Page 26 of Colin (The Doherty Mafia)
Marley clutched the coffee cup hard and sat down in one of the chairs, bringing her knees up. The sheets fell away and I saw her naked again. She didn’t care. She stared at me with interest. She didn’t know what I would say.
I didn’t know what I would say, but I knew I had to give her some kind of warning before she ended up in the middle of the Doherty family.
Fifteen
Marley
My heart started beating a little bit faster when Colin told me he needed to give me the scoop on his family.
I didn’t want to guess how much information he was about to give me, but whatever he said would be more than the rest of my precinct already knew. I couldn’t wait to see the looks on their faces when I walked in there with everything I’d gathered from the Dohertys.
I must have looked like a greedy little puppy as I stared up at him. Colin shrugged.
“We lead a bit of an alternative lifestyle,” he said.
My throat was dry. The adrenaline rushing through my veins nearly made me dizzy.
That was an interesting way to put it—but he wasn’t lying.
“Alternative lifestyle?” I said with a smile.
Colin brushed a hand through his hair and I sensed he was trying to choose his words carefully.
“I’m not sure how to explain it to you.”
“Why don’t you try?” I suggested, sitting back in the chair.
For my part—I had all the time in the world.
He dug his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“Why don’t you start by telling me what you do. Or did rather.”
I had to come up with something fast. I really wasn’t trained for this and I hoped it didn’t show.
“Just computer tech. Data entry sort of thing. Nothing exciting, unlike you,” I replied. I pressed my lips together in panic when I realized what I said.
“What makes you think I do something exciting?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.
“It’s just an impression I have. Why else would you describe it as an alternative lifestyle? Can I guess? You’re a family of trapeze artists,” I said with a laugh. I just hoped it sounded natural.
I waited a few beats for his reaction, and when he smiled—I knew I got away with it.
He didn’t suspect me, at least not for now.
“Wouldn’t that be cool. No, I’m sorry to disappoint you, Marley, but I’m not a trapeze artist. In fact, nobody in my family is known for impeccable balance.”
Why did he have to be so darn cute? I blushed and tried to hide it.
This was going to be more difficult than I hoped because I actually liked spending time with him, but I’d have to constantly remind myself I was on a mission in reality.
“I can’t get into the details of what kind of business we run, for confidentiality sake, but I just want you to know that it isn’t going to be what you expect,” he continued.
I nodded, trying to appear casual even though I was disappointed he wasn’t telling me more.
“Don’t worry, I have no expectations. I’m open to anything. I just want to get out of Atlantic City for a while and forget about my shit life here,” I replied.
It wasn’t too far from the truth.
Colin said he was going to pack up his stuff and I told him I was going to take a shower. I hoped he would join me there like he did the previous day, but he didn’t.
Maybe he was in a rush and wanted to get moving. Either way, being in the shower by myself finally gave me some time to think.
I came to his hotel room the previous night with the intention of getting closer to him and spending more time together. I wanted information. Any information. I definitely didn’t expect to go to New York with him. That idea took birth in the moment, and I wasn’t so sure if it was a good one any more.
This whole thing could go south any moment. In fact, I hadn’t even brought my weapon with me. And wouldn’t it have been wise to have my weapon? Some kind of protection?
The truth was that Colin and his family were dangerous people. If they even got a whiff of who I really was and that I’d infiltrated their world, they wouldn’t hesitate to make me disappear.
It wouldn’t matter how much fun Colin and I had together. He’d forget about our romps in bed in a matter of seconds. It wasn’t like he actually gave a damn about me. This wasn’t fun. This was stupid.
And I was putting my life directly in the line of danger.
More importantly, nobody else would know where I was. I didn’t have friends to share this information with, and I wasn’t going to tell anyone at the precinct either.
The last thing I needed from them were jabs and jokes about how idiotic my plan was.
