Chapter 17
I listened to Thea’s entire story without interrupting. That was a Herculean feat, considering how much I wanted to demand each man’s name. I want to find them and beat them all to death. I’ve killed far too many times, but it’s never been because I desired their death on an emotional level. I wanted men dead because they fucked us over or tried to fuck us over. I wanted them dead because they were an inconvenience. I wanted them dead because they posed a threat to my family, our people, or our businesses. But it was always with coldhearted detachment. This is different.
“What do you mean he got my father fired?” Thea’s staring at me, and I hate being the bearer of this bad news.
“Corey wants you to go back to Boston, and he wants your dad indebted to him. He believes he can get both of you to do what he wants to save each other.”
Her gaze remains steady, but I can’t tell what she’s thinking. I wait, not wanting to rush her as she works things out in her head.
“Finn, I will do anything to protect my family. But I’ll kill my uncle before I go back to Boston, so those pervs can pass me around. I’m nobody’s bitch— not a biker’s or some piece of shit with a Napoleon complex. My dad’s already proven what he’ll do to protect me, but that was fifteen years ago. His arthritis means he’s not as strong as he used to be, and he’s in bad shape right now. He’s not in a position to fight anyone off.”
“I know, little one. I arranged for men to stay close to their house around the clock, and everyone in your family has a bodyguard assigned to them. They won’t know unless you want to tell them. But they’re there. Your nieces and nephew are at the same school. There are four guards, one on each street surrounding the building. There are two guards outside Jamie and Asher’s house while the nanny is there with Skyler. You are not going anywhere without a man in my family with you. I love Joey, and he’s my closest friend who isn’t a near match to my DNA. But my brothers and cousins know what it means for me to ask them to protect you.”
“What does that mean? Don’t they have jobs besides—” She gestures in the air not wanting to vocalize our crimes.
“They do. If it’s not straight to and from work, Mair goes nowhere without one of us. Dillan would lose his shite if she did. Work is predictable, so we have precautions and protocols put in place. If she deviates from the routine, then at least one of us is with her if Dillan can’t be. It’ll be the same if I can’t be with you.”
“But Mair’s married to Dillan.”
My fingers grip her hips as I lift her and turn her, so she straddles my lap. I slide my hands down the back of her pants and cup her bare arse.
“You’ve just told me something I doubt you’ve told anyone outside your family. You admitted your dad killed at least two people and shot another. You know more about my family than anyone who isn’t part of the organization. Would we have confessed those things to each other if we didn’t plan for this to be permanent?”
“I…” She doesn’t know what to say.
“Thea, I’m not saying we run off to Atlantic City tonight and get married. I don’t know what the future holds in store for us, but I think we both know neither of us wants something casual. Everything about this world you’re entering is on speed. Hell, some days it feels like this world is on meth. We are not morally devoid like civilized people believe.” My tone is mocking. “We have a strong code of right and wrong and swift justice. Corey knows that. He’s been skirting the edges since he was a teenager. He wants to play with the big boys while getting a pass for being an outsider. It doesn’t work that way. He knows we’re together.”
I watch her stomach cave at that last bit.
“Did he know when he threw the brick through my window?”
“I don’t think so since we’d only been out once. I told him when I saw him in Boston.”
There’s no point in pretending that’s not where I went. I knew she figured it out while we were on the phone. It’s obvious since I saw the piece of shite.
“Are you ready to meet my parents, Finn?”
“Yes. The sooner the better. I know you won’t like this, but I need to speak to your dad alone.”
She doesn’t like it, but she nods.
“Cailín, what you don’t know you can’t testify about. Please believe me about this. You’re placing all your trust in me, and I’m asking for more. I know that’s not fair, but I’m doing it to protect you and the people you love.”
“I know, but the unknown is scary.”
“How far out are your shifts scheduled? Do you have vacation days?”
“I do, but I’m scheduled for the next month. I have two days off in a week.”
I don’t like that, but I’ll have to accept it. “If this isn’t resolved by the time the following schedule is about to be posted, I want you to request vacation days.”
“I can’t wait that long. If I want a vacation in a month, I should have asked four months ago. I can try, but I can’t guarantee it.”
I don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves. Part of me wants to say, “you can quit your job because my men can keep you plenty busy stitching them up.” But she’s not a surgeon, and we already have a doctor on call. Her work is too important to her and the families who depend on her, even if they don’t know it yet. I never want her to give that up.
“Would you stay here with me?” Would you move in with me?
That’s definitely getting too far ahead of ourselves. At least, it would be for her. I hated the few nights I had away from her. I kept dreaming about her sleeping next to me. I’d wake up alone, and it blew big chunks. I want her in my arms when I fall asleep, and I want her still there when I wake. I want to know she’s safe, and I want the calm she brings me. Contrary to what it seems, I’m pissed as shite right now, but I’m calm because I’m holding her. It’s not that I’m forcing myself not to rage in front of her. It’s that I don’t feel the need to rage while I’m holding her.
“I’d like that, Daddy.”
I cup her jaw, and our kiss is unlike any I’ve had with anyone but Thea. I stand, and she wraps her legs around me. I walk to my— our —bedroom and into the bathroom. With one arm around her, I push down the plug and turn on the bath. I don’t have bubble bath, so I squirt a few pumps of body wash under the faucet.
“We can soak for a while, then eat. I saw the empty bowl on the table in your breakroom. It looked like soup.” I put her down, so we can strip.
“Shit! I forgot to wash and put that away after our talk and the patient. Fuck. I hate it when other people do that. Someone had to clean up after me.”
“You’ll make it up to whoever ended up doing that. Do you want me to cook for you, or do you want to order something?”
“Honestly, I don’t mind what we eat. I just want to be close to you.”
I test the water before looping my arms around her waist and drawing her against me. “I want you close to me, too. I’m sorry I had to be away from you when you found out about your dad.”
“Thanks, but it worked out that you saw Uncle Corey.”
“I suppose. I still think it would have been better for me to be here for you.”
“You were. You got the message that I needed you, so you called as soon as you could. I got to talk to you, and I felt better for it. The problem isn’t solved yet, but I felt more equipped to deal with it after talking to you. Work kept me plenty occupied, but knowing I can depend on you let me stay focused. My patients deserve my full attention, and not being terrified that something else is going to happen to my family let me do that. Thank you, Daddy.”
I tip her chin up. “Always, little one.”
Something passes between us. A silent understanding that we could date for months— a year— whatever —then commit to a future together. Or we can just admit we’ve found our soulmate and start life together. I’ve already fallen hard for her. I know I’m more than halfway to falling in love. I believe our lives are entwined for good, so I know I’ll love her. I don’t know if she feels the same way, but I think she does.
We step into the tub once I turn off the water. She leans back against my chest, my legs bracketing her hips. We sigh at the same time, then laugh. Her hands rest on my upper shins, and my arms are around her ribs. I close my eyes, and I can’t remember the last time I’ve been this content.
Then my phone rings. I haven’t debriefed Dillan yet. I can’t ignore it. I stretch to grab my pants and pull it out. It’s Sean. I’m tempted to ignore it, but a wave of doom washes over me.
“Hey.”
“Welcome home. Everything with Marco went to shite.”
I glance down at Thea, unsure if she heard what my brother said. “Can I call you back in ten minutes?”
“What? No. Finn, we have a shitstorm right now. Steven Russo stole a shite ton of money from us. The FBI-ATF bust went to shite, and Elizabeth got caught up in it. And someone just took out Lorcan Cullen in his office. A fecking sniper. A kill shot better than anyone short of Robert Simms. Oh, and there’s another problem. He’s dead. We?—”
“Thanks for letting me know. I’ll call you back in a bit.”
“Finn, what the— are you not alone? Is Ally with you?”
“Yes. I’ll talk to you later.”
Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck! Holy fuck.
That’s a lot to take in. I turned down the volume while Sean spoke, so I know Thea couldn’t hear anything else. She sits forward and reaches for the body wash. She doesn’t turn toward me as she lathers her arms.
“You need to go, don’t you?”
“Yeah, probably. I’ll call Sean back when we’re done.”
“I don’t want to keep you from talking to your brother.”
“Little one, he didn’t tell me the sky is falling.” Though it probably is. “We can’t stay in here like I hoped, but we can shower, then head to Dillan’s.”
“We? Your brothers don’t want me there.”
“How do you know? I’m not leaving you alone here. Not because I’m scared you aren’t safe. I’m not leaving you here because I’ve been away from you for three days, and I want to at least be in the same building as you. And once I find out what’s going on, I have to tell the others the gist of what you told me. I won’t reveal anything you don’t want me to. But everything involving Corey is all knotted together. That means your family’s threats and our business problems intersect. If the guys have questions, I’d rather you answer for yourself, but only if you’re comfortable. I won’t push you, but I don’t want to speak for you and get it wrong.”
I release the plug, and we stand. She turns on the shower before we switch places, then faces me. Her arms go around my neck, and I want nothing more than to pick her up again now that there’re no clothes in the way. I’ve been fucking hard since I spotted her napping on the couch in the hospital. Sex in the car on the way here was only a temporary fix. As though she reads my mind, she wraps a hand around my cock and strokes. I groan, and she tightens her grip. Fucking hell.
I lift her, and she clings to me. My cock finds her cunt with no problem. I thrust into her, and she squeezes my waist. I support her as she rides me. I kiss her neck and nip at her earlobe. I kiss along her jaw until our mouths meet. Then it’s a race to see who can devour the other. When she sucks on my tongue, I nearly explode.
“Feck, Thea. I won’t last if you do that.”
“I don’t want you to. This is a quickie not a longie.” She grins at me before kissing me and tugging my bottom lip.
I spank her, pushing her up then letting her drop down on my cock. She rocks her hips, and I can tell she enjoys this. I keep spanking her until she screams my name. I want to make her come at least once more, but I can’t stop. I feel my jizz squirting into her. My cock pulses each time. Our kisses are calmer, but they don’t last.
I watch her checking out the shampoo on my shelf. “Order whatever you want. Toiletries, food, drinks. Whatever. I know we don’t have any of your clothes here. We can grab whatever you need in the morning.”
“Finn, I have to be back to work in four hours. I have some clothes in my bag. I always have an extra set of scrubs and some jeans and a shirt. I was on an eight-hour break between shifts. I planned to go home, shower, eat, and sleep for a few hours, then head back. I can go to Dillan’s with you, but I have to go back to the hospital.”
It’s going to take some getting used to this schedule. I thought mine had me coming and going at all hours of the day and night.
“You can stay here and sleep. I’ll post two guys outside the door. I know you’re exhausted.” I feel guilty now. I pretty much barreled over her and decided for her.
She puts her hands on my chest. “I’ll go with you. I can nap in the car each way. I want to help if I can. If I can’t, I’d still feel better being in the same house as you.”
“Dillan and Mair just bought a home in Queens. They haven’t finished furnishing everywhere downstairs, but they set up all the bedrooms for us. I have a room you can sleep in.”
“That’s rude.”
“Not at all. They’ll understand.”
“But—”
“Little one, everyone will understand why I don’t want you here alone. And everyone will understand why a doctor needs to sleep.” I turn off the water and hand her a towel.
Once we’re dressed, we head down to the underground parking lot. I’ll drive since it’s faster than waiting for a car to get here. I open the door for her before getting into the driver’s seat of my Jag. Traffic is on our side, so it doesn’t take us too long to get from SoHo to Queens. When we pull up, I sense Thea’s nerves getting the better of her. We’re in a gated community and drove into a driveway behind a gate. She sees the armed security guards before she looks up at the house. In all fairness, it’s a mansion.
Ironically, all the syndicate couples from each family live near here. The only people who don’t are Enrique— the Cartel jefe —and his brother and his family. They live in north Jersey in affluent communities. It’s like our childhood when we all played peewee sports together. Everyone lives a few blocks from one another. Most of the single syndicate men have lived in Manhattan, but I’m the only one in my family who does. The other guys live in Brooklyn, Harlem, and Queens.
“Now I understand how each of you has a room here.” Thea glances at me before reaching for the door handle, but I lean across her and catch her wrist.
“Never get out on your own. If we pull into a house’s garage, you wait until the door shuts all the way. You don’t turn off the engine until the door is only an inch or two off the ground. When you have a driver, they open the door for you. When you’re in a driveway at one of our homes, a guard or a family member opens it. When we’re at the condo, I’ll walk around and open it, or your driver does.”
She stares at me before twisting to look out the windows at the men in black clothes with rifles slung across their chests and various weapons clipped to their belts. Then she turns her luminescent eyes on me. I still find their color transfixing.
“Am I really going to be in that much danger, too?”
“You may rarely be in any danger, but that’s because we have safety protocols in place. I’m not a pessimist, Thea. I’m a realist. That means I’ll do whatever I think is necessary to protect you and my family. The car doors are one of those things. It’s the rule for everyone, especially the women. I’m certain some of the other syndicate wives carry guns, or at least knives, but even if you did, I would still insist that an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.”
She sighs but nods. Then she thinks better of it and cups my jaw. She kisses me, but it’s over way too soon.
“Thank you for taking care of me, Daddy. I have to get used to this, but you could merely insist I obey. You’re explaining everything and being patient while I learn. I appreciate it.”
“You’re going to sacrifice a lot, Thea. More than I wish and probably more than I can predict. I will always give you what you need, and I’ll try my hardest to give you what you want.”
“All I need right now is you.”
And now she has my entire heart in her palm. I kiss her again before turning off the car. She waits for me to come around to her side before getting out. We hold hands as we walk to the door. I punch in the code and go in. If I didn’t know we’re all meeting— Sean sent me a flurry of texts after we hung up —I wouldn’t walk into Dillan’s house unannounced. He’s a newlywed. Hell, even when they’ve been married forty years, I won’t walk in unannounced. They’ll still be all over each other, and that’s not something I need to see. And Dillan would gouge my eyes out before letting anyone see Mair uncovered.
She wore a slinky bikini during their honeymoon. They came into the house from the beach not realizing the rest of us— yes; we went on their honeymoon, but as their security detail —were in the dining room. My brothers, cousins, and I have never moved so fast in our lives. Cormac even knocked over the dining room chair as he pushed it back.
I understood then, but I get it now. It wouldn’t thrill me to have any man see Thea naked, especially if I’m making love to her. Now that’s a phrase I’ve never used before. I’ve said fuck and any number of euphemisms, but I have never considered what I’ve done with other women making love. I’m certain I’ve done it more than once with Thea.
“Finn?”
“Yeah, Shay. I’m coming.” Seamus and his brother, Cormac, are built like ox who move on silent feet, but the man forgets what an inside voice is.
I sense Thea’s getting more nervous with each step. I lean over to whisper in her ear as I give her hand a squeeze.
“They don’t bite, though I might. You’re delicious. I know they’re a lot, but they know how important you are to me. They’re happy for us.”
“They won’t be once they know my past.”
I slide my arm around her waist and pull her against me as I stop. “No one will blame you for your family. We have no leg to stand on. I wouldn’t let you meet them if I thought they’d be unkind.”
I give her a peck before we walk into the family room. Feck, there are a lot of us. Dillan and Mair are sharing Dillan’s favorite armchair. Sean and Shane are on a love seat while Cormac and Seamus have the sofa. I shoot my brothers a look, and they get up. I grin. Still got it.
“Thea, you’ve met everyone but Dillan.”
She walks over as Mair and Dillan stand and shakes his hand. Mair hesitates for a moment, then goes for it. Her hug sets Thea at ease. I don’t know that anyone else notices it. Maybe Mair feels it. But Thea shoots me a smile as she steps back.
“I know what you called me about, but Thea has to be back at the hospital in a few hours. She’s also exhausted. We need to talk to you. After that, Mair, could she use my room?”
“Of course.” Mair turns to Thea. “Would you like anything to eat or drink?”
“I’m all right. Thank you, though.”
I won’t press the issue, but I’m certain Thea must be hungry by now. She told me while we got dressed that she originally planned to go home, eat, sleep, and shower. She’s only done one of those.
“You know I’ll be hungry later.” I offer Mair a lopsided grin.
“Yes. All of you have hollow legs as Granny would say.” She rolls her eyes, then shoots Thea a conspiratorial wink. “You know where everything is. I’ll be in my office.”
With a kiss on the cheek for Dillan and a beleaguered sigh for the rest of us, she slips out. Normally, we’d meet in Dillan’s office. But the family room is more spacious. Having all of us in a smaller space is intimidating. Fortunately, our dads aren’t here. Add the three of them to the six of us, and it’s terrifying— and loud. She and I sit on the loveseat. I wrap my arm around her shoulders, but she doesn’t lean into me. Her hand rests lightly on my thigh, and I think she’s trying to appear confident and independent. It’s unnecessary, but I can appreciate the need.
The guys look at me, thankfully. I don’t want them all staring at Thea at once. I don’t want her to feel like I’ve put her on the spot by bringing her here. The best thing is for me to start.
“I saw Corey while I was up there. We had a chat.” Thea stiffens. “I found out Corey threw a brick through Thea’s window. Or— it’s more likely —he had someone throw it for him. Corey is Thea’s great-uncle through her dad’s side.”
Six sets of eyes dart to Thea before turning back to me.
“He’s causing problems for her family. He got her dad fired to extort him. He’s threatened Thea to force her dad’s hand.” I still haven’t told her about the background check and what the others already know about her family.
“He wants your parents to pay him to get your dad’s job back?” Cormac leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
“He wants my parents to take a loan from him. He knows the only reason to take a loan is because you don’t have the money you need. If you had the money, you wouldn’t go to someone like him. Despite being family, he’ll make the repayment terms impossible. My mom and dad know that, so they have no intention of taking a penny from him. My dad’ll find a new job if he has to way before taking Uncle Corey’s— help.”
She says the last word with such disgust.
“Corey wants to terrify you into convincing your parents to accept his offer.”
Sean is the quietest of us and the slowest to anger. But when he gets pissed, the universe knows his temper matches his red hair.
“They’ve said they’ll dip into their savings until my dad finds something else. I haven’t pressed the issue, but I’ll give them the money before they take funds from what needs to support them for probably twenty years after they retire. I’m single and only have rent and my student loans as my financial commitments. I can afford to pause my retirement savings to help them. I will not let them take a penny from Uncle Corey and suffer for it. My great-uncle is well connected with several unions, including the one my dad belongs to as a welder. He’ll make it exceptionally hard for my dad to find a new job, but Papa’s good at what he does. It isn’t impossible.”
I’m not offering to help yet because I don’t want to insult her parents since they don’t even know me. I don’t know if they know of me. I don’t want to make Thea feel uncomfortable by me swooping in with my fat bank account. But helping her parents helps Thea, and there’s no limit to what I’ll do for her. My expression reassures my family that I’m on top of it.
Dillan asks the question neither Thea nor I are eager to answer. “Why’s he coming after your dad now?”
Thea looks up at me, and I see her nerves threaten to overcome her, so I answer. “Thea grew up with Corey popping in and out of her life. Her dad stopped running with Corey and his gang before Thea was born. But he could never sever his ties entirely. When Thea was a teenager, men in the biker club started paying too much attention. She didn’t date any of them because her parents wouldn’t allow it. Once she understood who they were, she didn’t want to.”
Thea dives in. I wasn’t sure how much more I should say, but at the same time, I hate she’s the one telling them something so painful.
“My parents were okay with one guy giving me a ride to and from school until I got my license. He’d protected me when two guys closer to my age tried to hand me off to a group of men. When Elijah wanted more, I said no. When I said no, he got pissed. I wound up at their clubhouse because some friends of mine heard there was a cool place to party. Thinking back on it while I told Finn earlier, it wouldn’t surprise me if a member’s son didn’t plant the idea in one of my friends’ ears. It was horrible. I had pepper spray, and I used it. Uncle Corey showed up— likely planned —and made the men stay away. He let me call my dad, who came to get me. A couple guys tried to separate us and attack him. He killed both of them. My dad and I got out of there, and Uncle Corey mostly stayed away. But he issued an edict that once I was eighteen, I was the motorcycle club’s. Neither my parents nor I were going to let them turn me into a Sweet Butt, and I had no interest in becoming a citizen wife to any of them.”
“What’s that?” Shane speaks up, but I don’t think any of us know what it means.
“Sometimes a biker will legally marry a woman. They have a normal life away from the club. Kids and everything. She has nothing to do with it and stays out of the way. The biker might have an Ol’ Lady side piece. I think Uncle Corey assumed that’s what my mom would be. There isn’t a chance on God’s green earth my father would ever cheat on my mom. My dad was jumped out to avoid any of this. A lot of good it did him.”
Gang members are jumped in— often have the shite beaten out of them as an initiation —and if they’re allowed to leave, they often get jumped out— the shite beaten out of them again.
“Uncle Corey probably figured I’d breed the next generation of bikers. Who knows? He’s certifiable.”
I don’t disagree.
“He thought you’d get married at eighteen?” Dillan’s brow furrows. It’s not that he doesn’t believe Thea, it’s just hard to fathom. But Thea thinks he’s questioning her.
“I’d rather have been a House Mouse. I guess being family paid off.”
“I’m sorry. I believe you. I just can’t believe even Corey would force a child bride.” Dillan realized his delivery was off for someone who doesn’t know him.
It’s my turn not to understand. “A House Mouse?”
“Yeah. Sometimes a club will take in a runaway girl. If she can get along with a man’s side piece, then he’ll give the girl to her, basically. The House Mouse doesn’t get involved with most club things, but an Ol’ Lady might turn her into a maid and babysitter for a safe place to live and protection. Usually, they don’t expect a House Mouse to put out. I’d rather be a maid than forced during a marriage to a man who’d insist he has a right to make me sleep with him. Granted, if she’s biddable and trainable, she might become a guy’s Mama or Ol’ Lady.”
“Did you know all of this back then?” Seamus asks what I should have back at our place. Yes, our— mine and Thea’s.
“No. I didn’t understand most of what was going on around me back then. The internet explained it, but I wound up asking my mom because half of it confused me. Uncle Corey likes to claim I was a Sweet Butt or Mama, but I never was. No one passed me around. I wasn’t anyone’s maid. I didn’t hang out at the clubhouse. None of that. He does it to degrade me and intimidate me. I’ve been back to Boston once since I graduated high school and that was to see my younger brother graduate. I’m not scared to go back, but why would I tempt fate?”
It’s a reasonable question. The answer goes without saying. We’ve gotten to where I don’t think there’s much to be gained by Thea telling the others everything she told me. But we can’t talk about anything else in front of her. I think she senses that.
“I have time for an hour nap. Which room is yours?”
“Top of the stairs to the right, third door down. I’ll make sure you’re awake in plenty of time.”
“Thanks.”
I watch her walk out of the family room and to the stairs. None of us say anything until we’re certain she can’t hear. Even then, we keep our voices low. Mair’s office is at one end of the house, and Dillan’s is at the other. This family room is in the middle. We don’t want Mair to hear anything either.
“I let him live because I think he’s still useful. We’ve fucked Rowan and Riley over, but it wasn’t enough. Corey doesn’t know it, but he’s about to fuck those brothers over. When they come for him, they’ll all wind up dead. I want them looking at each other when it happens.”
I want a lot more than that, but that goes without saying. Dillan nods, then it’s Shane’s turn to speak up.
“You know I called Steve Russo to warn him to keep his sister away from Marco. Short of telling him everything, I made it clear things were already in motion that neither he nor Tres J’s were going to feck up.”
Tres J’s— Joaquin, Jorge, and Javier — are Enrique’s nephews. They’re fucking batshit crazy from growing up in Bogota. They moved to America when we were all teenagers. They’d seen some shite way too young. They wanted to fuck Marco over at the same time as us. It was a coincidence, but our plan was in the works way before theirs. Theirs came from Marco fucking over Enrique. Ours came from needing the feds off our backs. We put way too much work into setting up Lorenzo, then Marco. We weren’t going to let it go to shite. But it did anyway.
“You said Lorcan’s dead.” I look at my brothers.
“And we’re all better for it. Shite bird.” We all share Shane’s disgust.
Lorcan Cullen was our godfather. My parents definitely didn’t choose him. Our grandfather did. They were friends even though Lorcan was younger than him. Granddad thought Lorcan would be an excellent influence over us. Piece of shite drank too much and spent most of his time finding young gold diggers to suck him off.
“Who did it?” I look at Dillan, then the others.
“We’re not sure, but it was marksmanship like only Robert Simms could do.” Dillan hated working with Simms, but the man was a necessary evil.
Simms was a mercenary and a fucking great one. He was a ghost. You could only contact him through a burner phone you had to hope he would answer. All payments were in cash— mostly. I dug up some shite on him and his connections to the old bratva pakhan. The psychopath before Maks Kutsenko took over. I used that to leverage him into some jobs for us. Then I used Carmine and Gabriele as my dupes. While Salvatore banished them to some shithole vineyard in Sicily for being idioti, I routed payments through Gabriele’s bank accounts. It was going great until Sumiko Kutsenko— Pasha’s wife —figured it out. She’s a forensic accountant, just like Pasha and me. There went that plan.
“Sean, didn’t you say Simms was dead, too? How the feck did that happen?”
“Elizabeth Russo soon-to-be Mancinelli.” Dillan’s jaw clenches.
“What?” How did I miss so much in the space of three days away?
“Simms went rogue, even more pissed at her about money than he ever was with us. He got to her while she and her brother were having lunch with Marco and Carmine. Shane, here, didn’t mention she’s a fecking expert marksman and shoots clay and skeet and whatever other shooting sport there is.”
“Don’t piss in my direction. I haven’t spoken to her in years. Finn’s the one Donovan and Declan tasked with following her.”
“You make it sound like they tasked me to stalk her.” I look over my shoulder toward the stairs before glaring at my brother. “I was there to protect her.”
“You never mentioned her competitive shooting.”
“How was I supposed to know she’d use it against a mercenary? You’re the one who dated her.”
“In high school.” Shane’s about to lose his shite, but so am I.
“I already had Lorenzo break my nose because he thought I was into his wife before they even got married. Marco’s with her sister now. Their mother made it very clear about our duty being discharged when Michelle married Lorenzo. So, if anyone shouldn’t be pissing in someone’s direction, it should be you leaving me the feck alone.”
We can argue all day and all night, but our parents would skelp our arses if they heard us swear at each other.
Lorenzo broke my nose a week and a half before I met Thea. My nose wasn’t even completely healed when I did. I still had some lingering bruises from our rounds in the boxing ring. My cabinet full of arnica got rid of the bruises on my face. Since there was shite happening that I’d never reveal to Lorenzo, I let him get his punches in. If I’d really defended myself, we’d probably both be dead.
“Can you two stop?” Sean’s glaring at us both. We never make him choose sides, but he doesn’t like being caught in the middle, which inevitably happens to whichever brother isn’t in the argument.
“Fine. In the three days I was away, Elizabeth Russo killed Robert Simms, a man no one’s even injured in, like, forty years. Lorcan is dead, and from the sounds of it, probably shot by Elizabeth. And Marco’s still free. Marvelous.”
Cormac frowns before he speaks. “I don’t think Elizabeth shot Lorcan. From what I heard, it was self-defense for Elizabeth. It was a hit on Lorcan. There’s no way Marco would have taken her to do a job like that. The shooter took him out from the building next to the bar. It had to be from the fire escape. He would never agree to that risk. My money is on Steven. It was a high-power rifle round. Any of the Mancinellis could have fired it, but only Maria and Nicoletta have that kind of aim. They’re no more likely to be there than Elizabeth.”
Nicoletta is Luca, Marco, Lorenzo, and Maria’s mother. She and her daughter are the best shots I know of besides Laura Kutsenko. It’s not surprising they’re all women. They say women are far better shots than men because they have patience men don’t. Those three— apparently along with Elizabeth now —are proof of that.
“And the money Steven stole? I haven’t checked the accounts yet.” I’m certain I’ll be pissed when I do.
“All the money we let him invest. The Mancinellis have a few million more than they did yesterday.” Dillan’s mind is going in at least four different directions right now, coming up with some permutation or another to get revenge for their revenge.
“He only had the money I wanted him to see. He thought he had a far larger share of our portfolio than he did. You know I control three-quarters of it and do the trading myself. I tested him, and he failed.” I shrug.
If he went after our money and Lorcan to defend his sister, then I can’t blame him. But that doesn’t mean I won’t destroy his career. I’ll make sure he loses his license and his job. Shite, if his two sisters weren’t Mancinellis now— it’s obvious Elizabeth and Marco are like two seconds away from walking down the aisle just like it’s a foregone conclusion to me that Thea and I have a future together —I’d tell Dillan to hire Steven as our hitman. We already know he’s done some jobs for the bratva. Internal work mostly. I should have known right away now that I think about it.
“That’s not all. Finn, they hit McGinty’s. The girls got out safe, but no one else did. They already sent their cleaners in, but we know it was them.” Sean grimaces, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news. Our Nana started that bar. It’s my favorite of all the ones I own.
“How bad is it?”
“They didn’t trash it. They went for the men more than damage. But there’s still shite to fix.”
Fucking hell. I nod because there’s nothing else I can do right now.
“Dillan, what do you want to do? Let things go with Marco or keep pushing?” Seamus has plans for tonight, so I can tell he wants this shite wrapped up.
I glance at my watch. I can let Thea sleep for another forty minutes, then we have to go. I’d like to finish this conversation before that.
“No. That ship’s sailed and sunk. Tres J’s wants to go after him. Let’s feed them enough shite to make them step it up. They can do our dirty work for us. We never meant for Elizabeth to get caught in the crosshairs with the FBI and ATF. Is Marco going to deal with them?”
Sean shakes his head. “I don’t think so. I think he plans to do what we did. Make them his bitches and get them to do what he wants to come after us.”
“Then we need to make sure they’re useless. Leak their affair.”
Dillan couldn’t give any more shites about who someone fucks— gay, straight, everything in between, and all around —than any of us. The scandal is Spiegel’s married to Holland’s sister. Hollands is the Director of the FBI, and his sister is the Deputy Director of National Intelligence. Rather suss that a lowly ATF agent suddenly got put in charge of busting an organized crime family that’s controlled a huge chunk of New York for four generations. Not to mention he’s working alongside his lover. It was fine while they were convenient for us. Now they’re not.
Shane cracks his knuckles— drives our mom nuts —as he speaks. “That’ll only keep Marco distracted for a few minutes. He and his family are going to strike back. What are we willing to lose? We can let that dangle in front of them.”
I think about what we have coming and going. I picture our shipments and investments. I consider properties we own. The bratva already went after what we’d thought of as our ancestral home. It’s where our mom’s family lived when they first immigrated to the U.S. What else do our rivals think we value as much as that? That’s what they’ll go for.
“I’m not thrilled to say it after going all the way to Boston to retrieve the shite, but the rugs. Let them think they stole them from us. They can have the nanochips. We don’t need them that much. Seamus, put the word out to their informants. We can watch them scurry back to Luca and Carmine. The whole shipment is worth one-point-seven. I don’t like losing that much, but it’s a small price to pay to get them off our backs. We point them in the Cartel’s direction too.”
The blessing in disguise of chasing those damn rugs was finding out what’s going on with Thea’s family. Knowing it’s Corey means I can protect her better. Thinking about Boston leaves a lingering question for me.
“Why did Rowan think he could come for us? I left him alive for this week. I want him stewing over how we’re going to strike next. Joey and his brothers will go up and finish it for us.”
That means I need to think about who else to assign to Thea’s detail. Part of why Joey’s my first choice to guard Thea is because he’s so good at what he does. He’s not noticeable, but he notices everything. He blends in wherever he goes, so people don’t know he’s about to strike until they’re a breath away from dying. His brothers and cousin are the same way. Their dads trained alongside my dad and uncles. They all worked for Granddad at the same time, and their dads taught them just like my dad and uncles taught us. There aren’t too many men outside my immediate family who I trust as much as Joey, Simon, Fallon, and Ted.
Dillan leans away with his elbow on the arm of his chair as he looks over at me. “We still don’t know the answer to why Rowan got delusions of grandeur. Someone put Rowan up to it.”
“I figured as much, but there was no sign of who. I hacked his emails before I went to Boston and while I was there. I already dug around their finances. It makes sense why they’d want a high profit item like that tech shipment. But nothing makes sense about why they thought they could target us. Why not another Boston family? Why not a rival down here, rather than an ally? Rowan’s arrogant and stupid, but he has enough common sense not to target us unless he believes he has a sure-fire plan. He didn’t, but what made him think he did? Or better yet, who made him think he did?”
“Finn?” Thea calls out to me, but she must still be upstairs.
“Yeah.”
“Can I come down? I need to head back to work.”
I stand and walk to the family room’s open archway. “Yes. I’ll take you.”
She hurries down the stairs wearing a fresh pair of scrubs. Mint green. They make her eyes glow. God, she’s beautiful. All of her. Inside and out. Fuck. How’d I get so damn lucky?
She takes my offered hand and looks around me to the other guys. She shoots them a smile and gives a quick wave. I hold the door open for her, and before I step out, I look back at the others.
“I’ll be back after I drop Thea off.”