Chapter 30
OCTOBER 04 – SATURDAY 8:22 PM
N ash
My father’s office was the last place I wanted to be today. Myles and I had been summoned, and neither of us had any clue as to why. It was tempting to tell him to go fuck himself, but that would be playing my next move too soon. I still had to attend his stupid cult meetings, and if this was about an issue with the business, then I needed to know, even if I hated the fact.
“Do ya have any idea what this is about,” Myles asked as he walked in.
“No clue. Have you heard from Liam,” I asked, pouring a glass of water from the bar in the corner.
“Naw, but Theo said he wouldn’t call unless there was a problem,” he said, sitting down in one of the leather chairs.
Leaning against the bar, I knew I shouldn’t ask, but the urge was just too strong.
“And you’re really okay with Princess being alone with Liam in the woods doing whatever?”
Myles leaned over the coffee table and picked up the marble pawn off the chess board and twirled it in his fingers.
“Sure. I already told her that I don’t care if she wants all of us. Just no one outside of the Kings.”
I laughed. “Me included?”
The little piece paused, caught between two fingers, as he looked up at me.
“Of course, as long as yer not thinkin’ of cuttin’ us out. Then we’ll have a problem ‘cause Ren’s mine.”
I chugged my water and set it down, never more thankful to hear my father stomping down the hallway, putting an end to the conversation. Lawrence walked in, swearing under his breath, and slammed a folder down on his desk.
“We have a problem,” my father said. Myles and I looked at one another.
“Meaning?”
Lawrence sat down, opened his bottom drawer, and pulled out whiskey. He poured himself a full glass and left the open bottle on his desk. By midnight, he would be drunk, and anyone near him would be screaming and sorry they’d come across him.
“Meaning…Owen is causing issues.” He hit Myles with a hard glare. “Your father has gone rogue.”
Myles stood. “What are ya sayin’?”
“He isn’t taking Devin’s capture well, so I’ve been keeping him extra busy. Giving him more responsibility, but he’s been unorganized, distracted, and erratic. That I can handle, but he just slaughtered the entire Kilroy family at the business meeting I set up.”
“What the fuck,” I growled, my hands balling. “They are one of our biggest supporters back home.”
“Don’t you think I fucking know that?” My father loosened his tie and gulped down a mouthful of whiskey. “Everything is in chaos. Rumblings have already started that I set this in motion. That I’m trying to take over and families are turning against us. I need you to stop this, Myles.”
“Me? What the fuck do ya think I can do?”
My father stood and stomped around the desk. “He’ll reach out to you. I know you don’t care, but you are his son and heir.”
Myles laughed. “Ya must be jokin’.” Lawrence glared at him. “Did ya see what he did to me last year?” Lawrence’s jaw twitched, and I knew that he did. Fuck I would place bets that it was my father who put the idea in Owen’s head. “Or what he’s done to me my whole life? He din’t see me as his son, and I’m the last person he’d call for help or anything else.”
“Call it a hunch. But I know he’s going to reach out, Myles, and I want you to take the call.”
“And say what?”
“Whatever you can to lure him back here, and then you’re going to kill him.”
I laughed, and Lawrence looked at me.
“You think this is funny?”
“Yeah, I really fucking do. How many times did I tell you that your attack dog was insane and that he or Devin would turn on you?” I touched my jaw where he’d hit me for saying that to him. “Remember how you answered me? Now the chain has broken, and you want us to put your dog down.” I chuckled. “Fuck you. You have men and contacts all over the world. Clean up your own mess.”
I marched for the door.
“Nash, this affects everything. All our families. Ethan, Ella, Emmett, Bridget, Lip, Nora, all of you. If we don’t work together to stop Owen from doing more damage, they will come for all of us.”
He was right, and worse than that, this would get back to Mr. Genovese. Instability with the families in Ireland would make our alliance rocky.
“Fuck,” I growled, pointing at him. “Fine, we’ll help. But you own it right now.”
“Own what?”
“Admit that this is your fault.”
He ground his teeth, but he couldn’t intimidate me anymore. Lawrence was many things, but stupid wasn’t one of them. He needed us, but he wasn’t getting any cooperation until he ate crow.
“This isn’t the time for a power struggle, son,” he said.
I shook my head, following him to his desk. When he sat down, I pressed the tips of my fingers into the polished wood. It would drive him crazy that I was not only touching his desk but that I’d smudge the perfect shine.
“This isn’t about power. No one other than Myles will know. You want our help, fine. We’ll clean up your shit, but you’re giving me this first. Admit right now that I warned you this would happen and that Devin is a traitor. You refused to believe it and punched me. You were wrong, and I was right.”
He sat back in his chair and chugged the rest of his drink.
As if on cue, Myles’s phone rang. “Shite, it’s him.”
“Answer it, Myles,” Lawrence ordered.
“No, don’t,” I said.
Myles didn’t move, making my father scowl.
“Now or never, Father. Say the words.”
He snarled at me, his eyes snapping with rage that, at one point, would’ve terrified me.
“Fine, you were right about Owen and Devin, and I should’ve listened to you. I’m sorry I hit you. There? Happy?”
Nodding, I looked over my shoulder at Myles. “Answer it.”
Myles hit talk and then put it on speaker.
“Hey, Da. I didn’t get back to ya ‘cause school’s been busy.”
“Din’t trust ‘em.”
“Who?” Myles looked at me.
“Lawrence, he’s a lyin’ prick.”
Myles laughed. “You just figuring that out? I could’ve told ya that fecking ages ago.”
My father’s eyebrows raised.
“Listen to me, son. I know ya won’t believe me, but we need to stick together.”
“Da, what the hell is going on?’
“He’s a liar! He’s gonna take it all. He’s after it all,” Owen ranted like the lunatic he was.
“Da, I don’t know what yer talkin’ about. But yer my da. What do ya need?”
Lawrence gave him a thumbs up, and I wanted to roll my eyes at him—like Myles needed his approval.
“He knows who she is. He’s made deals, Myles, deals to steal all our power.”
I looked at my father and cocked my head. Owen was talking about Ren, but did that mean my father knew she was a Mikhailov all along? If so, what was his endgame? No, scratch that. I knew his endgame.
“Shite, I need to go.” Sirens wailed in the background, and we could hear Owen running. “I’m gonna fix this for us, son. I’m gonna fix it all.”
“No, Da. Da. Fuck, he hung up.”
“You did good, Myles. He wants to believe you. If he thinks he still has you on his side, he’ll call back again. Get him to tell you a place to meet and take care of this. If you do that, then I’ll support you taking over for your father. I’ll make sure the other families know you stopped the threat.”
Myles nodded. “Do ya know what he meant? What “she” is he talking about?”
Lawrence shook his head. “No, I have no idea. Your father is delusional. I don’t know what he’s thinking about anything right now.”
I looked at Myles. “Can you wait for me outside? I need to talk to my father for a minute.”
Myles walked out and closed the door. I wheeled on Lawrence, but he held up his hand like he was trying to dismiss me.
“I don’t want to hear whatever it is you’re going to say. You already humiliated me tonight.”
“You humiliated yourself,” I growled back.
“How dare you.”
“You want to go, old man? I’ll take you right now.” He didn’t move. “Didn’t think so. Who was he talking about? And don’t give me the bullshit you just gave Myles. I know you better than he does. You were lying, and I want to know what the fuck is really going on before I lift a finger.”
He sighed and took forever to answer, but I wasn’t budging.
“When Owen started to show signs of cracking, I pulled strings to have his assets rolled into Collier Enterprises. His homes, cars, and bank accounts were all seized, but I didn’t let him know. I still allowed him full access, so he was none the wiser.”
“Well, obviously, he found out somehow.”
“Obviously.”
“And the “she” he was referring to?”
He placed his hands on the desk, tapping his fingers. “I’m going to level with you, son. I never planned on marrying Vicky.”
He opened a drawer and pulled out a folder, then tossed it on the desk. Picking it up, I opened the file and stared at the marriage contract. I lifted my eyes to his.
“Ren? You plan on marrying Ren? She’s a nobody. Why would you want to do that?” I knew exactly why, but I needed him to think I didn’t have a clue.
He stood and grabbed his glass and the bottle.
“She’s not a Davies. She is a Mikhailov, but the family ties between her dead mother and the family are…tense.”
I shook my head and slammed the folder down.
“This is why you’re keeping Neil locked up downstairs. You needed him to sign this.”
“Yes. He has signing authority for her now and he was being difficult. Fucking unloyal if you ask me after all I’ve done.”
“How long have you known about this?” I turned, following his movements. I didn’t trust him as far as I could throw him. But he walked over to the couch and sat down.
“Does it matter?”
“It all matters.”
“Always so difficult, Nash. I’ve known for a few years. I’ve been biding my time. First, I tried negotiating with her mother…but the fucking woman wouldn’t hear of it. She flat-out refused to talk to me and said that she wanted her daughter to make her own choices. Stupid, bitch.”
Fuck, I didn’t know if I wanted the answer, but I had to ask.
“Did you have Ren’s mother killed?”
He chuckled. “Do you think I’d need useless Neil if I had? No, the woman was dying of cancer. It was killing her for me. Why interfere with natural selection?”
“You bastard. Ren loved her mother,” I said, and he narrowed his eyes at me. I crossed my arms and shook my head before I overplayed my hand. “Your crassness never ceases to amaze me.”
“Yeah, well, one day when you take control of all of this…and you will, despite what you say to me. You know you still want it. Sometimes not giving a fuck is necessary, and some people are worth more than others. It’s that simple.”
“So, are you planning on keeping her father locked up forever?”
He snorted and poured himself another glass.
“No. I have a feeling Ms. Mikhailov won’t agree to the marriage, not that I have an issue with tying her up and fucking her, but she’s smart.”
I swallowed hard and forced my body not to give anything away as I pictured pulling out my knife and slitting his throat.
“Neil is simply my leverage. I don’t believe his loving daughter, no matter how angry she is, will be able to stomach what I’ll do to him if she doesn’t spread her legs like a good girl and give me the child I want.”
He smirked.
“Keep judging me all you want. This is a good move, and now you can have your girlfriend back. She’s not a bad lay.”
Turning, I stomped to the door and whipped it open.
“Oh, and Nash….” I stopped moving but didn’t dare turn around to face him. “I trust you won’t tell anyone else who she is.”
I left and couldn’t get out of the house fast enough.
Myles was leaning against his car, waiting for me.
“What did he say?”
“He knows who Ren is,” I said, and Myles’s face paled.
“What’s he going to do?”
I shook my head. “Nothing good.”
He glanced up at the office window and then locked eyes with me.
“Then we’ll have ta stop ‘em.” Myles held out his hand, and I opened mine. He dropped the black marble pawn into my palm. “Never underestimate the power of a pawn.”