Jess was less reticent; she stepped closer and gave Abby a hug. “Welcome to the family.” She glanced across to the group. “They take a little—okay, a lot—of getting used to, but there are compensations.” She glanced sideways at Declan as she spoke and licked her lips suggestively. “Is that your daughter? Wow, she looks like Declan. And Logan of course.”
Five minutes later, Abby stood to the side and watched the group interact. Jenny stood surrounded by McCabe men—Logan, Declan and Rory. She might well have been intimidated, but they had obviously welcomed her with open arms, and she looked relaxed and at ease chatting with them. Her mum was talking with Judith and Tamara.
“Rory’s an asshole, but you have to stand up to him.” Jess had come up beside her, a beer in her hand.
“He told me you don’t like him.”
“Can’t stand him. He once tried to pay me to stop seeing Declan.”
“Really?”
“It was a long time ago, but I’m not quite ready to forgive him yet.” She studied Abby for a minute. “So, I get the feeling there’s a little tension here. Jenny has obviously been welcomed into the fold, but with you I sense a little bit of the cold shoulder.”
“I don’t think they’ve forgiven me for not telling them sooner.”
“No, I can see that might be a bit of a problem. So why didn’t you?”
Jess was certainly blunt and to the point, but Abby preferred that to circling around the subject. “I tried, but he was in prison at the time, so I went away again.”
“Oh God, of course, that would have been when he was locked up. A sore point, and not only for Logan.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “Well, both Declan and Rory blamed themselves. Rory because, with his background, the cops were always looking for anything on the family, and Declan because Logan got into the fight to protect his little brother.”
“Oh.”
“They’ll get over it.”
“I doubt it.” She sounded morose. It was becoming clear that they really didn’t like the police, and maybe they had their reasons. But it was who she was, and she wasn’t going to change that, didn’t want to change it. A detective was all she had ever wanted to be.
“Why’s that?” Jess asked.
“I’m a sergeant in the metropolitan police.”
Jess’s lips twitched, and she burst into laughter. “Fucking brilliant.”
“I’m glad you think so. Rory and Logan were less than impressed. Rory almost accused me of some convoluted plot to set Logan up. I mean, yeah, I got pregnant at eighteen with the sole purpose of waiting eleven years and then weaseling my way into Logan’s life, discovering what nefarious practices he’s up to, and locking him away—for good this time.”
Jess laughed again. Declan and Logan stood across the room and they turned at the sound. Logan murmured something to his brother, and they both strolled over.
Seeing them together made her sigh out loud.
“They’re the stuff of fantasies aren’t they?” Jess murmured. “X-rated fantasies.”
They were so similar, with the same height and coloring, though Logan looked edgier, with a hint of danger. If Declan was a sleek, well-fed leopard, Logan was a panther, lean and mean and hungry.
She might say she wanted nothing to do with him, apart from what was absolutely necessary for Jenny’s sake, but that didn’t stop her eating him up with her eyes. He added a small swagger to his walk and fixed his gaze on her lips.
Jess was the more beautiful—he’d never met a woman to match her—but his gaze was drawn back to Abby. She had shadows under her eyes. Maybe, like him, she wasn’t sleeping. He’d been trying to keep his distance, but he wanted desperately to see her alone. Somehow he had to persuade her it was in her best interests to let him into her pants again.
“What are you two up to?” Declan asked as they came up beside the two women. Declan moved in closer, wrapping his arm around Jess’s shoulders and pulling her close. Logan wished he had the right to do the same with Abby, to touch her, hold her, as though she was his. The thought surprised him. He’d never been the possessive type.
“Discussing X-rated fantasies,” Jess said.
Logan’s gaze sharpened on Abby. “Have you been telling tales, sergeant?”
“No,” she snapped.
“Tales?” Jess asked. “What sort of tales.”
Abby was glaring daggers at him, so he continued, just to wind her up. If ever there was a woman in need of being wound up, it was his sergeant. He nodded in her direction. “The sarge here didn’t tell you she’s my fantasy girl?”
“Your what?” Declan asked.
“And what sort of fantasies?” Jess added.
“Definitely X-rated. I met Abby just before I was put inside. You could say she was the inspiration for my nightly entertainment.” He gave an exaggerated sigh. “Every night, I’d lie in my bunk and I—”