Double The Risk

by Samantha Cayto

  “Good of you to come, boyo.” There was a slight Irish lilt to his voice that sounded like he’d emigrated and not been born in Boston.

  Ronan not only clasped the hand, he leaned in to kiss the older man loudly on the forehead. “Like I’d miss it.”

  He gently pulled Cassidy in closer as he hadn’t let her hand go when he greeted his uncle. Diego, of course, kept his palm plastered to the small of her back.

  “Uncle Jack, Regan, meet Dr. Cassidy Barnes, the new medical examiner. And this is my new partner, Diego Nieves.”

  With her right hand held hostage by Ronan, all she could do was nod and smile. “It’s nice to meet you both. Thank you for having us.”

  Hmm, where did the us come from? It’s seemed natural to say it, and she was hard pressed to say whether she meant us as in her and Diego or us as in her, Diego, and Ronan. And why did the latter feel so right?

  “We’re delighted to have you,” Jack said. His sincerity was obvious. If he thought it was strange that his nephew came with two dates, he didn’t hint as much.

  Regan, however, had other ideas. Her gaze darted back and forth between Diego and Ronan before it landed on Cassidy. “I’ve heard of you, but so far haven’t had an opportunity to stand over a DB with you. I can see that, as usual, my cousin has worked fast.” She directed a smirk at Ronan.

  Not knowing what to say to that observation, Cassidy fell back on the kind of social politeness drilled into her since childhood. She held out the party bag in her left hand. “I’m sorry, Mr. Malloy, I didn’t get the memo about your drinking preferences. This is wine, not whisky.”

  Reaching for her offering, Jack smiled up at her. “Not to worry, my girl here likes to take part in the grape.” He handed the bag over to Regan who lost no time opening it. She looked at the label and gave a nod of approval. “And it’s Jack, please. We don’t stand on ceremony in this part of Boston.”

  Cassidy didn’t imagine in the least that it was a subtle dig at her more upscale neighborhood, and even if it had been, it would have been well-founded. Regardless, Ronan squeezed her hand. She looked up and gave him a reassuring smile. She liked his uncle and his cousin already. She couldn’t possibly take offense at anything they said.

  Diego stepped forward, his hand still touching her. “I did get the memo, sir.” Grinning, he handed over his bag and was rewarded when Jack smacked his lips.

  “I do love my Jameson. Thanks, and the same goes—it’s Jack. Put this with the other gifts, won’t you, sweetheart?” he asked, giving it to his daughter.

  “Sure, Pops.”

  Jack’s expression turned abruptly sober. “Connor’s not here yet, but he promised he’d stop by at some point even though he’s just getting back from vacation.”

  “Thanks, Uncle Jack, I appreciate it.”

  The older man turned pensive. “I hope he has some answers. I always felt he knew more than he let on years ago.”

  While he didn’t come out and say so, Cassidy understood the veiled reference was to the murder of Ronan’s parents. Ronan stiffened a bit beside her, so it was her turn to squeeze his hand. Although she didn’t know what was going on, she wanted to reassure him that she was here if he needed her.

  “It’s probably a long shot for him to help us with the current investigation, but nothing else has panned out so far.”

  “Well,” Regan interjected with a note of lightness in her tone. “In the meantime, how about a beer? There’s plenty of nibblies laid out, and Aunt Mary is taking orders for burgers or dogs.”

  “Do you have any Sam Adams?” Diego asked. “I’ve been meaning to try it.”

  Regan gave him a pitying look. “Christ Jesus, you’d think New York was on the other side of the world. Come on, then.”

  Cassidy, Diego, and Ronan turned as one, and with her left hand free, somehow it had ended up clasped by Diego. Now they really did look ridiculous, and she wondered how she was supposed to eat and drink. An image of the men feeding her with their own hands popped into her head. She stumbled a bit as the fantasy grabbed her right between her legs. Each man closed in to make sure she was stable. She flashed them a weak smile. This was going to be a long afternoon.

  ****

  Ronan wasn’t surprised when his brothers came to sit on either side of him. He was surprised they’d managed to wait until lunch was mostly consumed before cornering him. Of course, he’d been staying close to Cassidy for the entire afternoon. It wasn’t until his female relatives wrangled her away for hen talk while they fussed over his cousin Siobhan’s new baby girl that he’d been vulnerable for attack. With Diego engrossed in a Red Sox vs. Yankee’s discussion with Uncle Jack and his coterie of retirees, Ronan was wide open. Daire and Finn didn’t even bother to say anything at first, they simply sat and stared at him.

  Ronan sighed. “What?”

  Clasping a hand on Ronan’s shoulder, Daire said, “I get the gorgeous medical examiner, but your partner doesn’t strike me as your type. He’s a little, too, I don’t know—male?” He leaned over Ronan’s front to get confirmation from Finn.

  Their little brother didn’t hesitate to join in the fun. “Yeah, that was what I thought, too.” Finn nudged Ronan. “Are you switching over to my team, bro?”

  “Ha, ha.” Ronan didn’t bother to glare at either of them. His attention remained fixed on Cassidy. Someone said something to make her laugh. The way she looked as she threw back her head with her lips parted hit him not just in his balls, but somewhere much farther north. God, she was so lovely and delightful.

  He wasn’t the only one to notice, however. Diego’s gaze was also fixed on her even as he spoke with Jack and the others. The knowledge spiked his blood pressure in a whole different way. God, he’d never been the jealous type, always pulling out when he had competition. This was different, though. He wasn’t going to give up Cassidy without a fight, even though it meant fighting with his own partner.

  A hand waved in front of his face. “Seriously, Ronan, what the fuck is going on?”

  “Nothing,” he lied. When it was clear that answer wasn’t going to be accepted, he grudgingly added more. “Cassidy and I are dating, that’s true. I thought it might be fun to bring her. Nieves and I are waiting for Dad’s old partner to show up because he might tie in with a murder investigation we’ve got going. We want to ask him a few questions.”

  Mention of their father took his brothers’ focus off Cassidy as he knew it would.

  “Do you mean the homeless guy found by the Charles last week?” Daire asked, his teasing tone gone.

  “Yeah, except we don’t think he was homeless. He had a place he was renting for years still available, and other than his clothing, he didn’t look like someone who’d been living on the streets. We think the whole thing was staged.”

  “Why would anyone bother?” This from Finn, who, like Daire, was all business.

  “That’s the sixty-four thousand dollar question. The vic was a snitch of Dad’s, and he’s been living off the grid if not on the streets for about eight years.” Both of his brothers swore. “Yeah, I know. It’s easy to read into it as being relevant.” He shrugged. “We’ll see. I find it odd that this low-level snitch came into enough money to live comfortably all of these years.”

  Finn leaned in closer. “You think he sold Dad out?”

  “Or pulled the trigger?” Daire added.

  Ronan shook his head slowly and shot a reassuring grin over to Cassidy when she glanced his way. “I don’t know. He wasn’t a hard-core criminal, no convictions for violent offenses, but selling people out was his stock in trade.”

  The three of them were quiet for a while as they pondered the possibilities. Ronan’s attention was divided at best, however. He couldn’t keep from tracking Cassidy’s every move. He liked the way she looked sitting among his female relatives. They all seemed to like her, Regan included, and that made her even more appealing to him. Family meant the world to him. Naturally, his brothers finished digesting his news about O�
�Malley and circled back to the original topic.

  “You do know that Nieves has a thing for her, too, right?” Daire asked.

  Ronan made a face. “Yeah, I do know that. He’s been dating her as well.”

  Finn whistled. “Wow, and I thought meeting my partner while posing as an underage prostitute was a weird how-I-met-your-mother kind of story.”

  “It’s not like that. Cassidy and I are just hanging out, having fun. We’ve known each other for less than a week. Diego, the fucker,” he said before he could censor himself, “asked her out after I did, although he managed to get his date with her in first.”

  Daire chuckled. “You must be getting old, little brother. I’ve never known another man to outflank you before.”

  “Bite me.”

  “I’m confused,” Finn interjected before Daire could respond. “How’s this working today with the three of you out together? It’s like a double date minus another woman. Are you all going home together or something?”

  The question surprised and maybe even shocked Ronan so much he tore his gaze away from Cassidy. “What the hell kind of question is that?”

  Finn shrugged. “No judgment implied. Look at me and Michael. Lots of people are shocked at the idea of two men.”

  “Troglodytes, maybe.” Ronan hated the fact that there were people in the world who judged his brother harshly for being who he was.

  Finn grinned. “Maybe, but my point is, you need to do what works best for you so long as you’re not hurting anybody.”

  Ronan shifted his focus back to Cassidy. Although what his brother was suggesting might sound plausible in the abstract, he had a feeling it would hurt the woman in the center of the matter. He knew he wasn’t good at sharing anything, let alone something as important as a woman he cared for.

  He glanced over at his partner. What he didn’t know about Diego would fill Fenway Park. He was willing to bet, however, that his partner was not the kind of guy who played well with others either.

  “Hey.” Daire nudged Ronan. “Uncle Conner has arrived.”

  Thoughts of Cassidy and threesomes fled as Ronan traced his brother’s line of vision and saw their father’s old partner saunter into the backyard. It had been years since he’d seen the man. The image in his head was sorely out of date. Connor Mahurin was past middle-age, as white haired as the older Jack and moving slowly enough to imply his body gave him trouble. The pot belly he sported certainly wasn’t a sign of health, and even from a distance, his face looked haggard. It was hard to believe he’d just come back from vacation.

  Ronan stood up and didn’t spare a word or a glance for his brothers as he moved to intercept the older cop. Diego was likewise watching the man’s approach, having apparently figured out who he was, or maybe Jack had told him. In any event, Ronan reached them all just as Connor was shaking Jack’s hand.

  “Happy birthday, old man,” Connor said with the kind of phlegmy voice associated with long-time smokers.

  Jack gave him a grudging smile. “Call me old all you want. So long as I’m breathing, it’s fine by me. You remember my nephew, Ronan.” Jack gave a nod in Ronan’s direction.

  Connor turned to Ronan with a guarded look. “I do, of course. How’ve you been?” he asked, extending his hand.

  “Well enough, thanks.” Ronan noticed the man’s palm was ever so sweaty. “This is my partner, Diego Nieves.”

  Connor gave Diego the same look and hand. “Oh? I thought it was Rory’s youngest who was light in the loafers.”

  Whether it was the casual mention of his father’s name or the offensive and out-of-date insult to Finn, or most likely both, Ronan felt his hackles go up. With bared teeth, he took a step forward before a gesture from Jack told him to rein it in. They weren’t going to get many answers from Connor if Ronan knocked all of his teeth out.

  “I’m his partner on the force,” Diego said, helpfully distracting Connor while Ronan pulled his shit together.

  Connor chuckled. “Oh, of course. Of course.” He gave Diego the once-over. “I didn’t realize we had many P.R.s in Boston.”

  Seriously? It was as if the guy was trying to start a fight. Could he be that gauche, or was he angling to distract them from something else? There was no way he knew they wanted to interview him about O’Malley. Or was there?

  Diego didn’t rise to the bait. He stood staring back at the other man with a vague smile on his face. Ronan had to hand it to him. He was a cooler head than Ronan. A few tense seconds ticked by before Jack intervened.

  “The boys have something to talk to you about, Connor. I’m going over to have a look at my new grandniece.” He gestured to a couple of his friends who’d been hanging nearby, eyes and ears open to the weird interaction. They got the message and helped him steer away.

  Connor eyed Ronan and Diego suspiciously. “What do you need to talk to me about? I’m a desk man these days.”

  “We know, sir.” Once again, Diego’s ability to shut down any anger he felt was impressive. “We’re actually interested in anything you can tell us about an old snitch of yours and Ronan’s father’s. Seamus O’Malley. Do you remember him?”

  Connor’s eyes went wide at the mention of the vic’s name. Ronan didn’t think the guy should ever quit the force and go into acting because he wasn’t very convincing.

  “Gee, I don’t know, fellas. We had lots of snitches back in the day, and Rory was always better at working them than I was. Let me think.” With his hand rubbing his chin, he stared at the ground for close to a minute. “I think I do remember the guy, skinny, shifty-eyed, although they kind of all were you know,” he added with a hollow chuckle. “A poor boy working the parameter of the mob, not a big fish.” As if any snitch ever was high up the chain of command. “Why do you ask?”

  “He’s dead,” Ronan said. “His throat was slit almost a week ago.”

  Connor spread his arms out. “Well, now that’s hardly surprising. Guys like that usually end up killed or spending the rest of their lives in Walpole. He was no Whitey Bulger, if you know what I mean.”

  Ronan leaned into the guy a bit. “Yeah, the funny thing was, he’d been living on the down-low in West Roxbury since around the time my folks were murdered.”

  Connor’s face morphed into sadness. This expression, at least, looked more genuine. “I don’t know what to say. There was nothing in the evidence to suggest O’Malley or any of Rory’s snitches had anything to do with the killing. At least, not that I know of. It wasn’t my case. I was too close to be let in on the investigation. It was handled by other cops, as you well know.”

  “And never solved,” Ronan bit out.

  Diego’s hand landed gently on Ronan’s arm, whether in comfort or in warning, he wasn’t sure.

  “Do you remember seeing or hearing anything about O’Malley since that time?” Diego asked.

  “No, can’t say that I did.” Connor shook his head and shrugged. “Sorry, boys, I can’t help you.”

  “Thanks for your time anyway.” Curling his fingers around Ronan’s arm, Diego walked away, pulling Ronan with him.

  Ronan managed to give Connor a brief nod when all he really wanted to do was knock him to the ground and beat information out of him. “He’s lying,” he hissed to his partner.

  “I know,” Diego mumbled back. He slowed down and turned part way to look behind them. “We’ll probably find something helpful on O’Malley’s laptop,” he called out to Connor.

  Ronan turned, too, and saw Connor frozen in mid-stride as he moved to leave the yard.

  “Laptop, you say?” the older man called out.

  “Yeah,” Diego replied with a grin. “It’s an old beat-up thing filled with porn, but you never know.”

  With that parting shot, he kept going, and Ronan didn’t resist when Diego tugged on his arm once more. They headed over to where Cassidy was now talking to Finn and Michael.

  Ronan shook Diego’s hand off. “I thought it was a netbook, and you just baited him.”

&nbs
p; “I figure he would understand laptop better, and damn right I did. P.R.? I didn’t hear that shit back in New York. What does he think this is West fucking Side fucking Story?”

  Ronan couldn’t help giving his partner a feral grin. “I like your style, Nieves.”

  Ronan meant the compliment. Connor was lying through his teeth, and if he was involved with O’Malley’s murder, he would sweat the knowledge that he and whoever he was involved with had missed something as potentially important as a computer with incriminating files. Hopefully, it would goad them into doing something stupid, although what that would be, he couldn’t say. It was still a good strategy.

  Yeah, he liked his new partner just fine. They could be great friends, too, if only the asshole wasn’t interested in Cassidy.

  ****

  If there was a word in either English or Spanish that could describe the day accurately, Diego didn’t know it. Spending the afternoon with both Cassidy and Ronan would have been surreal enough. Add in the strange interview with Mahurin that eerily tied eight-year-old murders with a current one, and you had one fuckingly weird day. Except that one disparaging word wasn’t going to cut it because he’d enjoyed himself on many levels. The Callaghan/Malloy family was big, boisterous, and welcoming. It reminded him of his own and made him both more and less homesick. He’d appreciated the way he’d been accepted into the Irish clan so readily on the bare fact that he was Ronan’s partner.

  Being with Cassidy, touching her, talking to her, and just having the pleasure of watching her had been wonderful. The only thing that marred his time with her was the very thing that had made him welcome at the birthday barbeque to begin with—Ronan. His partner was great to work with on the investigation, but a thorn in his side when it came to romancing Cassidy. There had been no chance to spend time with her alone. Of course, he hadn’t given Ronan the chance, either, so they were on even ground.

  And Diego had to take some comfort in convincing Cassidy to ride in the backseat with him on the way home from the party. She’d ridden with Ronan in the front on the way there, so it was only fair she would switch on the return leg. He didn’t care that he’d sounded needy in his request. He wanted to be as close to her, physically and emotionally, as he could. This might be a game to Ronan, but Diego was falling for Cassidy. What little time he’d managed to spend with her had proven to be more important than a casual fling. She mattered.