Chapter 41 Closed Doors
Patrick did not like repeating himself.
Connor O’Kelly knew that.
Which was exactly why he made him do it.
“You’re certain the connection is clean?” Connor asked, seated at the head of the long oak table in his private study.
Patrick stood instead of sitting. He always did when business turned serious. “The name matches. He ran errands for Emerson’s father five years ago. Nothing high-level. Collections, minor transport.”
“Still loyal?” Michael asked.
“Unknown,” Patrick replied. “But he’s been spotted near our property twice.”
Liam leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. “Testing distance.”
Ian tapped something on the tablet in front of him. “No digital chatter linking him directly. If he’s moving, he’s doing it analog.”
Connor’s gaze remained fixed on Patrick. “And what do you want to do?”
Patrick didn’t hesitate. “Make it clear the distance is permanent.”
Michael smirked faintly. “Meaning?”
“Lean on him. Quietly.”
Liam’s jaw flexed. “We don’t escalate unless necessary.”
“I’m not escalating,” Patrick said evenly. “I’m establishing boundaries.”
Connor folded his hands. “You’re reacting emotionally.”
Patrick met his father’s eyes without flinching. “I’m reacting strategically.”
Silence stretched between them.
Connor studied him carefully. Measuring. Testing.
“You’re close to this,” Connor said at last.
“Yes.”
“And that makes you dangerous.”
“It makes me focused.”
Michael glanced between them. “The girl’s family, whether we like it or not.”
“She’s our family,” Patrick corrected.
That shifted the energy in the room.
Connor’s expression softened by a fraction. “Which is exactly why you need to think three moves ahead.”
Patrick’s shoulders squared. “I am.”
“Then tell me the third move.”
Patrick didn’t blink. “If parole goes through, we prepare for relocation of the associate. Not her. Him. Remove his proximity. Remove his access.”
Ian nodded slowly. “Financial disruption would be cleaner than physical.”
Liam added, “Security presence increases without being visible.”
Connor leaned back slightly. “And the girl?”
Patrick’s voice lowered, steady. “She decides her exposure. Not us.”
That earned a long look from all four men.
Connor’s lips twitched faintly. “You’re learning.”
“I’ve been learning,” Patrick replied calmly.
Michael chuckled. “He gets that from Shannon.”
Connor stood, signaling the end of the discussion. “Keep it quiet. I don’t want noise. I don’t want headlines. And I certainly don’t want her thinking we’re turning her into leverage.”
Patrick’s jaw tightened. “We won’t.”
Connor stepped closer to him, lowering his voice. “This world does not forgive distraction. If you’re going to build something legitimate, you cannot let personal emotion cloud business.”
Patrick met his father’s gaze evenly. “She isn’t a distraction. She’s the reason I’m building it.”
Connor studied him for a long moment.
Then nodded once.
“Good.”
At home, I could feel the difference before Patrick even walked through the door.
It wasn’t fear.
It was a calculation.
Josh and Mike were in the living room, gaming, but too aware of every sound. Drew sat at the kitchen island with a notebook open, pen moving slowly. Jake was sprawled across the couch, flipping channels without watching anything.
“You’re all terrible at pretending,” I said as I walked in.
Jake looked up and grinned. “We’re not pretending.”
“Exactly.”
Josh muted the television. “How was class?”
“Educational,”
Mike smirked. “Insightful.”
I crossed my arms. “You talked to Connor today.”
Josh glanced at Mike.
Mike glanced at Drew.
Drew didn’t look up. “Yes.”
“And?”
“They’re monitoring the situation,” Drew replied calmly.
“That sounds vague.”
“It’s supposed to.”
Patrick walked in then, coat still on, expression neutral but alert.
I didn’t wait.
“What’s the plan?”
His eyes softened when they landed on me. “We reinforce the perimeter. Quietly.”
“And?”
“And nothing changes for you.”
“That’s not true.”
He stepped closer. “You go to class. You live your life. We adjust around you.”
“Adjust how?”
Mike stood, moving to the window casually. “Just eyes.”
“Just eyes,” Josh echoed.
I studied them. “If something happens, I don’t want to be the last one told.”
“You won’t be,” Patrick said.
“You promise?”
“Yes.”
There was no hesitation.
I believed him.
Later that evening, after dinner, Patrick found me on the back porch.
The air was cold, sharp against my lungs. The yard stretched quietly and still under the security lights.
“You’re thinking,” he said softly.
“I usually am.”
He stepped beside me, hands resting on the railing. “Connor thinks I’m too close to this.”
“You are.”
He huffed a quiet laugh. “That’s not helpful.”
“It’s not meant to be.” I looked at him. “You love me. That makes you close.”
“And that makes me less objective.”
“It makes you human.”
He turned slightly toward me. “If something shifts, I’ll act first.”
“I know.”
“You trust me?”
“Yes.”
He hesitated. “Even knowing what my family is capable of?”
I stepped closer, resting my hands against his chest. “I know exactly what your family is capable of.”
“And?”
“And I know you’re trying to build something better.”
His hand came up, brushing my hair back from my face.
“I won’t let him reach you,” he said quietly.
“I won’t let him scare me,” I replied.
For a moment, we just stood there, cold air swirling around us, neither of us backing down from the reality of what might be coming.
Inside, laughter echoed faintly from the living room. Jake had probably said something ridiculous. Josh’s deeper voice followed.
Normal.
Safe.
For now.
Patrick leaned down and kissed my forehead.
“Three moves ahead,” he murmured.
I smiled faintly. “Then let’s make sure we’re the ones playing the board.”
He looked at me like I’d surprised him.
“Connor was right,” he said.
“About what?”
“You’re not leverage.”
I arched a brow. “Obviously.”
“You’re strategy.”
I laughed softly. “That sounds slightly manipulative.”
“It’s admiration.”
I slipped my hand into his. “Then we win.”
His fingers tightened around mine.
“Yes,” he said quietly.
“We do.”