“Tell me.”
She took a deep breath and looked out the window. “Decker asked what you were going to do.”
“About what?”
“Me.”
“And what did I say?”
“That as soon as my memory came back, you’d make sure no one ever teamed you up with me again.”
“There was more to it than that.”
“That was the only part that mattered.”
“And what did I say next?”
Siren was looking out the window; her head was cocked.
“What?” I asked.
“Uncle Gene is here. He looks upset.” She raced to the front door, and again, as much as I wanted to follow, I didn’t have the strength.
“Come inside and sit down,” I heard her say. When he came through the door, his face was ashen. I moved the chair with my foot and motioned for him to sit.
“Tell me what’s happened,” said Siren, sitting on the other side of him.
“I went to see Jimmy.”
She reached out and took his hand. “How is he?”
“Not well. He asked me to go to the shop and find the safe. When I got there, it was gone. When I told him, he went nuts, said they were going to kill him. He left the hospital, and no one knows where he is. This is all my fault.”
I looked up and saw Casper, Hughes, and Decker standing just inside the front door.
“Why would someone kill him over a safe?” Gene asked, looking between Siren and me.
“It’s what’s in it,” she murmured, and her eyes met mine. “Something tells me it isn’t the Irish Crown Jewels.”
I had to agree.
She stood. “We need to find him.”
“But where would he go?” Gene asked.
I looked over at Decker, who was already searching his computer.
“I can’t just sit here. I need to do something,” Siren muttered.
“Let’s craft a plan before anyone does anything.” Deck was looking at something on the laptop he pulled out of a bag. “There are some other things I need.” He got up, went out the front door, and motioned to Hughes, who followed.
Siren looked up at the clock hanging on the kitchen wall. “You need a pain pill, and I have to change your bandages.”
“Give me the pill. The other can wait.”
Siren shook her head. “You’ll get an infection.”
“It sounds like you care.”
“I do care about you, Smoke,” she muttered. “It’s you who doesn’t.”
“Wrong. And when this crowd disperses, I’m going to tell you what you didn’t hear me say to Decker that day.”
“What about me?” Deck asked, coming back inside with Hughes trailing behind him. The two of them proceeded to walk the rooms of the house, most likely looking for listening devices.
“He thinks my house is bugged?” Siren whispered.
“Precaution.”
Deck came back to where we waited. “We’re good.”
“If the safe is gone, I don’t understand why Jimmy is so terrified that someone is going to kill him. Whoever took it, got what they wanted,” said Gene.
“He knows its contents.”
“Wait,” said Siren, looking at me. “How did you know I was in Kinsale?”
Deck looked up from his computer. “That was me.”
“And me,” added Casper.
“Why?” Siren looked at Casper specifically.
“Someone at Interpol was tracking you.”
“Who?”
Every head in the room turned to look at Hughes, except Siren, who was looking at me.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Jaysus,” muttered Hughes. “It was me.”
“You were tracking me?”
Hughes shook his head. “I tipped the bastard off.”
Siren’s frustration was nearing a boiling point. I reached over and rubbed her shoulder.
“You need a pain pill.” She raced upstairs, and I let her go.
“It’s Byrne, isn’t it?” Hughes asked in a hushed tone.
Casper nodded.
“What did you tell him?” I asked.
“That Siren was off looking for the Irish Crown Jewels.”
“What else?”
“I mentioned she was going so far as trying to meet with Mallory’s grandson.”
“When was this?” Deck asked.
Hughes pulled out his phone, and Casper looked at the screen.
“The day Byrne sent the order for her to be tracked,” she answered.
“Byrne?” Siren asked, coming down the stairs. “He was the one tracking me?”
I nodded.
She handed me the pill before getting a glass of water.
“I think we can all agree that whatever is in that safe has nothing to do with the missing crown jewels.”
No one spoke, but everyone in the room nodded in my direction.
“Who do you think took it?” Siren asked.
“Whoever Byrne sent to Kinsale,” answered Casper.
“And you followed,” Siren whispered.
“That’s right.”
“We need to rethink our base,” Decker muttered.
“I can make arrangements—”
Deck interrupted Hughes. “Somewhere that IMI can’t track us.”
“Look, if you want me out—”
“I didn’t say that. I said we need to find somewhere IMI can’t track us. If you can’t work within those parameters, leave.” Decker looked from Hughes, who didn’t make a move to walk out, to Casper. “What’s Byrne’s twenty?”
“The quarterly meetings concluded last week, so he should be back in Dublin.”
“Then, you stay put for now.”
“Copy that.”
“The safe is likely still in Ireland.”
“You’re probably right, Smoke,” said Deck. “Either still somewhere in Kinsale, if not already in Dublin.”
Hughes was studying something on his phone.
“What’s up?” I asked.
He looked first at O’Brien and then at me. He walked over and handed me the phone; Siren looked over my shoulder.
“Have a seat, Gene,” I said.
“They found Jimmy, didn’t they?”
“They did.”
Gene put his head in his hands.
“We need to get Uncle Gene to a safe location,” suggested Siren. “I have to change Smoke’s bandages before I can leave.”
“You aren’t going anywhere,” said Deck, packing up his stuff.
“What do you mean?”
“The two of you are staying put.”
I took one look at Siren’s face and laughed, which made both she and Decker glared at me.
“Sorry, man, but if you think you’re gonna get away with that shit, you don’t know a thing about Siren.”
Evidently, that was the wrong thing to say to Decker. On the other hand, Siren was beaming at me, and that was all I cared about.
30
Siren
Endless questions raced through my head. What in hell was in that safe, and why in God’s name had I set this chain of events in motion? What had started as a silly whim to assuage my boredom, resulted in
