Chapter 37 Asha
ASHA
Sitting at my computer, I heard voices in the living room. One was Finn’s. The other, feminine and confident, floated closer with the staccato rhythm of heels on marble.
A statuesque woman appeared in the doorway. She wore a strapless red maxi dress that clung to her curves, and had a spiked black clutch tucked under her arm. Long dark waves, scarlet lips, stunning blue eyes. Colorful tattoos adorned her décolletage and toned arms.
“Hi.” She smiled warmly and waved with a wiggle of her fingers. “You must be Asha. I’m Orla. Rook’s cousin.”
I guessed Rook’s family was finally coming to check out his surprise bride.
She crossed the room and extended her hand. I shook it, momentarily distracted by the melodic Irish lilt in her voice. It was softer than Rook’s but just as distinctive and disarming.
“Nice to meet you,” I said.
Orla winced. “Is it? You have every right to hate our family.”
“So you know why I’m here?”
“Aye. Aidan, Tor, and I are the only ones. For what it’s worth, I’m really sorry about all of this.”
I leaned back in the chair and propped my elbows on the armrests. “I appreciate you saying that.” I doubted I’d ever get an apology from Rook.
Orla folded her arms. “Aidan told me about the shotgun wedding, but he never mentioned how pretty you are.”
“Thanks. So are you. And there was no shotgun involved. Just Xanax.”
“Christ almighty.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “These men are something else.”
“Tell me about it.”
Her gaze dropped to my left hand. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. That’s the biggest bloody protection ring I’ve ever seen.”
She reached for my hand when I held it out.
“You mean my ball and chain?”
Orla chuckled and released me. “Just so you know, they usually look like this.”
She showed me hers. It was a gorgeous ring, but the stone was half the size of mine. Since it was on her right hand, I figured she wore it because she was family, not because she’d married a Beast.
“This might be a strange question,” I said. “Is yours…stuck?”
She blinked. “No. Why?”
I shook my head. “Never mind.”
I already knew the reason mine was different: My husband was an asshole.
“I’d leave it on if I were you. That boulder sends a clear message.”
“Yeah. That Rook thinks he owns me.”
“Be sure to correct him on that.” She paused, eyes narrowing on the ring again. “I’ve only ever seen a stone that size once before. Conor, the boss in Ireland, had one made for his wife. Except hers wasn’t called a protection ring. It was a war ring.”
“A war ring?” Sounded ominous.
“Aye. If another gang harms Erin, the Beasts won’t just retaliate. They’ll go to war until every one of the enemy is destroyed. Nothing but a row of tombstones.”
“Has that ever happened?”
“Once. The Hounds of Ulster planted a bomb in Erin’s car. It didn’t go off—shite wiring job—but Conor still had them wiped out. Even had their Wikipedia page scrubbed like they’d never existed. He’s quite the vindictive bastard when it comes to his wife.”
“So you’re telling me this knuckle-duster could trigger a Mafia apocalypse?” The weight on my finger suddenly felt heavier.
“Only if someone’s stupid enough to fuck around and find out.” She folded her arms. “Speaking of vindictive bastards, how’s my cousin treating you?”
I exhaled. “Well enough, I suppose. Rook might be the most frustrating person I’ve ever met.”
“Frustrating.” She arched a perfectly shaped brow. “That’s an interesting choice of words. Most people go with terrifying.”
“Trust me, I’ve got a whole thesaurus of unflattering adjectives, but I’m not scared of Rook.”
She studied me, a flicker of approval in her expression. “He thinks highly of you.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Finding out who had Niall murdered is the most important thing in his world right now, and he’s trusting you with it.
” She moistened her red lips. “I know you don’t want to be here, and Rook’s methods are…
unconventional. But Niall never earned the ending he was given.
He was smart, kind, and too merciful for his own good.
Not a brute like the rest of them. He was like a brother to Aidan and me.
And knowing his death hasn’t been avenged, it’s digging up ghosts we thought we’d put to rest.”
Orla drifted toward my bookshelf. She ran a finger along the spines of each book until she found my battered copy of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark and pulled it free to read the blurb.
“Rook and Niall were born in the same year. Did you know that?” she asked.
“Irish twins?”
“Aye.” She smiled faintly and returned the book to its home. “But we don’t call them that in Ireland. They grew up close. Joined at the hip. Did Rook tell you about his family?”
“I know he’s the only one left. We’ve only spoken about Niall, though.”
Orla sucked air through her teeth. “He won’t share this with you, but it’s important you know.
When Rook was twelve, his da died in a car wreck on his way to watch Rook play in a football final.
Three years later, when Rook was fifteen, he and Niall snuck out to the cinema.
They were supposed to be watching their little sisters.
With their da gone, my Aunt Diedre worked nights to make ends meet.
There was a fire at the house. Molly and Maeve never made it out. ”
Her words hit like a gut punch. I pictured Rook at fifteen, lanky and wild, sneaking out the way kids did, only to come home to smoke, sirens, and the knowledge that his sisters were gone because he hadn’t been there. My heart ached for him.
Orla drew in a deep breath, but she didn’t stop.
“After that, Aunt Diedre was never the same. She’d lost her husband, her wee girls.
All she had left were the boys. She tried to hold on, but grief’s a cruel bastard.
She turned to the bottle and pain pills.
By the time Rook was seventeen, she was gone, too. ”
The room blurred for a moment as I blinked back the sting behind my eyes. Rook and Niall, two boys with no one left in the world but each other. And now, only Rook remained.
“That’s awful.” I shook my head. “He blames himself, doesn’t he?”
“Aye. Are you starting to understand him a little better?”
I nodded.
“Niall’s murder was the final straw. It changed Rook. Hardened him. Like whatever good he had left died with his brother.”
For the first time, I didn’t just see Rook as the man who’d taken my freedom. I saw the boy who’d buried his whole family and didn’t know how to grieve without burning the world down.
“That doesn’t justify what he’s done to you,” Orla added. “But if I’m being honest, this is the gentlest I’ve seen him handle anything. No threats. No casualties.”
I flashed her a fake smile. “Good to know he doesn’t screw everyone he manipulates.”
Orla blinked. “You’re sleeping with him?”
Crap. I assumed Rook had told her about our hookup.
“It was just one night,” I blurted. “And it happened before I knew who he was and what he planned to do with me.”
She tapped a finger against her lips. “Interesting.”
“How so?”
“Because I’m almost certain Rook hasn’t touched another woman since Niall passed. Plenty have tried to get his attention, but he’s shown no interest. Until you.”
I tried not to dissect that information, but if my one-night stand with Rook wasn’t just meaningless sex for him, what did that mean?
Orla glanced at her diamond-encrusted watch. “We should get going.”
“Where?”
“Shopping. Didn’t Rook tell you? He asked me to help you find a dress for the grand opening of Torin’s new hotel.”
“Wait. The Lynch Ambassador?”
“Aye. It’ll be a formal evening event at the rooftop bar.”
Where I’d have to act the dutiful Mob wife and pretend Rook and I were in love? I’d rather stay home and press thumbtacks into my eyeballs.
“I think I’ll skip the party.” I gestured to my laptop. “Lots of work to do.”
Orla made a tight-lipped smile. “Your attendance isn’t optional. Torin would like to meet you.”
My stomach dipped. The head of the Philly Irish Mob wanted to meet me? If I hadn’t been anxious about attending before, I was now. “Wonderful,” I muttered.
“I just have one question,” Orla said, mischief lighting her expression. “What’s the credit limit on the card Rook gave you?”
I grabbed my purse. “Only one way to find out.”
Because if I was going to be dragged to a Mob gala, I might as well look good.
And what kind of Mob wife would I be if I didn’t give that black Amex a workout?