Page 74 of His Forced Irish Mafia Bride

My jaw tightened. I typed again, slower this time.

I’m not testing anything. I need answers about a chain of names and movement patterns. Peter Earl. Stuart Justice. Ian Rush. Gabrielle De Succa. There’s something connecting them and I can’t see it clearly.

The response came even faster.That’s not how this works.Another message followed immediately.

You don’t just drop random names into a dead line and expect results. Either you’re guessing, or someone is feeding you nonsense.

I stared at that for a moment.

Then I typed:I’m not guessing.

Then you’re just a shithead then.

My grip on the phone tightened.

Before I could respond, another message came in.And for the record, I don’t know who you are. Or who told you this number. But I’m about to block you.

I froze for a second. My fingers hovered over the screen. Then I typed,Teresa gave it to me.

The dots appeared instantly. But this time they stayed longer. Long enough that the tone shifted before the message even came through.

Teresa?

I didn’t reply.

I waited. Another message came in.

You should have said that first.

I smiled.

Don’t move. Don’t send anything else. I’m not blocking you yet.

***

It took a long time before he came back. I was starting to think he’d blocked me after all. But then, after four hours, my phone lit up. Orion.

The screen stayed bright for a few seconds before dimming again. I unlocked it. There was no greeting, only a message.

I’ve done enough digging on those names you sent. And I have plenty of info on them. And I know who you are, too, Maeve O’Connor.

My heart skipped a beat.

You’re not going to like what I found.There’s a fifth person in the chain. And he isn’t just a connector. He’s a stabilizer. Everything holds because of him.

I read it once. My eyes flicked back to the pages on the bed. The names I’d already mapped. The node I’d added to the list as a question mark.

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

I typed slowly.Explain.

Three dots appeared almost immediately, and then the reply came.

Every movement you’ve traced has one constant proximity marker. Not always recorded directly. Notalways visible in clearance logs. But present in timing, routing, and approval lag.

I leaned back slightly.Proximity marker.Orion continued before I could interrupt.

He doesn’t originate anything. He doesn’t end anything. He sits between decisions. Between authorization and execution. That’s why he’s hard to see.