Page 29 of Blood in the Water
Somewhere inside him, he was screaming, butsomething else had taken over when he’d stepped into the house, something cold and rational. Maybe it was the hours he’d spent patiently combing through case studies and filings, looking for the piece of information that could turn a case around. Maybe it was a protective mechanism, a way to prevent himself from leaving the Monaghan’s house, storming into the Cat, and killing everyone there.
Bridget’s parents were surprisingly calm. Her father leaned against the kitchen counter, a cup of coffee in his hand. Every now and then, his eyes skipped to the windows that faced the street, watchful even though Nolan had stationed Will at the door, just to be safe.
Kyle Monaghan was a big man, tall and broad shouldered with extra weight around the middle. He reminded Nolan of his own father — strong, sensible, quiet unless he had something to say. His graying hair was still thick, but the humor Nolan remembered in his green eyes was gone, and the lines on his face were more deeply etched than they’d been the last time Nolan had seen him.
Nolan had sat next to Bridget’s mother at the table while Bridget told them everything — about working for Seamus, about the debt she owed him for the extra money she’d been borrowing to help with Owen’s care, about the theft at Harbor Trust last year and her own increasing involvement in Seamus’s organization.
He’d kept quiet, letting Bridget take the lead in what and how to tell her parents, filling in the blanks only when Bridget looked to him for help or when Kyle or Eileen Monaghan asked him a direct question.
Her mother had only spoken one word when she was done talking:Bridget…
Just her daughter’s name, spoken with both sadness and fear.
Bridget’s cheeks had flushed with shame, and Nolan had reached under the table for her hand.
“What do you recommend we do now?”
The question came from Bridget’s dad and was directed at Nolan.
Nolan didn’t even have to think about it. “You leave. Immediately.” He continued before Bridget could object. “I have a place in mind, a place where you’ll all be safe, including Owen. I can arrange for transport via medevac, make sure Owen has an attendant to care for him, make sure the nearest hospital is on alert should you need them.” He glanced at Bridget, staring at her hands in her lap. “I know it’s not ideal, but it’s the best thing. It will give me a chance to deal with Seamus, make sure it’s safe for you to come home.”
Kyle’s shoulders slumped. “Sounds expensive.”
“That’s not something you need to worry about.” Nolan held Bridget’s hand on the table between them. Neither of her parents seemed surprised, but he wanted them to know this wasn’t charity, that he loved their daughter, that he would take care of them like family. “I have the resources to do this, Mr. Monaghan. It’s something I want to do. If you want to discuss repayment later, we can do that, but right now the safety of your family is the only thing that matters, and they’re not safe here any longer.”
He had no intention of letting Kyle Monaghan — or any of the Monaghans — pay him back. Bridget was his heart and soul. He would marry her if she’d have him when this was all over. There was no better expenditure of his money than to take care of her family, to keep them safe.
Bridget’s dad nodded. “All right.”
Nolan shouldn’t have been surprised the answer came soquickly. Kyle was a good man, and a smart one. His need to protect his family would override his pride.
“How will we get out of the house?” It was the first time Bridget’s mom had spoken in awhile. “Isn’t that man still outside?”
Nolan had already started working the problem. It would be difficult enough to move a healthy family of four quickly and safely around Oz — or whoever was outside watching the house — but Owen’s condition made things exponentially more complicated.
“Leave that to me.” Nolan stood. “Pack light and be ready to leave in two hours.”
16
It took Bridget less than fifteen minutes to pack her things in one bag. That was the thing about crisis: it distilled everything down to its simplest elements. Given the danger now faced by her family — danger they faced because of her — nothing else seemed to matter. She would email Sheridan and ask her to take over Jorge’s hearing next week, just in case Bridget wasn’t back by then. Everything else was surprisingly unimportant.
She zipped her bag and slung it on her shoulder, then started down the hall. She hadn’t had a moment alone with Nolan since he’d arrived, but she knew he was talking to Will, hatching plans with Christophe Marchand, and lining up the significant resources that would be necessary for Owen to travel.
She heard rustling from inside Owen’s bedroom halfway down the hall and stopped when she saw her mother, her back to the door. A suitcase lay open on the bed. Bridget assumed from her mother’s movements that she was packing for Owen.
Bridget shifted and a floorboard creaked under her feet.Her mother turned, eyes bright, cheeks flushed. “Bridget. You scared me.”
“Sorry.” She set her bag on the floor in the hall and moved into the room. “Can I help?”
“I’m almost done,” her mother said, folding one of Owen’s favorite sweatshirts. “I’ve already done the medication. It’s in the medical bag in the kitchen.”
“Where is he?” Bridget asked.
“In the living room, watching Shark Week reruns.”
Bridget felt a pang of regret. Things had been so crazy she hadn’t followed through on her promise to watch them with Owen. “How much did you tell him?”
Her mother straightened, her eyes flashing. “I told him everything, Bridget. Why wouldn’t I?”