Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Killian
“So you let our little birdie fly free today, huh?”
Glancing over at his sister, who was rather openly enjoying herself, Killian rolled his eyes. “She isn’t my prisoner.”
“Oh? So she’s completely free to simply walk out of our house whenever she pleases and you absolutely did not threaten to have her father killed if he tried to take her home with him?”
“Shut up, Reagan.”
Her laughter filled the car, and in the rearview mirror, Killian caught sight of Sean’s grin. Great. Just what he needed, his young cousin following in his sister’s bratty footsteps.
“Seriously, though, it’s good for her to get out of the house. If you want her to fall in love with you, then you need to show her that you trust her. And that you can be reasonable.”
“I don’t need her to fall in love with me. I just need her to do as she’s told.”
“Right. And how do you plan to convince her to marry you if she doesn’t fall in love with you?”
“She’ll eventually realize that marrying me is the right thing to do.”
Reagan snorted out a laugh. “I’m sorry, have you met her? She’s not going to marry you because it’s the ‘right thing to do’.”
Frowning, he looked over at her. “Why not? She’s so full of righteousness I’m surprised it doesn’t come leaking out of her eyes.”
“Yes, but her version of righteousness includes things like, you know, not marrying into the mob.”
“She’ll get over that.” Eventually.
Maybe.
“Jesus, you’re even more stubborn than I am, and that’s saying something.”
Because it was true, on both counts, he only smiled in response as they pulled up in front of the restaurant where their ‘business meeting’ was being held.
“I still say it’s a mistake to meet on their turf,” Reagan grumbled as they climbed out of the car. “I still say it’s a mistake to meet with them, period.”
“Your objections have been noted. But with the Russians working with Williams, we need allies, and the DeLucas haven’t yet declared a side.” At least not publicly, and he could only hope he wasn’t too late in reaching out.
“I swear the harder we try to get out of this shit, the deeper we get into it.”
He heard his own pain, his own frustration echoed in her voice, so he reached for her, running a hand down her arm in comfort.
It was all he could afford to give, not knowing who was watching as they approached the restaurant.
Too much, and the DeLucas would see her as even weaker than they already did given she was a woman.
Then again, perhaps he should let them underestimate his sister. She did so enjoy proving privileged men wrong.
Side by side, they stepped into the restaurant, which was empty but for a single table in the middle occupied by Lorenzo DeLuca and his brother, Salvatore. As agreed, it was only the four of them—and the guards they would each pretend weren’t hidden out of sight, waiting for something to go wrong.
The brothers rose, welcoming smiles on their faces as they each held out a hand for Killian and then Reagan. To their credit, they didn’t sneer or so much as blink when they greeted his sister.
“Sit, sit. We’ve already ordered calamari for the table. My nonna’s recipe, you’ll love it,” Lorenzo said, his smile widening as he spoke of his grandmother. “Wine?”
Killian inclined his head in agreement. “Please. Whatever you recommend.”
Their host ordered the wine, and it appeared in record time, leading Killian to believe he’d already given instructions for what he wanted and he’d been counting on Killian to be agreeable. Which he could be, when necessary.
And if Lorenzo needed to feel like he was in charge, Killian was willing to play the game.
For now.
“How is Sophia?” Killian asked as he swirled the wine in his glass. It had a sweet, fruity smell.
Too sweet.
Beside him, Reagan reached for her wine, but he nudged his foot against hers beneath the table and at the last second she grabbed her water instead. From the corner of his eye, he watched as she discreetly sniffed before sipping the way he’d taught her.
Leaning back in his chair as if he wasn’t waiting for them to die a painful death right in front of them, Lorenzo grinned. “She’s graduating this year. Top of her class. Isabella and I couldn’t be prouder.”
“I imagine so. Has she chosen a college yet?”
“She wants to go to Berkeley, but Isabella is having a bit of a conniption over the idea of her baby being so far away. You know how mothers are.”
If he hadn’t just tried to poison them, Killian might not have thought twice about the sentiment. But in light of the cyanide currently sitting in his wine glass, the comment about mothers felt a bit too pointed.
Focusing on keeping his breathing calm and even despite the fury burning through his veins, Killian smiled. “I do, indeed. Though I would think you’d be eager to get your daughter out of Charleston sooner rather than later, since you seem intent on starting a war.”
To his credit, Lorenzo didn’t so much as blink at the accusation.
“You don’t give yourself enough credit, Killian.
This is very much your war. If you’d come to me about the docks, we could have worked something out.
I would have made sure you and yours were protected.
Instead, you went to Richard Williams of all people. ”
“I had my reasons.”
Lorenzo’s lip twisted up in a cruel smirk. “Yes, we’re all aware you don’t have the stomach for the game any longer. Which is why it’s so deliciously ironic that you chose Richard to take over control of your docks.”
Clearly, Lorenzo knew something Killian didn’t. But asking for information would only make him look as weak as the DeLuca’s clearly thought he was. “As I said. I had my reasons.”
“Just like you had your reasons for cancelling your engagement to the lovely Portia?”
Alarm bells rang in his mind, but he forced himself to sit still, to not react. “Yes.”
Something of what he was feeling must have shown on his face, or perhaps in his voice, because his sister pressed her foot down on his. Hard.
Careful, brother.
Sighing dramatically, Lorenzo shook his head.
“You really should have come to me, you know. If I’d known all it took to buy your loyalty was a pretty face, I would have offered up my Sophia years ago.
She wouldn’t have blinked twice at you knocking up the Elliott girl, and we could have finally gotten rid of those fucking Russians. ”
Disgust rolled through him. “Sophia hasn’t even graduated high school.”
Lorenzo shrugged. “And a wedding would have been a lovely graduation gift. We could have been so good together, Killian.”
“No, we wouldn’t have been. Even if I wasn’t looking to shed the… less savory aspects of my empire, I never would have done business with a man willing to sell his underage daughter to the highest bidder. You disgust me, Lorenzo.”
“Ah, well, I suppose it’s a good thing for me I don’t concern myself with the opinions of dead men.”
All around him came the soft snicks of guns being readied, and he couldn’t help himself.
He laughed.
“You really think I would meet with you without some kind of insurance policy?”
“Oh, you mean the men you have stationed outside, ready to take their shot? Go ahead. You’ll be dead before they can pull the trigger.”
“No. I mean this. Reagan?”
His sister set her phone on the table and tapped the screen before turning the device toward their host. Her voice was perfectly calm, perfectly steady when she spoke.
“This is a live feed from our cousin Tiernan. He’s been keeping an eye on your wife and your daughter for us while we met with you.
If he doesn’t hear from us within the next five minutes, he’ll make a call to his brother. ”
At the mere mention of Lochlan, every bit of color drained from Lorenzo’s face. “You wouldn’t.”
“I would,” Killian assured him, though it cost him dearly to say the words.
“You say I don’t have the stomach for the game any longer, Lorenzo, but you couldn’t be more wrong.
I’m getting out because I know exactly what I’m capable of.
But go ahead. Find out for yourself just what kind of man I really am. ”
Reagan tapped her phone again and a countdown appeared in bright red numbers. Sweat broke out on Lorenzo’s forehead as he watched the numbers count down.
Come on. Don’t be a dumbass. Don’t make me pull the trigger.
They were down to the final minute when Lorenzo waved a hand. “Let them go.” He smirked, a triumphant glint in his eye that had Killian’s blood running cold. “He’s too late to save his whore, anyway.”
Shoving away from the table, Killian strode for the front door, yanking his phone from his pocket as he walked. But before he could dial the number, his phone rang and his heart slammed against his rib cage, panic and terror clawing at his chest. “Brody. Where’s Aria?”
“Safe. We’re on our way to Dr. Winters to get her checked out, but it’s just a precaution.”
Yanking open the car door, he slid into the backseat, his sister right behind him. “Reagan and I are coming to you.”
“Roger that. You want to talk to her?”
“Yes.”
The sounds of shuffling came through the speaker as the phone was handed off, followed by Aria’s voice, shaky but undeniably alive. “I’m fine, Brody’s just a worrywart.”
Relief made his head spin, and he had to close his eyes against the tidal wave of it threatening to drown him. “It’s his job to be a worrywart. You’re not hurt?”
“No. Two people got hit, but we’re fine.” Her voice shook, but not with fear. No, it was anger, pure and righteous and burning-hot making her tremble. “There were children there, Killian. We were in broad fucking daylight and they shot at children.”
His own fury threatened to boil over. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Good. I’ll see you soon.”
“I’m on my way to you now. Aria…”
“Yes?”
I love you. The words stuck in his throat and he had to swallow hard to speak past them. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t you dare apologize to me. You weren’t the one who shot into a room full of innocent bystanders. Just promise me you’ll make sure it never happens again.”
“I promise.”
“Then that’s all I need.”
He ended the call as Sean pulled away from the curb. When he opened his eyes again, Reagan held up her phone, the three giant red zeroes blinking at him, tempting him. “Do I call Tiernan?”
There was some part of him, that dark, monstrous part he’d warned Lorenzo about that wanted to tell her no. To let his cousins do what they did best. Knowing that the DeLucas had so easily tried to take out his woman, his child…
It would serve them right.
But he could clearly see Aria, staring at him with those wide, disappointed eyes, and he knew that no matter how pissed she might be right now, she’d never forgive him if he did this in her name.
“Make the call.”
And as he listened to his sister assuring their cousin that everything was fine and they could pack up and go home, he could only pray he wasn’t letting love blind him to what needed to be done.