Page 112 of Retribution

“Okay.” As the final drawer shuts, I take a deep breath. I hope I’m doing the right thing. Probably not. I let the silence stretch between me and him, willing him to leave without me having to tell him to go.

“Lorcan’s not like Finn. He cares about people.”

“You think he fired me because he cares about me.”

“Yeah.” He shuffles his feet in the doorway. “Why didn’t you go? Things are nuts right now.”

I catch his gaze in the mirror above the dresser. “I don’t like leaving things unresolved.” Turning on my heel, I face Sean. “Has anyone been to see Antonio’s ex-wife?”

He shakes his head. “Not as far as I know. She wouldn’t want to see any of us, anyway.”

“She needs to be told.”

“Lorcan will send her a check and a note.”

I purse my lips. “His kids. With everything going on, who knows when he’ll remember to speak to her. Antonio’s kids. They need to be told. His ex-wife should know.”

Taking out his phone, Sean glances up at me. “Want me to get Lorcan on it?”

“Will he go see her?”

“No. Last time he went, she told him never to come back. ’Course, he was trying to talk her into sticking it out with her husband. Probably, she felt intimidated. Lorcan’s a big guy. I was there too. Antonio was pretty upset about the divorce.”

I frown, thinking of when my father died. It was so hard. I couldn’t imagine not getting that message face-to-face. “We’ll do it. You have her address? I’ll tell her. Something should be said in person.”

He hesitates. “I don’t mean no disrespect. But should you be going around Lorcan and Finn like this?”

“Finn said I was in charge. This is what we’re doing.”

With a nod, Sean backs out of the doorway. “I’ll meet you in the car.”

The house is a modest bungalow on a quiet residential street. It’s not what I would have expected, given Antonio’s earnings working for the brothers.

“You want me to come with you?” Sean jiggles the keys in his hand.

I laugh. “No. Definitely not.”

“All right. I’ll wait out here.”

Steeling myself, I open the passenger door and head up the pathway lined with summer flowers. It’s a well-maintained brick house, and I picture Antonio walking this same path, excited to see his kids, to spend time with them. Tears prick at the back of my eyes, and I suck in a deep breath. Showing up with a tear-stained face will send the wrong message to Antonio’s ex-wife. This is a business call. It’s not personal.

I ring the doorbell. It reverberates throughout the house, the pleasant tone spilling out through the front door.

When the door opens, a curvy Latina woman narrows her brown eyes at me. “Who are you?”

“My name is Kim.” I try for a kind smile. “I work for the Donaghey brothers.”

“What, they hiring prostitutes to make house calls?” She skims her gaze over me. “Antonio’s not here. He doesn’t live here.”

“I’m here to talk to you about Antonio, actually.” Somehow, I manage to keep my voice even. Josafina’s assumption I’m a prostitute when I’m dressed in leggings, a leather jacket, and a fitted T-shirt seems ludicrous.

“The Donagheys are hiring women now? What do you do?”

“A little of everything. Can I come in?”

She blocks the door with her body. “Like a secretary or a wife or something?”

“Or something.” I burrow both hands into my coat pockets and stare at her.