Page 13 of Savage Little Secret

“I’m sure there are other women who owe the mob a favor,” I reply. “Why send her in?”

Why does he keep dodging that damn question?

“She’s nothing. A shadow,” Brendan says with a shrug. “She wasn’t on your radar. It was easier to sneak her in.”

A decent reason but not the main one that I think he’s still hiding.

“O’Malley obviously trusted her,” I reply.

Brendan glances to the side, but I can’t read his expression. “Again, you’ll have to ask him.”

“Why did she agree to this shit?” I question him. “Because of her asshole ex?”

“Huh?” he looks genuinely perplexed now.

“The drug dealer?”

“Bullshit,” he says, sounding certain that’s a lie.

Of course, she didn’t have a criminal ex.

I should’ve known that she was lying about that shit too. Each of her lies eats away at me a little bit more.

“Why her?” I ask again as I shove the end of the bat into his gut, making him groan.

“Why do…why do any small nobodies take on big missions? To prove themselves,” Brendan replies with a gasp. “And look how that turned out for her. You’ve probably dumped her body in a ditch by now. O’Malley will fucking annihilate you for that shit,” he mutters.

I don’t comment on whether she’s alive. I’ll play that card later if needed. Why would O’Malley give a shit about the death of some random girl, though? I doubt he would go after anyone for killing one of his whores. He’d just replace her like the careless bastard he is.

“There’s still something you’re not telling me,” I remark. “Why would O’Malley care if she’s dead?”

Brendan refuses to look me in the eye. That’s the question that he’s avoiding the most.

But he will give it to me.

I tap the bat against his other knee, making him wince. “I’ll break this one too if you don’t answer me!”

“Fuck you!” Brendan says, his voice threatening to shake.

I strike the front of his shin with the bat as a warning, making him cry out in pain. “Why is she so important to him? Tell me!”

Brendan tries to cower, but the ropes and chair keep him in place. He’s not going anywhere. Shaking his head emphatically, he says, “I can’t!”

“You will!” I snap before raising the bat over my head. “Tell me now or I’ll crack your fucking skull open!” He still fucking hesitates. “What does it matter now that she’s dead?” I lie to try and drag the answer out of him.

Brendan squeezes his eyes shut as if in agony. “Okay, okay! Fuck, I’ll tell you!”

“Then spit it out!” I shout at him, my heart pounding furiously.

“Sean might be a mean son of a bitch even to her, but he fucking loves her. Loved her.”

“What?” I whisper, unable to wrap my head around this bombshell. “Cara and O’Malley were…” I trail off, unable to say the words because she’s mine. Even though I’m fucking furious with her, she belongs to me, only me.

“Cara was Sean’s daughter, okay? His only kid!”

Daughter.

The word detonates like a goddamn bullet exploding through my chest.