If Michael was in as much trouble as Ewan claimed, there was no way Shannon could stay out of it.
“No,” she said.
“Don’t let your pride get the better of you.” Ewan sounded displeased.
“You can’t tell me what to do.”
“Listen to me,” he hissed. “Either you stay away from this, or you end up part of the body count. Understand?”
It was rare that he ever gave off so much as a hint of emotion. The man was renowned among cold-blooded killers for being cold-blooded, and Shannon certainly couldn’t remember an instance where he’d betrayed that reputation.
“Why, I never knew you cared,” Shannon said.
“Enough with the jokes.” He barely held himself in check. “Don’t get involved. I forbid it.”
“You forbid it?” she said. “Where the hell do you get off? You don’t get word one when it comes to the choices I make. If I want to help my brother, you can either shut up or shoot me.”
“You can’t be too dumb to recognize when I’m doing you a favor!” Ewan yelled into the phone. “The people arrayed against your brother are killers, Shannon. Do you understand? Or are you too stupid to comprehend that as well?”
She hung up the phone and threw it across the floor.
Shannon’s entire body shook. Every nerve rattled off like a drum roll. She made a fist and watched her fingers convulse, when suddenly her legs gave out from under her and she sat on the hardwood floor. The bitter tears came from the corners of her eyes like hot wax.
Frank walked over and licked her face.
Like hell Ewan Keane was going to tell her to stay out of it. He didn’t own her. He wasn’t her father. He didn’t call the shots.
“Who was that?” Dedrick looked down at her from the bed.
“Just a wrong number.”
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
All my love and admiration goes to my beautiful, caring, courageous wife, Arianna. Without her continued support, sacrifice and input, Shannon Rourke would’ve been nothing more than a quick idea passing between my ears on an evening drive in June.
Also, my deepest gratitude goes to my son, who has shown me there’s more to live for than myself.
Thank you to all my friends in the Author’s Corner for their continued guidance and support—especially Wayne, Constance, Axel and Michael for putting fresh eyes on Chicago Broken when I needed it the most.
My thanks also go out to Perry Constantine for his thorough work, Isabella at Larks and Katydids for her keen eyes, Shayne at Darkmoon Graphics for another magnificent cover, and Colleen at WDR Book Design.
And thank you to the readers who took a chance on an unknown author with Chicago Blood, and who continue to read Shannon Rourke’s stories. I would’ve given up a long time ago without you.
Chicago Broken: Detective Shannon Rourke Book 2 Page 24
