Cathal
My time at home with Bronagh was coming to an end.
We’d sat together the morning after her work dinner and discussed our boundaries.
We argued, but eventually we reached a compromise we thought we could live with.
But we agreed it was always negotiable. I was slowly learning how to be with someone.
It would take time and work, but as long as Bronagh agreed to stay with me, I’d do it.
However, one other thing remained unrevealed. And I knew I had to broach the subject of what I did for the family soon. She’d asked last week, but I found a way to distract her.
I wasn’t sure why I was so hesitant to tell her. Hell, it wasn’t hesitancy. It was fear. How would she handle me running a kink club? And when I told her, she would have questions about whether I ever played there. Which would lead to questions about what I was into.
Our sex life had been hot and deeply satisfying. And that was with us having what people considered normal sex. I hated that word. Who was to say what was normal? As long as it was between consenting adults and legal, then it was normal in my book.
I’d pushed out my return to Wicked another week, but that was with me working from home during the day while she was busy with her work. However, that extension was up, and I needed to go to Wicked, and it couldn’t be during the day when no one was there.
Jaleel, my right-hand man and the manager, did a wonderful job, but even he sometimes needed me.
Plus, I couldn’t sit on my ass doing nothing all day while everyone else in the family worked.
Not only would I never hear the end of it, but I wasn’t wired that way.
All of us had been raised to work, not live off our money like pashas.
I’d been lucky to hire Jaleel and to have Aidan hire his cousin, Faraz, who managed Sirens for him.
They were hard workers, and the other family members we employed were the same.
We preferred it when we could employ several people in the same family.
Most of the time, those individuals understood loyalty and stayed for years.
It was after midnight. Bronagh was asleep in our bed.
I didn’t want to wake her with my pacing, nor have her find me pacing another part of the house, so I was outside.
I thought of going down to the CC, but I didn’t want to interrupt anyone who may be there.
We seemed to find ourselves hanging out sometimes when we had nothing else to do.
If any of my family saw me, they’d know I was concerned. I wasn’t up for their questions.
So here I was, on the octagon-shaped covered lanai in the back of the house, sitting.
The night was cool but not cold. In the distance, I saw the lights coming from where the single bodyguards lived, the ones who chose to live on the compound with us.
They had their own rooms and such, but shared a communal kitchen and living area.
Those who were married had their own homes and came here while on duty.
The family had talked about the land behind us. If it came up for sale, we wanted to buy it and then build houses for those who worked here so they could choose to live there, close in case anything happened. And they would have no commute. Maybe one day the old man who owned it would sell.
“What’re you doing out here in the dark?” Fallon asked, causing me to jump.
“What’re you doing slinking around in the dark? Shouldn’t you be home in bed or out having fun?” I asked.
Fallon’s house sat in front of mine, though there was a ton of space between houses. To one side was Alistair and Aisling’s house. My cousin made his way to me and dropped into the chair next to me.
“I couldn’t sleep, so I took a walk. As for partying, that shit is boring. I’d rather stay home,” Fallon said.
“Damn, you make yourself sound old,” I told him. He was fourteen months younger than me.
“Sometimes, I feel ancient. What’s got you unable to sleep? Did you and Bronagh get into a fight again?”
The family knew of the dinner meeting. It had come up when we were all together.
There had been plenty of debate on what we should’ve done or not done.
In the end, though, we agreed both sides needed to compromise.
However, the ladies in the family sided more heavily with Bronagh and told her that if she ever needed help knocking sense into me, to let them know.
My sister had flashed her wicked smile when she said it.
I told Alistair to control his woman, which caused him to laugh, then leer.
Aisling had smirked. I told them to stop before I was sick.
Our antics had made Bronagh laugh. Later, when we were alone, she told me she’d never had that kind of family experience, and she adored it.
“No, we haven’t had another fight,” I replied.
“Then what’s on your mind, Cathal. You should be in the house, in bed with her. Not out here in the chilly night. You’re pensive. Talk to me. Or do I have to go get Darragh?”
He knew the threat of my cousin was one I wouldn’t want. Darragh would insist on making everything okay after he got the truth out of me.
“There’s no need to get Dar. Man, that’s overkill,” I grumbled.
“Keep talking. Tell me what’s wrong,” Fallon insisted.
“I need to go back to work. I’ve been away for three weeks. Sure, I’ve worked remotely, but I need to be on-site. And…I haven’t told Bronagh what I do for the family.” I rushed with the last part.
“And she hasn’t asked?” His tone was incredulous.
“No, she did, but I kind of diverted her,” I confessed.
“Diabhal, Goddamn, Cathal, you keep digging holes for yourself. You keep that up, and one day, you’ll end up buried in one of them. What have you been waiting for?” he asked.
“To have a tight enough hold on her that she won’t run when she finds out that I not only run sex clubs, but I’m a damn patron of them!
I have played in Wicked Desires plenty of times, and the fact that we have them in the family is because I was the one to suggest them.
I’m the one who needs kink in my life!” I whisper-shouted to him.
Fallon was about to respond, but a gasp stopped him. Both of us whipped around to face the darkened entry to the house. Bronagh’s nightgown was light colored, and it glowed in the darkness. I couldn’t see her face, but I sure saw her turn and practically run back inside.
“Foc!” I shouted, coming to my feet.
“Go!” Fallon urged, standing himself. I heard the concern in that one word.
I ran to the door. I couldn’t fucking believe I’d messed up yet again. Chríost, I had to explain. But would she hear me out?
“Bronagh! Wait!” I yelled.
I raced through the family room and the kitchen, then past the other rooms that led to our half of the first floor.
The bedroom door was open when I turned into the short hallway that connected our bedroom to our bathroom.
I ran inside the bedroom. The bedside light was on, but the room was empty.
Whirling around, I ran back out. The bathroom door was closed, and a light was showing under it.
When I reached it, I found the door locked. I rattled it, even though I knew it wouldn’t do anything. I’d built this house to be secure. I pounded on it.
“Bronagh, open up! We need to talk.”
I paused and waited for her to respond. She didn’t, though I thought I heard her murmuring.
I pounded again, louder, and then shouted, “Bronagh, open the door!”
“Go away. Cathal. I don’t want to talk to you,” she called back.
“Leannán, I’m sorry. I should’ve told you. We need to talk about what you just heard. I was trying to figure out how to tell you,” I said, no longer shouting through the door, but I spoke loud enough she could hear me.
“Oh, you think you should’ve told me! Were you going to figure out how to tell me before the wedding or afterward?” she snapped.
I hesitated because a tiny part of me had thought to wait until afterward. If I did and she didn’t take it well, it would be harder for her to leave me. I’d fight a divorce with everything I had. Underhanded? Yes, but I would do almost anything to avoid losing her.
“Go away, Cathal. I’m not having this discussion with you. Go back to Fallon, stay with him. Or better yet, go to the main house and stay. If you won’t, I will.”
“We’re not going anywhere! You can’t hide from this. We have to talk it out.”
“Go to hell! The time to talk was way before this, like when I asked what you did in the family businesses. And I can do whatever I want,” she snapped.
A brisk knock faintly reached my ear. I strained to hear if I imagined it. I knew it wasn’t coming from the bathroom. There it was again. Not wanting to leave, but knowing I needed to see who it was, I responded.
“Come in!” I bellowed so I’d be heard. Had Fallon returned?
The door wasn’t locked, but even if it were, everyone in the family could access each other’s homes.
We had biometric locks on all of our houses.
The main system controlling them, which was down in CC, stored everyone’s retinal scans and fingerprints, and where they were permitted to enter.
When Cody worked on Bronagh’s laptop and phone encryption, he had her retinal scan and fingerprints taken by Daid in my home office, then Cody entered them into the system.
He was one of the few with remote access.
Cac, Shit, there was more I hadn’t shown her—the CC, the secret access to the tunnels, and where they came out. And there was the identity of who the Hounds of Justice were connected to. The latter was usually revealed only after someone was married into the family.
“Cathal, where are you?” Darragh’s voice rang through my house.
Why had Fallon called him? I felt as if the walls were closing in. I needed to deal with Bronagh first, then I’d confess to my cousin what a stupid asshole I was. I had to get rid of him.
“Dar, I’m back by the bedroom. But I don’t have time to talk right now. I’ll find you later. I need to talk with Bronagh first,” I said loudly.