Mob Bride (The O’Rourke Brotherhood #5)

Epilogue

Shane

It’s been a month since Carrie and I married, and it’s been a shockingly quiet one, all things considered. The first week we were married, we faced the DEA trying to raid us in four different locations. Every time, they came up empty-handed.

Every time, we thumbed our noses at them. When their fifth attempt wound up with them in a shootout against some Armenians, we knew they were growing too frustrated to continue. This particular campaign wasn’t worth it to them.

At some point, they’ll regroup, and they’ll come after us again, but it won’t be to retaliate against Carrie. Three days after the wedding, she put in her formal notice effective immediately—not that it surprised anyone. They called her in for an exit interview and tried to question her about our relationship. They wanted details about our marriage, but she remained mute. Eventually, the guy in HR gave up on his line of questioning.

Then Phil Hammond called her into his office, where he and Director Spenser both laid into her and tried to guilt her into admitting I forced her to marry me. That she did it against her will, and they could protect her. When they realized that was to no avail, they changed course and started threatening her with charges against her all over again, saying she would be my downfall, and she’d be the reason I wound up in prison. And not just me, but my entire family.

She told me afterwards she remembered the conversation we had the day I told her about Angela. They could try, but no matter what, my family and I have the resources to ensure no one succeeds and gives enough evidence to make charges stick. She felt reassured they’d realize the grievous mistake they made by trying to go against my family.

We’ve just arrived home from our honeymoon, and her boxes are lining the living room of the new house we just bought next door to Bogdan Kutsenko. Unfortunately, an unaffiliated family swiped up the home we really wanted from under our noses.

By the time they realized who’d wanted the home, we’d already accepted we wouldn’t get it, and paid cash for the only other house we liked. We just have the misfortune of living next door to that bag of shite. Christina and Carrie get along well enough so far that I’m not too worried if one of them goes over to the other person’s house to borrow a cup of sugar. But they aren’t in any hurry to become best friends either.

“Where do you think we should put this?”

She holds up the swing my sisters- and cousins-in-law bought for us as a welcome home gift. My brothers had no idea when I called and asked them if it was a joke. It shocked my cousins just as much as it did me. Then all the married guys were pissed those of us who were unmarried when they partnered off didn’t think about such a thoughtful gift.

“I say we turn one of the spare bedrooms into a pleasure palace.”

I waggle my eyebrows at her, and she giggles. That sound will always do things to me. It makes my balls ache, and I’m looking around for the drill and hammer. I’ll get that thing hung in the next five minutes.

“Daddy, are you thinking about hanging this up right now?” Her teasing voice only makes me want her more.

“Where’s the ladder, cailín ?

“I believe Finn’s on it right now as he changes those light bulbs for us downstairs. Do you really want to ask your brother for it?

I release a beleaguered sigh. “Maybe not right this minute.”

She puts the box down and looks around at everything else. We went through her place in Pittsburgh for the few items that were hers not the government’s and her actual apartment here in New York. We got rid of a lot of duplicate things, either keeping the ones I already had or getting rid of my stuff and bringing hers over. It’ll be a pleasant blend of both of our households.

The easiest thing for us to agree upon is that on Wednesdays and Sundays, if I’m not called away for work, those are our guaranteed sex nights in. Not that we don’t have sex every night, but those are nights things like the swing will come in handy. When I told the other guys I wouldn’t be available those nights, they immediately wanted to know why.

When I wouldn’t answer, the meaning became obvious. Now each married guy has his own two nights a week he insists he’s unavailable. Poor Cormac gets stuck with all the worst shifts at our night clubs and strip clubs because of that. But he’ll survive. And it wouldn’t surprise me if we aren’t changing the schedule once again soon. He seems to fancy himself a knight in shining armor, but he’s being even more closed lip than I was.

She notices something outside the window and moves to look. I have a knee-jerk reaction to tell her to step away, but I know we’re safe in our home. As twisted and fucked-up as it is that we all live in the same two neighborhoods, the Four Families treat our community as Switzerland. It’s a no fire zone because of the wives and children, so she can look out the window all day if she wants. I only broke that cardinal rule because I knew Maria wasn’t home and neither were any of their neighbors.

“Who’s that?”

“You met Laura Kutsenko.”

“I know her. I mean the dog. Who’s that?”

“Sebastian. He’s the only guy in the family I like. Him and Niko’s swearing parrot, Sammy.”

“Swearing parrot?”

“Yeah, Bogdan taught it to curse. Their mom washed Bogdan’s and the bird’s mouths out with soap.” She looks at me in disbelief. “Maybe just Bogdan’s.”

She turns back to the window. “I want one.”

“A cussing bird?”

“No, the dog. I want a Mastiff, too. He looks sweet.”

I block her view, then take her hand and lead her toward our bedroom door. “He is. Like I said. He’s the only guy in their family I like. He’s the only one worth knowing. Let’s have lunch. I’m starving.”

We get to the foyer just as the doorbell chimes. Carrie’s brow furrows.

“We have no more deliveries scheduled for today. Are any of the other guys coming over?”

The law that the guys call before they arrive is now etched in stone since only Cormac’s a bachelor. She checks the spyhole and glances at me before she opens the door.

“Hi, Laura.”

“Hello, Carys, Shane.”

She scowls at me, her left eye narrowing. But she shifts her focus to Carrie and smiles. When she steps aside with Sebastian, Carrie’s able to see what’s in Maks’s arms. Laura’s arsehole husband has a tiny squirming puppy. Sebastian’s son is a mini replica of the beast.

“D—Shane?” Carrie’s cheeks burn as she realizes her near slip.

I glare at Maks, who rolls his eyes. Laura smiles knowingly, and Carrie looks even more mortified.

“I thought you might like someone to keep you company when I travel.”

I glare at Maks again when I’m done explaining. This time I not only get an eye roll, but I also get one of his classic glowers. It didn’t affect me in high school, and it doesn’t affect me now.

“A puppy?!” Carrie beams as she holds her arms out.

When Maks moves to hand the little guy over, he says something in Russian that makes Laura widen her eyes.

“Maks!” She speaks fluent Russian.

But we all laugh when we see the puddle on his shirt. I love the little beastie already. I knew I picked the smartest one in the litter.

“Thank you for bringing him over.” I can be gracious—when I want to be.

“You’re welcome.” Laura nods to me before she looks at Carrie and holds out a folder to me. “I have all his lineage and vet records in here. Normally—” She giggles. “—he’s paper trained.”

Carrie glances up at me once she has the puppy in her arms. I swear the dog sighs before he closes his eyes.

“He’s really for me, Shane?”

“Yes, cailín .”

She strokes his head. When she gazes up at me, she grins. Then she glances at my dick and cocks an eyebrow before she looks down at her hand that continues to stroke the dog. She’s definitely offering to stroke something else later. Laura’s grin tells us she understood what we didn’t say. I rest my hand on Carrie’s lower back at the same time Maks does the same to Laura. If I didn’t want to kill him every time I see him, we might be friends.

Once they’re gone, I wrap my arms around Carrie with the puppy sandwiched between us.

“Any names spring to mind?”

“Dafydd.” She gazes up at me. “Dafydd O’Rourke.”

The perfect blend of Welsh and Irish—just like us.

Cormac O’Rourke is the last man standing—until Jocelyn Bracero bumps into him. Cormac is unprepared for the tenacious social worker to turn his life upside down and discover secrets better kept hidden in a world where kindness and mercy could be his downfall in Mob Knight .

Carrie can’t wait to show Shane how thankful she is for their wiggly new addition to their family. Discover how they put that swing to use in this bonus epilogue when you subscribe to my newsletter.