Chapter 26

Laine

We didn't get to go shopping, but Finn helped me pick out a new computer and phone online and he had them couriered to the Quinn compound within a few hours. Then, I sat with him in the study as he installed all the drivers and things needed for me to be up and running.

"I really appreciate all your time and effort the past couple of days, Finn. I'm sorry I've taken over your life."

Finn winks. "Think nothing of it. You've given us back our brother and that's worth more than you know."

I'm not sure I did that, but I'm happy Tag is reconnecting with his family and his home again after such a long time feeling estranged from his life.

"And once we're done here, will I be able to go onto the internet?"

Finn shrugs. "Tag hasn't said otherwise, so I assume so, but I'll check with him to be sure neither one of us ends up in trouble."

Yeah. After this morning, I don't want to get on Tag's bad side, but I really need to find out what's happening back in Chicago.

But will me searching things raise red flags back home? If I use an Incognito window, will that keep me safe? I don't know enough about these things.

"Finn? You handle the computer-y stuff for your brother, don't you?"

Finn lifts his gaze from reading the installation instructions on the screen and nods. "Aye, for most things. Why do you ask?"

"Because I have a question…but I'm not sure I can ask it without saying too much or getting myself into trouble."

Finn straightens. "Well, I can't help you there, but if you ask your question, I can do my best to answer it without reading too much into it. Go ahead and give me a try."

I consider how best to pose my question and then go for it. "You know that I left my life in a hurry, right?"

"Aye, you mentioned it when Aiden went at you yesterday morning."

"So, my husband and his father were involved in some shady dealings and when the walls came crashing in, I ran. Now, I'm not sure if they're dead or alive or if someone might be looking for me, but I don't want to search for answers and draw attention back to me here. Does that make sense?"

Finn dips his chin. "And do you think these shady characters might come after you here?"

"If they think I'm still alive, maybe."

His gaze widens. "They think your dead?"

"I think so. The man who helped me escape told me to consider myself dead and told me I was never to return or to draw attention to myself."

Finn leans back in his seat and runs his hands through his hair. "Shit, Laine. There's a lot to unpack in that."

"I know. I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have said anything."

Finn waves away my concerns. "Given that it's a dangerous situation and your actions could mean life or death, you did the right thing in asking. It's just, this is a conversation Tag should be involved in."

Footsteps approaching the room have both of us looking up as Tag appears in the doorway. "Did I hear my name?"

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear," I tease.

Tag waggles his ebony brows. "Technically, I'm known as the Dublin Rogue. Sean is the Dublin Devil. But still, I'm happy to be acknowledged."

He saunters in, takes in what Finn is working on, and then bends to kiss me. "How was your day, luv?"

"Actually, that's what we were talking about when you came in," I say.

"Shall I give you some privacy then?" Finn asks.

"No, no. That's not necessary. Please stay."

Finn abandons his exit and goes back to tinkering with the new computer.

I gesture to the chair on the opposite side of the table and wait until Tag takes a seat. "Is everything all right, luv?"

I tilt my head this way and that, but don't know how to answer. "When I first arrived, I was intent on keeping my situation to myself. I wanted to reinvent my life without looking back. But after speaking with my cousin Patrick yesterday, I realized there are too many loose ends to hope the dangers from Chicago won't follow me here."

Tag frowns. "What loose ends, luv?"

"Well, if Marco is still alive, he knows my mother's maiden name and that I planned to visit her family to spread her ashes."

"And Marco is your husband?" Tag asks, his voice calm and even.

It seems foreign to say that out loud now that I finally took a page from his book and moved on, but that's the truth of it. "Marco Moneta, yes. And I lived as his wife, Madelaine Moneta, for the past seven years."

"And was he always such a negligent ass?"

His indignance on my behalf is sweet, and while I appreciate it, the truth is, our indifference was shared. "We hadn't been living as a married couple in a very long time. He had his private life, and I had my work within his family firm. Neither of us cared to cause the stir that a divorce would bring, so we lived apart while still together."

Tag grunts. "The man is a fool."

"I appreciate that you think so, but it's fine. Marco and I looked good in the society pages, but we were never a love match. There was never a romantic entanglement."

"All the better." Tag seems pleased with my comment and is taking all this quite well. "You said you had your work in the family firm. Let's go there next."

"Billings, Moneta, & Whyte is one of the top tier legal firms in Chicago. I met Marco in university and was given a job there once we were married."

"So, you are a solicitor, then?"

"A criminal defense attorney, yes."

Tag grins. "I thought it might be something like that. You are smart as a whip and you've made a few comments that made me wonder."

Really? And here I thought I was flying well under the radar. "And that proves my point. I intended to start fresh and not look back. Now, I'm worried I need to know how things landed when I left."

"But she's worried about sending up red flags if she starts searching," Finn adds.

I run a finger down the condensation of my glass. "And that's why I'm bringing it up. I realized I'm not equipped to navigate what comes next and worried I might do more harm than good, inadvertently bringing danger calling."

Tag glances over to where Finn is finishing with the last of the installs. "I'm sure we can sort it out without tipping her hand, can't we, brother?"

Finn considers that before meeting Tag's gaze. "I'll need to know the players, but without knowing how sophisticated their systems and paranoias are, there are no guarantees. I'll do my best. They're just lawyers, after all."

I shake my head. "And that's where the irony of my life comes into play. My father-in-law and, in turn, my husband, were doing extra work for the Chicago crime outfit. I fled the USA to get away from the reach of organized crime and ended right in the middle of your Dublin feud."

Tag scrubs his hand over his jaw and fights not to smile. How can he think this is funny? None of it is funny.

Touching the gold and green shamrock cufflink in the sleeve of his shirt, I shake my head. "I'm sorry. I never meant for any of this to land on your doorstep."

Finn chuckles. "Says the woman who was swept away in a pub shoot-out because she was with my brother when a rival mafia family came for him."

Okay, that's true.

I let a long breath out and meet Tag's amused gaze. "Looks like we're both magnets for trouble."

Tag grins. "Aye, or a perfect matching set."