Page 8 of Blood in the Water
3
Nolan tightened his arms around Bridget, pressing her naked body against his under the covers. There were things they needed to talk about, things he needed to tell her and things he needed to ask, but their moments together were so rare that he wasn’t ready to let go of this one yet.
He looked around the room as she sighed, sinking deeper into his chest. The apartment was basic compared to the one at Millennium Tower that had been his home since he finished law school. That apartment was large and luxurious, a wall of glass providing a window on Boston and the sea in the distance. The floors were travertine, the rooms large and high-ceilinged, the bathrooms a sea of marble. His furniture was clean and spare, in keeping with the modern aesthetic he’d had in mind when he bought the place, in keeping with the way his heart had been shuttered from the world after Bridget left him.
The apartment where he and Bridget now met had been chosen with her in mind. He’d opted for a studio instead of a one bedroom, wanting to be as close to her as he could during the few hours they were able to spend together. Thewood floors glowed in the morning sun and were warm underfoot, the bed set against a brick wall. The kitchen was so close Nolan could see it from the bed. He and Bridget only used it for coffee, drinks, and the occasional snack, but Nolan could picture them using it to make bigger meals, could imagine them bumping into each other and laughing about the tiny space.
He’d only been renting the place for the last month, and it was already hard to leave it and return to his big apartment alone. He would give up all the luxury of the place in Millennium Tower in a heartbeat if it meant spending every night with Bridget in his arms, if it meant waking up to her every morning in the tiny place that was the location of their private rendezvous. They would come home to each other every day after work, would fill the space with comfortable furniture and blankets they could cuddle under when it was cold, with plants on the windowsills and rugs on the floor.
She rolled onto her stomach and kissed his chest. “You going to tell me what’s going on?”
He ran his hand over her fair hair. “What do you mean?”
Her expression was serious as she looked up at him. “Nolan.”
She knew him too well, had always known him too well.
“Seamus is ordering surveillance on the men.”
Surprise flashed across her features. “What do you mean?”
“He told Will and me that they needed to lock everything down in preparation for the next job and — ”
“What next job?”
“Don’t know,” Nolan said. “I can only assume he’s planning another robbery, but he told Will and me to spend tomorrow tailing Doug.”
“He doesn’t trust Doug?” Bridget asked.
“I didn’t get the feeling his distrust was aimed at Doug,” Nolan said. “It sounded more like this was the beginning of a plan to surveil everyone on the crew. He probably just started with Doug because he’s closest to home and he figures we’ll rule out the possibility that he’s the one who went to the Feds.”
She sat up and the sheet fell away from her naked body, her long hair falling over one bare shoulder. “We shouldn’t be here.”
His body responded to the sight of her creamy breasts, the taper of her waist. He forced himself to focus on their conversation. “I don’t think we have to worry yet. They have most of Baren’s men guarding the Cat, and it wouldn’t make sense to let word get out that everyone’s going to be watched. I think it’s just Will and I who know for now.”
“But they’ll get to you eventually, and they’ll probably get to me before you.” She bit her lip. “Do you think they’ll ask you and Will to tail me? Or someone else?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “But we should be careful, just in case.”
They hadn’t revealed their relationship to anyone on Seamus’s crew. It was why Nolan had rented the apartment in the Fenway-Kenmore area of the city, why they checked their rearview mirrors when they planned to meet there and why they arrived and left the building separately. As far as Nolan knew Bridget hadn’t even told her parents, and Nolan sure as hell hadn’t told his own mother, who hadn’t seemed thrilled the first time he’d dated Bridget. It was a fairly good bet that Will was the only one who knew about them, but secrets were never secrets for long, especially in a neighborhood as insular as Southie.
Bridget stood, pulled on her underwear, and fastenedher bra. “Aren’t we already careful? What more can we do other than not see each other until this is all over?”
The thought chilled his heart, but he wouldn’t hesitate to put a stop to his furtive visits with Bridget if it meant protecting her. He reached for her hand and pulled her toward him.
“Hey.” She sat on the mattress. “Everything’s okay. I’m telling you about this so you can be careful, that’s all.”
“I am being careful.” Her cheeks were flushed, her green eyes bright. “But I’m not going to let them stop us from seeing each other. Not after everything that’s happened.”
He sat up and pulled her close, smoothing her hair back from her face. The years they’d been apart still cast a pall over his memory. He’d been as good as dead without her. All the money he’d made at Glassman and Weld, the nice cars and the boat and the fancy apartment, none of it had meant a thing. Being apart had been a special kind of hell, but nothing was more important than her safety.
“We’re not there yet,” he said. “We’ll stay alert and see what happens.”
“What’s going on with the Syndicate?” she asked.
“Marchand should be landing about now,” Nolan said. “They’ve been doing some digging on Seamus’s buddies from Ireland. Hopefully they turned up something that will help us.”
“Baren and his men give me the creeps,” she muttered.