Conall Read Free Page A

statement. Not bothering to respond, he simply stared at her. Not many people could state that they could hold his gaze, but this slip of a woman seemed to have no trouble. She was either very brave or very, very stupid.
    “Do you know my brother, Mr. O’Shea?” she asked bluntly.
    “No,” was all he said.
    “How do you know? You haven’t even asked me his name,” she said, her voice wavering slightly as she seemed to finally realize how this all looked.
    “And you didn’t provide it.” Walking around his desk to the sitting area in his large office, he motioned toward the small tan loveseat. “Please, have a seat, Ms. Barbosa.” After a moment’s pause, she sat down on the edge and placed her purse to the side of her. Her hands folded neatly in her lap. Her mannerisms reminded him of a schoolteacher and he barely restrained himself from asking if she were going to put him in detention. Instead, he answered the question she had initially asked. “I don’t even know who you are, so how could I respond whether or not I know your brother? Better yet, why does he think he needs protection from my brothers and me?” he asked.
    Sitting in one of the wing-backed chairs across from the loveseat, he crossed his legs and rested his elbow on the arm of the chair, his hand rubbing his chin in contemplation. His gaze never left her face and he noticed her cheeks taking on a berry-colored hue. Hmmm, interesting.
    She seemed to think about his question in detail. Her perfectly arched eyebrows came down in a frown. “Actually, I don’t know why he would say that. Well, I do, but it doesn’t make any sense. My brother is not the most upstanding of people. But he’s my brother and when he came to my house last night, he was scared. You were the least scary of the bunch and the most approachable. So, here I am. I need to find out what’s going on.”
    Damn! Last night? Wait, she thinks he was the least scary? He wanted to laugh at the irony. Did she know what his family did? Tilting his head to look at her a little more closely. Only one question came to mind. “Why?” he asked.
    “Why what?” she responded, her brow creased in confusion.
    “Why do you need to find out what’s going on? Shouldn’t your brother be here instead?” The question flowed off his lips.
    “That’s not how this works. I’m the oldest. I do what’s necessary to protect my brother. You’re a businessman. I’m a businesswoman. I figured we could speak about this like adults. Whatever my brother did to you or your family, we can fix it.” The words rushed out of her mouth.
    “Is that right?” At her nod, he continued, “Okay, so tell me, what happened last night?” he said in a calm voice.
    Inside his mind, he had immediately figured that her brother had been somewhere near the warehouse. But how could he? No, he would call Fionn or Shannon and see if they knew anything. Still, there was a tingling feeling in his shoulders that neither of his brothers would have any idea what he was talking about. No. This was about him. What he had done. He was mentally going over the layout of the warehouse they were in last night. Who saw them go inside and if anyone was there when they left. The coincidence could not be denied.
    “That’s why I’m here. Listen, you don’t know me and I don’t know you. But, I protect my brother, even when he doesn’t deserve it. As I said, if he’s done something to piss you off, I need to know what it is.” The sultriness of her voice wasn’t forced and he was positive she had no idea how it was affecting him.
    “I know what your brother may have told you, but I don’t know who he is.” Although he would sure as fuck find out soon enough. “I’m sure there’s been some misunderstanding.”
    Which was a damn lie. If her brother had seen him last night, he had every right to be scared.
    “But that doesn’t make sense,” she said with a deep sigh. “Actually, my being here doesn’t make sense.