Lorenzo #2
"Tony," I say and watch the shock seep into his eyes.
"Tony has been part of this organization for over thirty years," I say.
"He has access to everything. He's trusted with everything.
Nobody questions him because his loyalty has been proven since before you and I were old enough to sit at those tables. "
Daithí's jaw is very tight. "I know."
"The diary made me doubt his loyalty," I say.
"Orla saw Tony and Daire when she was underage. If that got out, he’d stand to lose everything.
" I hold his gaze. "Someone was feeding information out of your organization and mine simultaneously.
To do that you need a source in each place.
Tony is your source. I think Bruno is mine. "
Daithí is very still.
"Bruno has been with my father since I was born," I say. "He has the same access Tony has. The only proof I have is seeing him and Daire looking cozy at an event. It’s not concrete evidence. I doubt it even counts as evidence, but I have a friend looking into it."
"Daire," Daithí says slowly, like he’s working it out as he speaks.
"Would have known how to use both of them.
She had leveraged Tony because of what she and he were doing.
We need to figure out what she has on Bruno.
" He shakes his head. "Fuck. We have two sources within two organizations.
That accounts for the cross-family pattern. "
"It also accounts for the Morozov losses," I say. "She’s close to Rurik. They’re set to marry soon, although it's the third time the date’s been pushed back with no word of why. Either way, she's inside that organization now, too."
"She's been building something," Daithí says. "The question is what and with who?”
"Someone is helping her," I say. "The offshore account, the shell companies, the acquisitions, they’ve been using her stolen intelligence to position her and them financially."
Daithí stands and starts pacing. "My sister is a fucking liability," he says, his voice lethally quiet.
"If Ronan doesn't get control of this," I say, needing him to understand and get on board.
"It becomes a Syndicate matter, and when that happens, nobody will stand beside Ronan.
Not me, not the Kings, and Morozov knows better than to go against us.
" I hold his gaze, letting the information sink in.
"He will be isolated, and there’s no coming back from that for the Delaney organization. "
Daithí turns to face me, his jaw set and his eyes wild. "I know. If he can't fix this, I will." He starts to pace again. "I've been ready for it for a long time, I've been waiting for him to give me a reason."
I look at him and see the wicked smile play on his face. "Daire has given him every reason," Daithí says. "If he doesn't act on it, then whatever happens to this family is on him. And I'll build something from what's left."
"Find her," I say. "Before she does something that takes all of this past the point where it can be managed."
"I think you misunderstood me, Lorenzo. I said Daire has given me every reason to take my father’s business, but also she has made it so that I only have one sister, Quinn. What happens to Daire is not my concern. Not anymore.”
I grin at him. I like the way he’s thinking. “I’ll speak to you soon, Daithi,” I tell him and exit the Delaney house.
I know this shit’s not over, it’s far fucking from it, but at least I know that if shit hits the fan, Daithi is poised to take over and Ronan will be dead in the bottom of a gutter when it all comes tumbling down around him.
I arrive home and head to the place where I know I’ll find my wife. The library.
I open the door and walk in. It’s quiet, which means that Val isn’t here. My sister can’t stay quiet for too long, whereas Quinn can and enjoys the peace. She's in her chair. She has her book open but she's not reading, she's looking at the fire.
She looks up when I get close. I take a seat in the chair across from her and I look at her for a moment. She’s in her pajama shorts and tank top, no make up on, with her hair tied into a knot on the top of her head, but she’s gorgeous. Utterly fucking beautiful.
"Daire is gone," I tell her.
Her entire body freezes at my words and her eyes grow wide with fear. "Gone where?"
She thinks I killed her. I want to, God, I want to kill the bitch.
It’s what I had intended on doing on the drive to the Delaney home, but I knew Quinn would feel it deeply, and that bitch has caused her too many tears already.
"Nobody knows. She left yesterday morning and hasn't been in contact since, but we’re looking for her. "
"Did you threaten my parents?" She asks.
My lips twitch. That wasn’t what I had expected her to say. "Yes."
"Both of them?"
"Yes."
She breathes. "Lorenzo—"
"Your mother tried to dismiss a death threat as Daire being emotional. I didn't touch her this time. I made it very clear what would happen if Daire follows through on what she wrote."
Quinn is quiet for a moment, and I know that she’s trying to deal with the fact that her sister is very likely to end up dead soon, because we both know that bitch isn’t going to stop her sadistic shit.
"I'm not going to apologize for it," I say.
"I'm not asking you to," she sighs, bringing her knees to her chest. "I'm just adjusting. It's strange, having someone deal with it for me. I've been managing Daire for so long that watching someone else handle it feels like something I should stop."
"You don't have to stop it," I tell her. "What happened to you in that house wasn't normal. I need you to understand that, to believe that.” She's quiet, and heaviness hits my chest. "Quinn?"
"I know it wasn't normal," she whispers. "Logically, I know that."
"But?"
She releases a harsh breath. "But that's all I've ever known. I spent so long adjusting to it that I stopped noticing what I was adjusting to."
"I know," I say.
She looks at me with an expression I've been learning to read over the past weeks. It means she has something she wants to ask, something she isn't sure is allowed to.
"Ask," I say.
Her eyes are filled with fear and pain. "Do you think she'll actually try something?"
"I think Daire has been escalating, and I don't know why or what caused it, but what I know is that I don’t believe that she’ll leave you be."
I watch as her eyes fill with tears. I fucking hate that bitch, Daire. She’s caused Quinn enough pain to last her a lifetime.
“Come here,” I instruct, and she doesn’t hesitate.
She gets to her feet and walks over to where I’m sitting.
I reach for her and pull her onto my lap, my arms wrapping around her and holding her tight.
"No more managing things alone," I say, and when she goes to protest, I add, "That's not a suggestion. "
She raises an eyebrow slightly. "Is it an order?"
"It's a promise I'm asking you to make." I hold her gaze. "If she contacts you, if anyone contacts you on her behalf, if something feels wrong, you tell me. Immediately, with no exceptions."
"And if I decide it's something small and I can handle it—"
"You tell me, and then you decide that," I say, cutting her off. "But you tell me first."
She looks at me for a long moment. "You're not going to let this go, are you?" She asks.
"No."
"You're very annoying," she says, her lips twitching.
"I've been told that before."
Her brows furrow and the almost smile she had vanishes. "By who?"
Wait, is that jealousy that I hear in her voice?
"Valentina, mostly."
That smile returns this time, full blown.
My arms tighten around her. "Promise me?” I ask.
She looks at where my arms are around her and she nods. "Fine," she says. "I promise."
I press a kiss to her head. “Thank you,” I say, relief coursing through me. I know that she’ll stick to her promise.
She rests her head against my shoulder and releases a contented sigh as she sinks into my embrace.
Fuck, I love how at ease and comfortable she is with me now.
I can’t deny how much I enjoy having her in my arms, in my bed, fuck, in my life.
I knew there was something different about her, I just didn’t know that it would be me falling for her.
My cell rings, breaking through our quiet. I reach into my pocket, careful not to jostle Quinn who’s still on my lap with my arm clamped around her so she doesn’t get up.
I look at the screen and see it’s Tempest calling. "Talk,” I say as I answer.
"I found something." His voice has a slight excitement to it, which means whatever it is, is big, and it’s about damn time.
I stay very still. Beside me, Quinn lifts her head slightly. "What is it?" I ask.
"The offshore account," Tempest says. "I got through the final layer. The account holder, Lorenzo, it's not Daire."
I go still. Fuck. I knew it, but fuck, I had hoped I was wrong, that she was tied to this and had been playing a good game. But no, now we have an unknown target gunning for us and no idea who the fucker is.
"Someone has been funding her," Tempest says. "Someone with serious money and serious reach. Someone who's been using Daire as the operational face while they sit behind everything and run it." He pauses. "This isn't about the Delaneys or the Marianos or Daire being jealous of her sister."
"What is it about?" I ask.
"I don't know yet," Tempest says. "But whoever is behind this account has been building something for a very long time, and they're not done."
Quinn has gone still, she can hear everything that I’ve said and is worried, I can see it in her eyes.
"Find out who it is," I demand. "Tonight if possible."
"Working on it," Tempest says and ends the call.
"This isn't about Daire," I tell her knowing that’s what she’s probably thinking.
She sinks into me once more. “Just be safe,” she whispers.
I kiss the top of her head and hold her a little tighter.
Because for the first time since this started, I'm no longer worried about what Daire Delaney might do. I'm worried about the person pulling her strings.