Page 39 of His Forced Irish Mafia Bride

Dilligan was completely unmoved. “I can’t authorize it.”

“You can’t stop it, either.”

“Actually, I can.”

That only made me angrier. I took a step closer to him. “I need to see Nora.”

“I understand.”

“No, you don’t.”

His expression stayed professional. “I do. The answer is still no.”

For a moment I considered arguing, but then an idea hit me.

“Fine,” I said. “Call Sean.”

Dilligan frowned. “Mr. O’Connor?”

“Yes. Call him. He gave me permission to have her over today. He’ll tell you that Nora is allowed to be here.” I lifted my chin.

That was a complete bluff. Sean had never given me permission. I hadn’t even asked him. But after our conversation in the kitchen, I was willing to gamble.

Dilligan studied me for a moment. Then he reached for his phone. A few seconds later he placed the call. He stepped to the side and spoke quietly into the phone.

“Mr. O’Connor.” A pause. “Mrs. O’Connor is requesting clearance for a visitor.” Another pause.

Dilligan glanced at me. “She says she already has your authorization.”

I suddenly felt much less confident. The silence stretched.

Then Dilligan’s expression changed slightly. “Understood.” Another pause. “Yes, sir.”

He lowered the phone and looked at me. For a second I couldn’t tell whether I had won or lost.

Then he spoke. “Mr. O’Connor says he never gave you permission.”

Ouch. It was a loss. The side look he gave me was terrible. He looked amused. I cleared my throat.

Dilligan shook his head. “Mr. O’Connor says to run the checks anyway.”

I blinked. “What?”

“We will conduct a full background screening for your friend.” Relief hit me so fast I almost smiled. “If she passes, she can visit.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.” Then he added, “If she fails, she won’t be allowed anywhere near this building.”

The relief faded slightly, but that seemed fair enough. Dilligan was already making notes.

I stood there for a moment before asking, “So she’s coming?”

“If she passes the checks.” That was the closest thing to a yes I was getting. I turned to leave, Dilligan looked up from his tablet.

“Mrs. O’Connor.”

I stopped. “Yes?”