Page 73 of His Forced Irish Mafia Bride

She didn’t explain that.

Instead, she continued, “But there are people who move between it. Quietly. Carefully.”

I listened more closely now, but I still didn’t interrupt.

Teresa glanced at the door once, then back at me. “If you’re really trying to understand what’s happening here,” she said, “you don’t start with Sean.” My chest tightened slightly at that. “You start with someone else.”

She hesitated, just for a second, like she didn’t usually say things like this out loud. “Orion.” The name landed softly, but it stuck. I didn’t speak immediately.

Because I could tell this wasn’t just a name. It was a direction. Teresa didn’t speak for a moment. She looked atme, then away, like she was weighing something she’d already decided to do.

Finally, she let out a small breath and reached into the pocket of her work apron.

“I shouldn’t be doing this,” she said.

I nodded slowly. “Probably not.”

That almost made her smile, but it didn’t fully form. Her hand came out with a small folded piece of paper, worn at the edges, like it had been kept for a long time.

She hesitated before giving it to me. “If you ever get caught,” she said, “don’t say you got it from me.”

I took it carefully. “I won’t,” I said.

Her eyes stayed on me for a second longer than usual. “This isn’t someone you call for comfort,” she added.

“I understand.”

She shook her head slightly, like she wasn’t sure I did. “Orion only answers when it matters,” she said.

I looked down at the paper in my hand.

A number. That was all it was supposed to be. But it didn’t feel like just a number. It felt like a door I wasn’t supposed to open.

***

I reached for the paper Teresa had given me earlier and unfolded it carefully. Orion’s contact information.

I copied the number into my phone, typed it slowly, and double-checked it. Then I saved the contact. I selected all the files I had. Everything I’d gathered sat there, waiting.

Peter Earl. Stuart Justice. Ian Rush. Gabrielle De Succa.

My finger paused before sending. And then the message went through clean.

After that, I waited. The room felt quieter than before. My phone stayed dark as minutes passed.

It started to feel longer than it should have. Like the world had stopped moving. Then the screen lit up again. A message from Orion.

Who the fuck is this?

I stared at the screen for a second after that message.

Then my fingers moved quickly.

It’s Maeve O’Connor. I was given your number by someone who knows you.

I hit send and waited. Almost instantly, three dots appeared. This time there was no delay.

You’re not funny. And you’re not clever enough to be testing this line.