Chapter 57 - Declan
Declan
Ronan’s messages to Verity were highly inappropriate.
I should have muted the chat, so I didn’t have to read the bullshit he came out with, but I lived for her replies.
Not that she replied often. Since my brothers created the chat and added me, I’d monitored her level of engagement. It was minimal at best.
A few emojis here and there.
The man sitting opposite me huffed in irritation when I failed to respond to his question. I looked up and fixed him with a glacial stare. The mayor could shove his attitude right up his wrinkly ass. I was doing him a fucking favor, not the other way round.
With a sigh, I pushed my phone back into my desk drawer and focused on the matter at hand.
“My contact has sent me enough evidence to shut down the operation.”
The mayor paled. “And does this contact of yours have names?”
“He does.” My face remained blank, but inside, I raged. The mayor’s name had been on the list of members who used the club. A notorious club where powerful men wielding their money and power abused young women. Sick bastards.
Thanks to Milo and his shadowy network of hackers, we’d accumulated enough evidence to shut down the remaining trafficking network that traded women and girls across Europe. Boys, too, according to the documents I’d seen.
Not all the clients on Milo’s list had been men; I spotted at least one high-flying female politician with a predilection for young boys.
“I can keep your name out of it if you play your cards right,” I told the mayor. Of course, I had zero intention of protecting him, but the man reeked of desperation.
Relief and then anger flashed across his face. Relief that he wouldn’t be going to prison and anger that I now had leverage over him.
“What do you need?” He shuffled on his chair while staring at my drink. I took a sip just to mess with him, licking my lips appreciatively at the complex peaty flavors. Landon Rothmore was a jumped-up little prick, but his family made damn fine whiskey.
“I need you to sign off on some planning applications for me.” The bastard had been stalling on my nightclub development project for months now, and the investors were getting twitchy.
No doubt he’d been hoping for a bigger payout, not to mention a stake in what would become a very profitable business, but thanks to Milo, this meeting had turned into a shakedown.
One where the oily fuck sitting across from me had no room to maneuver.
“Done,” he agreed without hesitation. “But I need to know you’ll wipe my name from the paperwork.”
I smiled. “Of course, Shane. I have no intention of ending our lucrative partnership.” I had every intention of doing that and already had a suitable candidate lined up as his replacement. But he didn’t know yet.
“Wonderful.” The stupid fucker relaxed in his chair; happy he’d dodged a bullet. “I’ll have my PA send you the planning approvals once the paperwork has been signed off.”
“Good. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”
“Of course, Declan. Good doing business with you, as always.”
Ash appeared in the doorway to show the slimy bastard out and I sat back down to check messages and emails.
Pixie: I miss you too.
Pixie: Both of you.
She missed my brothers, but not me.
Verity had done exactly what I told her to do: forgotten about me and moved on with her life. So why did it feel like she’d ripped my heart out of my chest?
I scrolled back through the messages from the last five weeks, skimming over the ones from the twins and lingering on any she’d sent them. She seemed settled. Not exactly happy but not spiraling either.
From what little I’d gleaned from Milo, Verity had spent her time relaxing by the pool most days. Working on her tan.
My dick hardened as I imagined her rubbing coconut sun lotion into her lush curves and I lost myself to a fantasy where it was me massaging her tits.
Fuck.
The office door swung open with a bang, startling me. I dropped my phone on the desk, face up. Ronan spotted what I’d been looking at and grinned.
“Time’s up, brother. I’m done waiting.”
“Waiting?” My left eye twitched.
“Yeah, waiting for you to get your head out of your ass. You can come with us or stay here jerking off to the security footage you have of our girl.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
The bastard smirked. “We’re not stupid. We know there are cameras in her room. Of course you perved on her.”
I spluttered in outrage. How dare he!
Only he was right. I’d watched the same clip on repeat, night after night. The one where she lay on her bed, thighs parted, her perfect pussy on display for me.
“Fuck you,” I muttered.
He rolled his shoulders, his smile fading. “We’re flying to the states in two hours. Come with us or don’t. It’s your call.” With that revelation ringing in my ears, he stalked off, leaving me to fume silently at his fucking attitude.
How dare he push me on this!
I sighed. It pained me to admit it, but Ronan was right. I’d tried to keep my distance, for her sake, but I’d failed miserably. My princess had broken down my walls and wormed her way into my heart.
It was too late.
If I didn’t claim her, I might lose her forever.
And the thought of that happening broke me.
Sharing her with my brothers wasn’t the worst idea in the world. Given how often the girl ended up in danger, she needed the three of us to ensure she never suffered again.
It was time she knew she was mine.