Chapter 42
Louhi
I drag in a shaky breath as I move toward my seat, but Sean’s hand darts out and catches my wrist. I don’t resist when he tugs me toward him and fall into his lap. Right now, it feels like the only safe place to be.
The dining room is quiet as we wait for Viktor to return. My knuckles are bone white where they grip the stem of my glass. I take a long drink of my wine like it’s a curing elixir.
When Vik returns, his face is carefully blank as he reclines in his chair like he’s the king of the bloody castle.
There’s a beat of silence, then Viktor says, “I hate to admit that there might be something to all of this. Lately, Conall’s behavior has been…odd. I’d figured he was catching heat from someone. I never thought he might’ve been the source of that heat.”
I take another swig of my wine. I can hardly taste the deliciously bold notes of blackcurrant and plum that usually ignite my tastebuds.
“What are you planning to do with all the information on your string board?” Sean asks.
Viktor frowns. “String board?”
Mercer sighs and pushes to his feet. Abandoning our drinks, we all follow him to his bedroom. My eyes go round as I take in the full scope of the investigation that’s unfolded on the wall.
Conall’s name is in the center, the origin for every string and arrow. My jaw ticks and I step forward, moving around the mattress on the floor when I spot my name. There’s a goddamn question mark next to Viktor’s name on the opposite side, and my friend’s lip curls next to me.
“I do a lot of atrocious things, but I’ve never sold a human being. I make plenty of money without that,” Viktor asserts, not bothering to conceal his contempt. His fingers curl into a fist at his side and we’re mere seconds from him pulling out his .44 Magnum.
“I know that,” Mercer replies, and while Vik’s jaw flexes, it’s enough to diffuse the situation.
Sean steps up to my other side, the back of his hand brushing mine. “Have you already handed over this stuff?”
“I’ve given all this intelligence to The Shadows, and everything I have here is from memory, but…” His voice fades into the ether.
My stomach bottoms out, and I close my eyes. It doesn’t take a crystal ball to know what’s coming.
“But you want to take him out on your own,” Viktor surmises, slipping his hands into the pockets of his suit pants.
He’s got Conall’s various flats, estates, and a list of ports he uses regularly all mapped out on the wall. By the looks of it, he’s been thinking about this for a significant amount of time.
“Conall deserves worse than whatever they plan to do to him,” my brother states confidently, his chin raised.
“What’s your plan?” Jace inquires.
Even before Mercer speaks, I can tell that I’m not going to like this. “I want to cut off the head of the snake myself.”
Fuck me with a broken bottle. I was afraid he’d say that. Well, I can’t let him do that alone, especially now that I know what Conall is wrapped up in.
“I’ll help you,” I offer. Sean flinches at my side like I’ve just raised my hand to strike him, his face visibly paling.
“Lou—”
I hold up a hand, silencing Digs, even as my own stomach clenches. He exchanges a pointed look with Jace, but I ignore them and address Mercer. “What’s your plan?”
“I want to take him out with a sniper,” my brother says. “That’s really the only viable option. There’s always blowing up his home, but that would require a lot of explosives.”
“This is reckless. Louhi, you and I both know what kind of security plan Conall has.” Viktor’s lips are set in a firm line. “His team will kill you before you can even get in position. McQuaid’s always been paranoid. That’s why his loft has bullet-proof glass in every windowpane.”
“That gives us an advantage, though. We have insider knowledge,” I insist.
“At best, this is a terrible idea. At worst, this is a suicide mission,” Vik stresses, clearly exasperated. “If Mercer wants to be an idiot, fine, but he has no business dragging you into that.”
My molars grind hard enough that I might need a calcium injection by the time this conversation is over.
“This Conall guy isn’t worth dying over,” Jace pipes up, and my eyes narrow.
“Don’t be impulsive, Louhi.” Viktor pinches the bridge of his nose. “You’ve always been blind to reason where your brother is concerned.”
Is that true? Maybe. Does it matter? No. My brother and I would do anything for each other.
Mercer’s gaze shifts to the wall again, then back to me, just before I begin to lay into my friend. “They’re right, Lou. This is between me and Conall now. You shouldn’t be involved. I couldn’t stand it if something else happened to you.”
My chest constricts, and I open my mouth to argue, just as Sean snakes an arm around my waist. He dips his head and whispers into my ear, so softly that I’m confident no one else can hear him. “I can’t build a life with a dead woman. Please, let your brother do this alone. I’m begging you, baby.”
His words hit me in the heart like they were fired from Cupid’s bow. I twist in his grasp and peer into his silvery blue gaze. For the first time in my life, I want to settle in one place with one person.
Why shouldn’t I have the happy ending that’s within my grasp? We deserve that, don’t we? Sean and I have been through so much in such a short time. We should be allowed the time together to explore our relationship without the threat of death looming over us.
The corners of my mouth lift as I drape my forearms over his shoulders and press onto my toes. Uncaring of our audience, I brush a kiss to his lips.
My shoulders sag, and I blow out a breath as I turn to face Mercer again. “I can help with reconnaissance and lend you whatever you need.”
Nodding, my brother edges closer to me. “Lou, I need you to promise that you’ll stay out of this. If something happens to me—”
“Nothing is going to happen to you.” My stomach braids itself into a cold, tight knot, and I shake my head, my shoulders set in defiance.
“If something happens to me,” he repeats, “do not seek revenge on my behalf.”
I blink at my brother and shake my head sternly. “I can’t promise that.” He’s lost the plot if he thinks I’ll agree to that.
“Yes, you can. Promise me, Lou…please.”
My brother has never begged me for anything. Ever. Not even when he asked me to go to prison for him. This means something to him. The weight of that word pierces my armor, and I fold like a house of cards.
“I promise,” I vow, even though it physically hurts to form those two words.
Next, Mercer whips his attention to Sean with a hard glint in his eye. “You, too. No vengeance on Lou’s behalf. There’s no loophole for this.”
I clench my teeth so my jaw doesn’t drop. It’s infuriating that my brother knows me so well, but not enough for me to get too miffed. Sean nods without hesitation.
“When are you going through with this, Mercer?” Jace inquires. “Because you still look like you got hit by a Humvee…no offense.” Valid point.
“Two weeks. According to his schedule over the last several months—at least before I got thrown in prison—he’s always home the first week of the month. Could I get access to your weapons?”
“Of course.” I nod. He’ll be fine. He can handle this…right? I swallow my anxiety and direct my next question to Viktor. “Are you staying?”
He glances at his watch. I don’t need to see the time to know it’s late. He scans the wall again, and if I had to guess, he’s considering the myriad of ways Mercer’s plans might implicate the Bratva.
He doesn’t comment on that. “Sure, but only tonight. Sasha will go into cardiac arrest if I’m here longer than that.”
“Since when can Sasha not handle things on his own?” I ask, leaning against a solid wall of muscle.
Viktor snorts. “Oh, the business isn’t the issue.
It’s that single-parenting Kazi is a struggle for him.
Things have been…difficult for Kazi. The lights are on all the time, and he’s picking at his food like a fucking bird.
Sasha and I started trading off, sleeping in the chair in his bedroom, but watching him pace all night has been wearing on all of us. ”
Sean stiffens as his fingers flex against my hip instinctively. I know he’s wrestling with his guilt, but we’re all carrying baggage from that island.
Vik must sense Sean’s discomfort because he states easily, “Kaz will be alright with some time.”
I smile at him gratefully.
There’s a dull ache behind my ribcage when I realize that he’s really my only friend now.
“What caliber are you thinking of using?” Honey Eyes asks my brother, and as I listen to them interact, it hits me that I suppose Viktor isn’t my only friend. The glimmer of hope is nearly enough to eclipse the concern I have for my brother.