Saving a Legend(65)

“It’s good. I might be promoted soon.” Jimmy tilted his chin up, clearly proud of being a police officer.

“That mean you’ll be around even less?” Kane asked. “Because over the last few years it seems like we’ve seen more of Kieran than of you.”

Jimmy shrugged as he snatched a piece of bacon from inside the sandwich half still on Rory’s plate. “I’m not that bad.”

“What the fuck, assholes? Get your own food.” Rory scooped up what was left of his meal and held it protectively. All of the brothers laughed.

“Why didn’t you order enough sandwiches for everyone, then?” Kieran asked, picking up a deli menu that was always on hand there and scanning it.

“Because you all can wipe your own asses, and you can go get your own damn sandwiches.” Rory walked off toward the office, the rest of his lunch in hand and Ace on his heels.

“Want to go a round, Jimmy?” Kieran asked, nodding toward the main gym. He was itching to get a good sweat in and work off some of his frustration.

“Fuck, yeah, let’s do it,” Jimmy agreed, and they headed back, leaving Quinn and Kane talking at the front desk. The men wrapped their hands, coating them with a bit of chalk for grip before climbing into one of the available smaller octagons to one side of the large main floor.

Jimmy held his own for the first five minutes or so as they maneuvered around each other, grappling and jabbing. He was fast and pulled out of holds well, but he didn’t have the same power behind his strikes that Kieran had, which kept Kieran from going full throttle against him. Jimmy was tall and lean, with some muscle on his arms and upper body, but nothing compared to Kieran’s wide frame and bulging arms.



“You’re holding back.” Jimmy panted, leaning on the side of the ring as they took a break and both gulped down some water.

“I want you to live.” Kieran stretched his arms across his body, loosening the tight muscles in his shoulders.

“Gee, thanks.” Jimmy choked down a few more gulps of water. “I can take you.”

Kieran cocked his head to the side, looking at his brother with one brow raised. “Kid, we’ve been going ten minutes and you already look like you’re about to have a heart attack.”

Jimmy wiped the beaded sweat from his forehead. “I’m just going easy on you.”

Kieran laughed, knowing Jimmy was full of shit.

Jimmy straightened up and changed gears. “So Ma told me to talk to you about your new girl, and how she doesn’t know you did a bid upstate.”

“Are you serious?” Kieran scoffed, caught off guard, but not entirely surprised. Nothing stayed quiet in the Kavanagh family long. “I’d rather spar.”

The men both dropped their water bottles and returned to the center of the ring. Jimmy moved first, catching Kieran in his arm with a solid punch. “Listen, man, I don’t need to know your whole dating life. I just need Ma off my back. So tell your girl about it.”



“I can’t yet,” Kieran said, as he got around Jimmy and locked his arms around his neck. His brother tried to pull his arms off, but he held tight. “I don’t really know what we are, and that’s not a conversation I want to have until I do.”

He’d told Fi they were dating, and he’d introduced her to the family as his. Hell, in his mind, she was. But there was still something between them, some invisible wall he couldn’t find his way over.

Jimmy slammed his elbow backward, hitting Kieran right in the ribs and causing him to let go and double over as he tried to catch his breath. “Are you guys just banging or in a relationship?”

“Don’t talk like that about her,” Kieran warned as he recovered and swept Jimmy’s leg out from under him, bringing him down to the mat.

Coughing and banging on the mat, Jimmy tapped out. “Fuck, okay. Get off me.”

Kieran gave him a hand as they both stood up and took another water break.

Jimmy wiped his face with a towel. “So if you two are having something more serious, why not tell her about prison?”

“I don’t know how serious she is about the whole relationship thing.” Kieran took another gulp of water. “She’s a bit hesitant.”

Jimmy eyed him like he had two heads, then threw up his arms. “So you’re saying she’s keeping you at a distance and so you’re doing the same thing to her? You don’t see a connection between those two?”

Kieran cocked his head back. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Women sense shit, dumb ass. You ever think maybe she’s holding back because she knows you’re not being straight up with her? Seems obvious to anyone with a brain.” Jimmy shook his head. “But maybe they pounded that out of you in the slammer.”