No one writes suspense like Heather Graham! Read this brand-new romantic thriller by one of todays most popular authors
Theres a pub in New York City thats been in the Finnegan family for generations. Now Kieran and her three brothers own it. Kieran Finnegan is also, as it happens, a criminal psychologista fitting reaction, perhaps, to her less-than-lawful teenage past.
Meanwhile, New Yorks Diamond District has been hit by a rash of thefts. No ones been killeduntil now. FBI agent Craig Frasier is brought in to investigate; he and Kieran meet at a jewelry store in the middle of a heist. Shes there to unsteal a flawless stone taken by her light-fingered youngest brother as an act of vengeance. Craigs there to stop the gang.
But the police and FBI begin to wonder if there are two gangs of diamond thieves, the original and a copycat group of killerswho seem to think their scheme is as flawless as the stones they steal.
Thrown together by circumstance, drawn together by attraction, Kieran and Craig are both assigned to the case. But to Kierans horror, theres more and more evidence that, somehow, the pub is involved. Because everyone goes to Finnegans
Flawless
Heather Graham
www.mirabooks.co.uk
Dedicated to NYCovercrowded, crazy,
wonderful, diverse,
filled with history, theater,
music, art, architecture
and wonders that can be seen nowhere else.
To the resiliency of
those who live and work
in this great American city.
And to Mr. Korbin Pozzessere,
whose parents,
Derek Pozzessere and Yevgeniya Yeretskaya,
somehow met and fell in love in this
massive sea of people!
Contents
Cover
Back Cover Text
Title Page
Dedication
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Extract
Copyright
CHAPTER ONE
IM OKAY. REALLY. But I have to tell you what I did. Well, he deserved it, of course, Julie Benton said over the phone.
What did you do? Kieran Finnegan asked. So far, shed only been half listening; Julies tale of woe had been going on for quite a while now.
Kieran wiped the bar, one eye on her task, the other on the patrons in the pub.
Thankfully, at the moment she could easily work and listen, despite the fact that the object of Julies venomher almost ex, Gary Bentonwas one of the few other people at Finnegans on Broadway, the family downtown pub, one of the oldest in the city.
Julie giggled. He deserved it, she repeated.
Kieran didnt doubt that. She just wished she couldnt see Gary as she was talking to Julie.
She never minded cleaning Finnegans since it was practically her family home. It was a beautiful old place with finely carved wood, a range of tables and booths, and this classic bar with its array of beer taps and collection of Irish whiskeys. Photographs of the pub through the years hung behind the bar. Beyond was a comfortable dining room, equally rich in wood decor and handsome carving.
They werent particularly busy at this off-hour of the day, between lunch and happy hour.
Bobby OLeary was at one end of the bar; although he was an alcoholic long in recovery, Finnegans was the center of his social life. He was still one of their favorite customers.
Shed given Bobby his standard soda with lime, and he was reading the Times.
Two groups of business executives on extended lunch hours remained. Three were at one table, and fourincluding Garywere at another. Finnegans wasnt even officially open. They closed between 3:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., according to the sign on the front door, but their clientele consisted mainly of friends and regulars who knew they could come in and receive service with a smile. Both tables had paid their bills and were lingering over coffee. Kieran had served them all their final refillsmanaging not to spill any scalding coffee on Garybefore shed started cleaning.
And before Julie had called. She refrained from mentioning to Julie that Gary was at the pub; frankly, she was stunned hed come in at all. He wasnt wanted here. But he was with Jimmy McManusa longtime customer and entrepreneur whod made a fortune in everything from magic mops to designer dog food and Wall Street trading. Jimmy was a great guy with a headful of white hair and a quick smile, taut and fit despite his fondness for a good Irish stout. They were joined by two men who seemed to be friends of Jimmys. Kieran hadnt allowed herself to run over, grab Gary by the lapels and throw him out on the street. But until the coffee refill, she hadnt gone near the table. Mary Kathleen, a recent recruit from the old country and the love of Kierans brother Declans life, had been working the floor. Shed waited on the table, but shed left at three. Which meant Kieran had no choice except to take over.
The other two at Jimmys table were men Kieran had seen in the pub before but didnt really know. One was dark and one was pale. They were friendly, polite and dressed in handsome business suits, like many of the pubs clientele, who walked down from the Wall Street banks and firms where they worked.
They all looked richer than Gary Benton, that was for sure. Maybe he was trying to learn how to join their ranks.
Making a point of not looking toward the table, Kieran finished the last of her cleaning and the setup for happy hour while listening to Julie. Now that part wasnt easy, and not only because Julie and Gary were in the middle of the sad dissolution of their marriage.
Gary had wanted the divorce. Kieran knew things sometimes just fell apart. It was always difficult and distressing, but in this case, Garys treatment of Julie had seemed deliberately cruel.
Julie needed her friends, and Kieran felt she had to be there for her.
Dont look over at Gary. Just listen to Julie, she told herself. Yes, listen to Julie and be a good friend.
And clean up the pub without pouring something over Garys head. She might not care if Gary ever came back, but she didnt want to drive Jimmy and the others away. Finnegans wasnt her full-time job, but it was her familys business and important to them all, herself and her three brothers.
Finnegans was a true Irish-American pub. Her grandfather had bought it from a cousin when hed come to the United States after the Second World War. It had actually been owned and operated by a Finnegan since shortly after the Civil War. Not only did they have a wonderful bar selection, with excellent beers on tap and high-end call brands, they also offered good pub-style food. People came to eat and drink, but they also came to socialize, to meet up with friends. Sometimes, during off-hours like this, that meant waiting around until the current Finnegan in charge of the placeher oldest brother, Declan, these daysor another family member or server came by.
Although it wasnt her real job anymore, she was always happy to help out at the pub. She had a career as a criminal psychologist now. But she hadnt been working with Doctors Fuller and Miro long enough to conduct an extended phone therapy session with Julie, even if she considered this crisis in her friends life as something that could lead to a serious mental health issue. Luckily, she had the day offDr. Miro was at a conference, and Dr. Fuller had taken a vacation day and ordered the staffKieran and the handsome young receptionist and assistant, Jake Johnstonto do the same thing.
I was calm, Kieran, I swear, Julie said. You need to understand that. Calmand clever.
That was good, Kieran thought. Calm. Since Gary had first started his hell-bent attempt to ruin their marriage, Julie had veered from wild rages to copious tears. Kieran couldnt blame her. Gary had gone out of his way to be hurtful. Hed brought his new girlfriend to their home, made love with her in his and Julies bed, and somehow the girlfriend had accidentally left her panties there. Hed emptied their joint bank accounts and, possibly cruelest of all, told Julie she no longer attracted him sexually. Morehe claimed he found her repulsive.
What did you do? Kieran pressed warily.
Well Julie giggled again youll be glad to hear I didnt somehow get hold of a gun and shoot him.
I am glad to hear that. So what did you do?
What he did was worse. I went to stay with my parents and left the house to him, Julie continued. He says he cant stand living with me, but apparently Im not supposed to leave, either. He called to tell me Id better get back to feed my damned dogs. He kept them in their crates, hadnt let them out at all! They were starving, Kieran, and covered in their own waste.
Kieran glanced over at the table where Gary was seated. Hed risen with the others now; they were on their way out, which was a relief. She wouldnt feel tempted to inflict bodily harm.
She watched him leave. He was a good-looking man, but Kieran had never been particularly fond of him. There was something...slimy about him, in her opinion. His quick, oh-so-charming smile usually meant he was planning something devious. He sold precious stones and jewelry at a high-end store in the Diamond District, and hed often told Julie he had to take some woman out for dinner or drinks because a big sale was in the offing.
Slime.
She and her brothers had tolerated him for one reason and one reason only. Because they loved Julie, their friend since childhood.
But hed left the dogs locked in their crates?
Thats horrible. You should call the police on him. Either that or move out. Ive told you to come and stay with
The dogs and I wont fit in your apartment, Julie said.
That was probably true; Kierans apartment on St. Marks Place was the size of a postage stamp. But she didnt care if she, Julie and the two dogs were all crammed in there. Animal abuse was never acceptable.
Wed make it work, Kieran told her. And if hes actually being that horrible, you need to get out of there. I really think you should call the police. There are laws against that kind of thing.
Oh, I dont want the police involved.
Kieran winced at that. She wasnt fond of police intervention herself, even though her new position would soon have her working with them often enough. While her oldest brother, Declan, had become a completely respectable citizen, her other brothersher twin, Kevin, and their baby brother, Daniel, who was a whole year youngerstill had friends involved with various street gangs. They were trying to go straight, but it was easy to fall back into their old ways. Shed had some bad times herself during her teenage years. Like Declan, however, shed known that things could spiral downward, so shed gone to college, majoring in criminology and specializing in criminal psychology. In a sense she was paying for her pastand making her past pay.
Theyd never done anything too terrible. Declan had made some deliveries for the McNamara clan, an Irish family that had challenged the Garcia gang. But after their fathers death, hed decided he was going to be the head of a family that would live and thrive and succeed in NYC. Kevin had hung out with the OMalley family, really just a loose connection of thugs. High-school stuff. Danny had actually joined the Wolves, another loose-knit group proudly based on the TV show Dexter, but without the murders. They stole from those who stole from others, sweeping up their cell phones and hacking their computers in turn. Hed come the closest to being in real trouble when a rival group had caught him and some hackers at the school library and started a massive brawl.
Kieran remembered a time when life had seemed good and normal, even though theyd lost their mother when they were young. Then their father had died almost ten years ago. Declan had been in college at the time, and hed felt the weight of responsibility for his siblings and to family tradition. Hed gone straighter than an arrow. Kieran, whod only gotten occasionally involved with computer hacking and a few minor thefts, quickly followed suit, graduating from high school with stellar grades. Declan had made clear to his younger brothers that he had zero tolerance for bad behavior, so theyd realized they had no one to bail them out of serious trouble and struggled to keep their noses clean. Theyd been doing that, as far as she knew. The problem with Kevin and Danny was that they both believed in justicetheir version of iteven when the law didnt.
Kieran, are you there?
Yes, yes, and I want to hear the end of the story.
Julie laughed softly. Its good. I promise you, its good.