90. CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX
“Calder and Denton are waiting, bella,” I say to my wife, who’s in the nursery, packing up last minute supplies for our sons.
“I would never leave you, if…” She keeps her voice strong, as a queen must do.
Our two nannies take each boy into their arms, as I level stern glances at them.
Protect my princes with your life…
Hearing the Borgias are on their way to New York means I cannot risk my family on a plane to reach our safehouse in Michigan.
Our black site, a fortified warehouse is best and can easily be protected. It also has access to Astoria Harbor.
Ana, Darragh’s wife, and the new Bratva underboss, has already deployed heavily armed bratoks to the site.
The place will be surrounded by approximately one hundred men.
My wife, my sons, Priscilla—Riordan’s wife and their newborn lass, along with Katya, Lachlan’s wife, Darragh’s children Sophie, and baby James Patrick, are going into lockdown.
Fresh Quinlan cousins from Ireland, Trace and Rhys, have been dispatched to watch over Shea-Lynne.
My parents are always protected with guards. Cormac is in a camp, and I’ve already seen to his safety since he’s been wanted by the Borgias for over a month.
I watch my family get into an armored motorcade with Ewan Quinlan and his half-brother, Rian. I wave goodbye with a look of confidence.
All while I’m dying inside.
When they’re gone, I head to my office with heavy steps where Riordan, Lachlan, and Darragh wait for me.
“One month,” I say, bitterly, closing the door. “We had one fucking month of complete peace when we finally settled our score with the Bratva.”
Darragh clears his throat, taking credit for that one with his marriage to Ana, aka Stasia, the missing princess.
“Now the Vegas Cosa Nostra is hunting Eoghan,” I finish.
“Balor, you there?” Riordan presses on his earpiece and hands us each one.
“I’m here,” he says calmly, locked down in his command center and speaking to us via a secure signal. “Shane has counter-offenses tracking your plane, Kieran.”
“Aye,” I say.
“With no retaliation plans that Balor could detect from Borgia’s communications this past month…” Riordan says. “I believed the attempt on Darragh’s life in Seattle made us even for Cormac killing a hired hitman. A nobody they would have probably killed themselves for failing.”
“Eoghan was supposed to assure us of this.” Lachlan takes a seat, not looking worried. “But he apparently got sidetracked and is now bringing a war to Astoria.”
“And a woman,” Balor adds. “He’s in love with her, so tread lightly with him.”
“A prosecutor,” I mumble.
“You can’t choose who you love,” Lachlan singsongs.
“You’re a fine example of that.” Riordan slaps his shoulder. “The Borgias will not land their plane and come here guns blazing and attempt to take us out, just like we wouldn’t do that to them on their turf. Too many unknowns. Darragh, you were a sitting duck out in Seattle unfortunately.”
“Not anymore,” he opens his jacket to show us he’s packing heat.
“Not anymore, indeed, little brother.” I take a seat at my ornate desk, my da’s old desk. “Then how do we fix this? Eoghan’s woman killed their underboss. Not a soldier. Not a capo, the fucking underboss.”
“He held her down and tried to rape her,” Balor says softly.
Growls sound off around the room.
“Eoghan pumped the guy full of lead, too, but he was already dead,” Riordan says.
“It was symbolic, leaving his bullets in the guy’s brain,” Lachlan says, looking proud.
“Shane and I will make sure the Vegas ballistics reports come back empty and aren’t traced back to either of them,” Balor says.
“I don’t give a fuck about the LVPD,” I say. “The Borgias will never forget they saw their precious underboss gunned down.” Looking at my underboss, my brother, I sneer, “As I wouldn’t.”
“I agree those Borgia animals will avenge whosever bullet is in Scava’s brain,” Lachlan replies grimly.
“Either way, we won’t have an issue with the LVPD,” Balor says. “We’ve scooped up one of their top detectives.”
“Taryn’s call this morning gave us a heads up,” Darragh says.
“Also…” Balor keeps going because apparently, he’s amassed a fuck ton of information in a short amount of time. “And this a big one, guys… According to Eoghan, his woman is pregnant with his child.”
We take that shit deadly serious.
Not only does no one fuck with our women, a pregnant one? That’s an immediate death sentence. The only exception was Cormac who had some real misguided ideas about what to do with Anastasia Koslov when she was pregnant with his baby.
He’s alive because he’s my blood. But he’s paying for his sins every day in Dunbar Valley, a torture camp in Ireland.
“What do we think they’ll want?” I ask, sitting back. “We’re not handing over either Eoghan or his woman.”
Riordan, my strategic thinker, leans forward. “You tell us, Kier. What would you do if someone killed me?”
That puts this situation into a dark focus.
What if someone killed him in self-defense?
“Balor, what’s the relationship between Lazaro and Nico Scava?” I ask.
“That’s interesting…” Lachlan fingers his scar. “Is there anything we can lay on Nico to turn him against his brother?”
I scan each of mine, Riordan, Lachlan, Darragh… Could anything fracture us and turn us against each other. I fucking hope I never find out.
“The guy’s dead, it’s not like he can retaliate,” Darragh chimes in.
“But Nico can refuse to retaliate against us.” Riordan’s angle is clear.
“Only the Italians eat their own,” I say. “Dante Caruso killed his brother-in-law for power.”
Then I killed him when he tried to rape my wife.
I killed an underboss, who was technically the don, out of revenge and got away with it. Is our luck running out?
“Good point, Kieran. Let me see what I can find out,” Balor says, and puts us on mute.
“Where’s my plane now?” I ask.
“They’re set to land in an hour,” Riordan says.
“It’s very simple as far as I’m concerned.” I fold my hands. “The dead Scava tried to rape my brother’s woman, who’s pregnant with his child. Our blood. My blood.”
“Some Italian bosses don’t give a fuck about that,” Riordan says.
“We have to convince the one on his way here that he does.”