As he spoke, the door to Bobby’s room opened, and the doctor left. Mike and Craig joined them in the hall, followed by Detective Mayo.
Introductions were made, and then Declan asked, “Was Bobby able to help you at all?”
“Well, if tall, dark and wearing a vampire cape helps, yes,” Mike said.
“There was more than one person in on the attack,” Craig said.
“Coffee!” Julie announced, joining them and handing around the cups.
“I’ve seen you before. You come into Finnegan’s now and then,” Declan said, addressing Mayo.
“I do indeed,” Mayo agreed, nodding to Declan and glancing over at Craig and Mike. He shrugged. “My family hails from County Mayo, Ireland. My great-grandfather was one of the many who headed to New York in the middle of the nineteenth century during the great potato famine. Finnegan’s is like a touch of the home I never knew. And,” he added, “cops love the place.”
“We do have plenty of cops around,” Declan agreed.
“Well, pleasure, and I’ll be moving on,” Mayo said. “Craig, Mike—we’ll keep in touch,” he said, then headed down the hall. He paused to turn back and lift his coffee to Julie. “Thank you,” he said.
“Pleasure,” she assured him.
Declan looked at Craig and Mike, his expression serious. “I don’t like it,” he said. “I don’t like it one bit.” He shook his head. “It’s no secret that we really do have off-duty cops in the place all the time. You’d think people would know that and misbehave somewhere else.”
“One would think,” Danny murmured.
Declan looked over at his sister. “Kieran, go home. You worked all week. You were caught up in a robbery on Monday and then involved in that subway thing two days later. Last night you slept here at the hospital. Go home. Get some sleep. Julie, why don’t you go with her? I have a few free hours to hang here, and Danny can stay until tonight.”
“Danny has to work today,” Kieran said.
“But I can be back for tonight,” Danny said.
“I just got here, and I had plenty of sleep last night. I can help out here or at the pub, wherever you need me,” Julie said.
“There, you see? Everything is covered,” Declan said. “I’ll just see you home and—”
“Declan, I know how to hail a cab. I’ve lived in New York my whole life,” Kieran reminded him.
Declan hesitated, and Kieran realized that her brother didn’t want her leaving alone.
Craig quickly stepped in. “Mike and I can take Kieran home, see that she’s bolted into her apartment.”
“Thank you,” Declan said. “Now get going, sis. You need a break.”
“Declan, I’m all right,” Kieran said.
“No, you’re not. You look like hell, like you slept twisted in a knot.”
“Someone needs to stay with Bobby tonight,” she said stubbornly.
“I can sleep here,” Julie said. “I’m mostly working from home now anyway.”
“We’ll see,” Kieran said. “I may be back. But right now I’m going to tell Bobby goodbye, if you’ll excuse me.”
She still felt a little embarrassed around Craig and Mike, but they’d offered their help and she knew she had no choice but to accept it.
She moved quickly past them and into Bobby’s room. Leaning down, she gave him a kiss on the cheek, and then met his eyes and whispered, “Bobby, if you know something—anything—about something going on at Finnegan’s, you have to tell the cops.”
“If I actually knew anything, I would,” he told her. “You leaving?”
“Not if you don’t want me to.”
He smiled at that. “Lass, get out of here and quit fussing over me. Let me have some rest.”
She smiled. “I’ll see you soon.”
“That you will, lass, that you will.”
Declan entered the room just then and greeted Bobby cheerfully.
“You’re in responsible hands now,” Kieran told Bobby. “I’ll see you all soon.”
Declan caught her before she could leave. For a moment he held her in a tight embrace. “Be careful,” he warned her. “Make sure your door is locked and bolted.”
“Yes, sir,” she assured him, heading out.
“See you all later,” Kieran said to the group gathered in the hall.
Danny looked over at her. “Call me if you get cabin fever. And don’t leave your place without at least one of us in tow, okay?”
“Don’t forget, I’m here, too,” Julie said.
“Thanks,” Kieran called, leaving.
Craig and Mike stepped up and flanked her, as if instinct allowed them to fall into protective formation instantly.
As they waited for the elevator, she tried to appear nonchalant. Tired and nonchalant.
She couldn’t help but wonder just how much the two men had heard of what Julie had been saying.
Had Mike already known that his partner was sleeping with her?
Had Craig talked about her? Said something like “Hell, yeah, nothing like an auburn-haired bartender,” with Mike replying along the lines of “Nice piece of ass, my friend, nice piece of ass.”
No. They wouldn’t talk like that. She didn’t know why she was so certain of it, but she just was. They had class.
Like her brothers. She’d heard them talk among themselves often enough. They could tease, they could even make the occasional off-color remark. But they weren’t...crass.