrow he’d show Moira the third floor and where she could put her studio. Anticipation flowed through him at how excited she’d be and thankful to him for the gift.
That eagerness dimmed somewhat since he couldn’t wrap his mind around the idea that if his brother loved her so much, he wouldn’t leave her. Then again, he was leaving her in the capable hands of his brother. No pressure.
* * * * *
Danny spent the last few hours of the night tossing and turning and was up before dawn. As he dressed, he smelled coffee and figured his brother had beat him to the punch. All night he’d thought on his brother and the situation. For so long, he’d been angry at Justin, thinking he’d been playing both sides and being a part of what got their father killed.
Finding out it wasn’t true released most of the anger, but not all. The fact Justin hadn’t confided in him set his blood to boiling. Then again, he’d given his brother a blistering at their father’s funeral. Still. Justin had disappeared. Their mother would—
Their mother, she had to know Justin had reappeared, but she couldn’t know what he was doing. She’d never been so happy as to see him and Justin leave the DEA. The fact Danny held a job with more risk didn’t matter. It’d just been the heartbreak of losing her husband to the DEA; she didn’t want to lose her children to them also.
When he joined his brother downstairs, Danny decided to tackle what was most important. “You have to see Mom. She’s been worried about you.”
“I can’t,” Justin said. “Not until I settle this.”
“No. You have to see her. She’s dying inside, losing you like she has. It’s bad enough she blames me.”
“She does?”
“Well, she hasn’t said so, but I know she does. I mean, I go off on you at the funeral. Next thing we know, you’ve resigned and disappeared. What else is she to think?”
Justin rubbed his hand through his short hair. “All right. I’ll go see her. But, Danny, first I have to go back. If for no other reason than to make Boyle think the three of them are dead. They don’t deserve having to look over their shoulders.”
“Fair enough. Admirable, actually. What else do you plan?”
“I’m going to keep digging until I can find proof the US pipeline originates with Boyle. I want a confession out of him admitting to having our father killed, but I’ll go with finally connecting him. We know the leader had our dad killed. Those idiots who got arrested are loyal soldiers and nothing more. They’d never kill someone—especially a DEA agent—without orders.”
Danny poured himself a cup of coffee, already knowing what his brother had said about the actual killer and his accomplishments and, like the DEA, suspected Boyle, yet no one had been able to definitively connect him. That’d be pretty awesome if his brother could do it. But also extremely dangerous.
“Aren’t things going to be dangerous for you? I mean, you didn’t tell Boyle about Diana and Declan.”
They sat at the table.
“Yeah, that’s going to be a tough one, but I think I can win him over by providing proof they’re dead.”
Danny took a sip of coffee and almost burned his tongue. “And how are you going to do that?”
Justin looked aggrieved. “Jane and John Doe’s from the morgue. Unfortunately, they have plenty, so if a few disappear, no alarm will sound.”
Danny inwardly cringed at the idea but knew something had to be done. “Did he really want Moira too? She’s just the sister. Is the man as bloodthirsty as that?”
After a sip, Justin set his cup down. “It’s because she overheard something she shouldn’t have. Here”—he reached in his pocket and removed his phone— “listen to this.”
As the recording played, Danny’s mind spun as to how this could be used. While it wasn’t the connection they’d been seeking, this could bury the man. Based on those Moira identified in the room, partnering with a minister would be high-profile.
After the recording ended, Danny asked, “Last night you mentioned something bigger. Was this it?”
“No. This may sound odd considering my task, but I’m beginning to wonder if Boyle is actually in charge.”
“You think someone else might be pulling the strings?”
“This”—Justin pointed to his phone— “struck me as odd. Someone had to have set that up and it wasn’t Boyle. I’d have known about it.”
“Maybe he doesn’t trust you as much as you’d like to think. Did he even ask you who Diana was seeing?”
Justin exhaled loudly. “No. That should’ve been a kicker since I was her assigned bodyguard.”
“So maybe it’s not safe for you to return. If he suspects you kept Diana’s relationship secret, he might take it out on you.”
“No. He called me to take them out. Granted, I’d already figured out there was a problem and had Diana at Declan’s and ready to go when I received the call.”
Danny took another sip of coffee contemplating. “I’ll say it again. It might be too dangerous for you to return. You can lay false trails from here for their death.”
“Yeah, but they’d never believe me if I disappear too. No, I have to chance it and return.”
Danny had a
