11. Eoghan
Chapter eleven
Eoghan
G emma looks up at me, eyes wide and not at all excited.
“Eoghan, you have got to be kidding me. The last thing I want to do is go to your parents’ house for Sunday fucking brunch. I just found out my father is a sadistic killer, and my mother sold me out to him. And oh yeah, I have a brother I never knew about who wants our father dead. I don’t think I have enough time to get ready, wrap my head around the fucking hellscape my life has turned into and sit down to eat a roast with your family.”
“I get it, blondie. But I need to go over everything with my brother, and I’m not leaving you here alone. The sooner we talk to him and get Cillian to check out Nikolai’s story, the better.”
“You don’t believe him?” There’s a vulnerability in her eyes when she asks me that question.
She's had to fight on her own her entire life, but she has so much love to offer, even if she doesn’t see it. All anyone has to do is look at her relationship with Alessia and Giada to know she considers the two women sisters and would protect both of them with everything she has. Now, to find out she has an actual brother who essentially grew up in the same kind of heartless household has to be messing with her on some level. There’s sure to be some sense of camaraderie there, and that could be dangerous for her. She may pride herself on always being the one to solve her own problems, but now she has me, and I’ll be damned if I allow anyone to hurt her, blood or not.
“That’s not what I’m saying. But I’m also not about to blindly put my faith in a man who, up until twenty minutes ago, had a target on his back as far as our family was concerned.”
Gemma chews on her bottom lip, worry creasing her brows.
“What is it?” I ask.
“I’ve never wanted the details of this side of Alessia’s life—or yours, for that matter. Now, I’m finding myself smack-dab in the middle of a war. This is just a lot, Eoghan. Everything I knew, or at least was okay with not knowing, has blown up in my face.”
I have no idea how she feels, so I’m not going to pretend I do. She’s always been on the periphery of this life, and she’s right. She’s now front and center. I don’t blink an eye at this world of violence and revenge. Haven’t for a long time. I grew up knowing who my family is, though they’re nothing like the Petrovs, thank Christ. But Gemma never asked for any of it. She’s being thrown into the deep end with the sharks without knowing how to swim, and it twists me up inside, knowing she essentially has no choice in this.
“It’s not fair to you, I get that. But this isn’t going to touch you any more than it already has, Gemma. You aren’t used to being a part of this life, but I am. So are Alessia and Giada. Alessia is lucky to have the father she does, but Giada’s father is much more typical as far as the men in this life are concerned. They have no respect for women, daughters or not. But what Alessia and Giada do have in common is men who will lay down their lives for their women. Who will not only stand in front of them when danger comes but will stand beside them and support them. That’s not something Viktor Petrov knows the meaning of. You have a shit family, babe. There’s no two ways about that, but you have your friends who you consider family. It’s time to lean on them the same way you’ve always been there for them to lean on.”
“That’s a hell of a lot easier said than done.” She lets out a humorless laugh. “I know what family means to you and yours, Eoghan. And I just found out I’m part of one who yours hates. One who had something to do with almost kidnapping my best friend and nearly killed another friend.”
“Let me and Finn worry about Petrov. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t care who your father is, and I’m sure Finn and Alessia won’t either.”
“Alessia, sure. But your brother? I don’t know about that.”
“Just trust me, yeah? We’ll figure it out.”
She stares at me for a few moments, turning something over in her head, but she eventually nods in agreement. “Let’s get this over with.”
Gemma is nervous and quiet as we drive to my parents’ house. I’m not used to this side of her. She’s a ballbuster. A take-no-shit and handle business type of woman. This side isn’t one I’ve seen before. She needs to find her fight and hang on to it with everything she is. That’s how you survive in this world.
“You okay?” I ask, keeping one hand on the wheel and reaching over with my other to take hers.
She hums noncommittally but wraps her fingers with mine. Progress.
“So what’s the story when we get there?” she asks, finally turning her attention to me.
“What do you mean?”
“What’s our story? Why were you at my apartment?”
“Um, I’m your boyfriend and wanted to spend time with you? When I got there, Petrov was there, and you two told me what Viktor had planned.”
At least that’s what I told my mother when I called to let her know Gemma and I were coming over for brunch and to talk to Finn and Alessia. Well, the first part. I didn’t mention Petrov, just that I was bringing my girlfriend over.
“So we’re going public? You just asked me to be your girlfriend, and we’re announcing our relationship to the world?”
“I mean, I didn’t really ask. But that's what you are.”
Gemma rolls her eyes, and that brings a small smile to my lips. I fucking love her attitude.
“And it’s hardly the world. It’s my family.”
She huffs out a laugh. “I’m sure this is all a little more than you bargained for when you told me we were in a relationship now. Hell, it’s more than I bargained for when I opened my eyes yesterday.”
“I knew you were going to be a challenge the first time you walked away from me.”
“I think challenge is putting it mildly. How many times did I tell you to fuck off?”
I shrug my shoulders. “To-may-to, to-mah-to.”
“Have you always made it a habit to tell a girl you're in a relationship instead of asking like a proper gentleman?”
“Since I’ve never considered myself a gentleman, no. And since I’ve never been in a relationship before, also no. You would be the first. And look,” I say, nodding to our linked fingers. “It worked.”
She’s trying to contain that smile of hers that I love so much, but her blue eyes are dancing with delight.
“What made you decide I was going to be the first?”
Do I tell her it was the fire I saw behind her icy-blue eyes? That she captivated me from the first time she opened her mouth to speak? That every time she told me to fuck off, I fell just a little harder? There has always been something about her that called to me. Told me she was the one to keep me on my toes and wouldn’t roll over because of my last name and everything it represents.
“Your ass,” is what I tell her instead of all that.
“My ass?” The deadpan look she gives me makes me want to laugh, but I hold it back.
“It’s a great ass, blondie. I knew I needed to nail it down.”
“You’re a pig.”
I lift her hand to my mouth and kiss the top of it. “Oink, oink.”
She rolls her eyes again—she seems to do that a lot in my presence—and I shoot her a wink. That earns me a smile, and the mood lifts until we pull up to my parents’ house and Gemma’s nerves skyrocket again.
“Here we go,” she says as she opens her car door.
I hurry around the hood and grab her hand as we walk up the front steps. “Jesus, blondie. You aren’t on your way to your execution.” Opening the front door, I lead Gemma into the kitchen, where my mom is.
“Hey, Mom,” I greet, still clasping Gemma's clammy hand. She turns to us, and a wide smile stretches across her face. “You remember Gemma.”
My mom rolls her eyes—why do all the women in my life keep doing that?—and walks over to give me a kiss on the cheek, then leans into Gemma and does the same.
“Of course I do. She was just here, not even a month ago, for Alessia’s birthday. I may be getting old, Eoghan, but I’m far from senile.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. I never said anything about your age.” Women definitely don’t like that. Even I’m not that stupid. “I just wanted to introduce you to my girlfriend.”
My mom blinks at me then smiles at Gemma. “Well, I hope he doesn’t comment on your age. I don’t know where I went wrong with him. Please be patient with him. He’s a good boy, I swear.” She shakes her head long-sufferingly as though she’s spent years enduring my inadequacies.
Gemma laughs next to me, and my mother breaks character and chuckles along with her. And they wonder why I’ve never brought a girl home. I mean, obviously, I’ve never wanted to or seen the point since none of them were the woman standing next to me. But had I known my mother was in the mood to mess with me, I may have waited until Finn was back home and driven out to his estate for this conversation.
“Thank you for having me, Maeve.”
My mom smiles and shoos us out of the kitchen. “Finn and Alessia are on the patio with your father. We’ll be ready to eat in a little bit.”
“That went well,” Gemma comments as we make our way to the patio doors. There’s a lightness to her tone that she certainly didn’t have when we got out of the car. Leave it to my mom to make her feel more welcome than I ever could with a warm smile and by fucking with me.
“I told you; you have nothing to worry about. My mom obviously already loves you. If she didn’t, I imagine she wouldn’t be so keen on giving me shit. And Alessia is your best friend. Your parentage isn’t going to change that.”
I open the French doors leading to the backyard and spot my brother and sister-in-law sitting across from my dad and Cillian.
“You weren’t at church today,” I say by way of greeting to Cillian.
“I worked late last night,” he replies with a shit-eating grin. “Maeve was fine with it.”
Cillian has been like another brother to me and part of the family since we were teenagers. Because of that, he’s required to attend mass with us every Sunday. He doesn’t miss it unless he’s out of town on business.
“That’s bullshit,” I exclaim. “I worked late last night, and I still made it.”
“Must be hard living up to being the ‘favorite son,’” my brother chimes in.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Can we not start this argument again?” my father says, standing from his seat and grabbing another chair for Gemma as she gives Alessia a hug hello. “Can I get you something to drink, sweetheart?” he asks.
“White wine would be great. Whatever you have.”
Gemma and I have a seat across from Finn and Alessia, and I immediately place my hand in her lap and link our fingers together. My dad notices before he turns to the outdoor wine fridge to grab a bottle. He catches my eye and nods once. And that, ladies and gentleman, is Cormac Monaghan’s stamp of approval.
When he returns with her wine, I look up and give him an offended look. “What about something for me?” I ask.
“You know where the beer is. Get it yourself.”
Finn and Cillian have a laugh at my expense, and I shake my head. “You’re a terrible host, Dad.”
My dad shrugs and rolls his eyes. “I could be having a relaxing Sunday afternoon watching baseball, but your mother insists on having you lot here.” He blows out a breath and shakes his head, but the smirk playing on his lips gives him away. My dad loves being surrounded by family as much as our mom does. “I’m going to see if your mother needs help in the kitchen.”
When he leaves, Finn pins me with his gaze. “Tell me everything.”
“I found out who my father is,” Gemma says, looking at Alessia. It’s her story to tell, so I let her continue. Not like I could or would stop her. “It’s Viktor Petrov.”
Alessia inhales a sharp breath as she stares at her friend. “Are you sure?”
Gemma nods. “He knows my mom. They had an affair, and she ran before I was born. It was so fucking weird, Alessia. He showed up at my apartment, and for the first time, I saw all the parts of myself that didn’t match my mother in someone else. There’s no doubt it’s him.”
“Oh, honey,” Alessia replies with the tenderness and love that is a result of their years of friendship. No judgment, just empathy.
“I’m assuming this wasn’t a happy little family reunion. What did he want?” Finn asks.
Gemma turns her attention to my tense brother. “He wants me to spy on you. He wants any and all of the details about your life that someone on the ‘inside’ can get. He wants to use everything he can against you so he can take over Boston. Said it was up to me if it turns bloody or not. He also said if I didn’t comply, he would hurt Alessia and Giada.”
Finns sits back in his chair and narrows his eyes. “Fucking Russians. No respect for women.”
Cillian stays silent on the other side of me, absorbing everything being said around him.
“That means Nikolai Petrov is her brother. His father is putting him in charge of the operation. He was at her apartment when I showed up this morning.” That part still stings. Even though it was her brother and not some random man at her place, it’s taking a hot fucking minute for that knot of pain in my chest to unravel.
“Fucking Petrov.” Finn is still stewing on the information, his eyes darting between Gemma and me.
“Turns out Nicky Boy hates his father. Wants to help us bring him down. Wants the kill shot, too. He said he had nothing to do with what happened with Alessia and Enzo, and he never intended to take Giada from Luca. His dad was the one who was working with Carlo, not him.”
“You believe him?” Finn asks.
“I do,” I reply with a nod. “He had a pretty convincing story to back up his hatred, but I think Cillian should still check out the particulars.”
Cillian nods. “Tell me where to look.”
I give him the name of Nikolai’s dead girlfriend and tell him the story he told me.
When I turn to face my brother, he’s eying Gemma with his scrutinizing gaze. My hackles rise as he leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees. To her credit, she doesn’t look away.
“You had no clue who Viktor Petrov is? Like, say when you went to Yale and just so happened to share a dorm room with the daughter of a Mafia boss from Massachusetts?”
“Finnegan Monaghan,” Alessia says, snapping her head to him. “Don’t you fucking dare.”
“Watch it, brother. That’s my woman you're trying to accuse of something.”
“Convenient timing for that, too.” Finn is watching Gemma, and I’m ready to rip his tongue out of his mouth, Sunday brunch or not.
“Trust me, nothing about your brother is convenient. Especially not our relationship. As far as knowing who Alessia was when we moved in together, I had no idea. I grew up in Virginia with a junkie mom.” Gemma holds Finn’s eyes, refusing to cower from his hard gaze. “I didn’t exactly have any connections to Massachusetts or know anything about the criminal underworld. I was focused on surviving and getting the hell out of there. Trust me when I tell you, the last thing I wanted was to get mixed up in any of this. No offense.”
“None taken, sweetie,” Alessia says. “And in the spirit of honesty, I’ve known about your past. My father told me years ago. Since you never brought it up, I didn’t want to say anything. It never mattered to me where you came from or what name you used to have. I knew if you needed to talk about it, you would come to me. But I also understand wanting to move on from a painful past.”
Finn glances from Gemma to my sister-in-law. “Her name?”
“I changed it when I went to Yale,” Gemma answers for Alessia. “I left everything about my past in my rearview, including my name.”
“Why didn’t you ever tell me that?” Finn asks his very annoyed-looking wife.
“Because it’s none of your fucking business, Finn. You think my father was going to let me move in with anyone off the street when I was nineteen years old?” She turns back to Gemma. “I would have taken your secrets to the grave. I hope you know that.”
“I know,” she replies and smiles softly at her best friend.
Though I’m mad as hell that my brother was not so subtly insinuating my girlfriend has been lying and scheming for the last ten years of her life, I feel a tad bad for him when his wife turns her angry glare on him. I do not envy him and their ride home.
“And I understand why you feel the way you do,” Gemma says, turning her gaze back to my brother. “I’d kill anyone who I thought was a threat to the people I love. I get it. And I don’t fault you for it.”
I let out an irritated grunt. She might not fault him for his suspicions, but I do. “Gemma had no idea about any of this. She’s as much a victim in this situation as your wife was. But I’ll be damned if you look at her with anything less than the respect she deserves. She’s been a hundred-percent honest with me about everything since finding out.”
“I had to ask, Eoghan,” Finn says, trying to defend himself.
“It’s okay,” Gemma says, placing her other hand over our joined ones. “In all honesty, I would have been questioning things too. Your brother was right to ask.” She turns to Finn. “I hope you know I love your wife like she’s my sister. I would never hurt her or your family. Viktor has no idea who I am or what I grew up with. He’s not the first monster I’ve faced. And he has another thing coming to him if he thinks I’m going to lie down and do his bidding.”
There’s my fucking girl.
“So, Finn. Tell us,” Gemma starts. “How the hell are we going to make it out of this goddamn mess?”