Chapter Eighteen
RONAN
I’m more than reluctant to leave Kieran’s place, but I have more important things to do than babysit my brothers.
To say the rest of the family meeting was unsuccessful is an understatement, seeing as Kieran and Cormac can barely stand to look at each other.
If I have any hope of getting Cormac to move back to New York permanently, Kieran needs to have an attitude transplant. Otherwise, he might just cost us everything.
Sliding into my car, my jaw aches from clenching it for the past few hours. My body is practically vibrating, and I’m tempted to slam my fist through one of Kieran’s car windows just to prove a point.
We’re supposed to be working as a unit to uphold the legacy our father left behind. But so far, we’re letting him down. Our family is nothing but a fractured mess, with too many opinions and not enough discipline. If we don’t get our shit together soon, someone will take advantage of the cracks.
Before I start the engine, I pull out my phone and open up my security app, which is connected to the security system back at home. It's a habit I’ve had since we installed the system, but it’s become more of an obsession in the days since my father was killed.
It’s no secret that I like control, which means when it comes to my estate, I need to know who’s coming and going at all times, including my own staff.
But this time, it’s not the staff I’m checking on. It’s Ciara.
The feed loads quickly, and I switch between camera angles until I find her inside my room.
“What are you up to, little firecracker?” I switch to another angle as she walks over to my dresser.
I frown as she runs a finger along the top, as if gearing herself up for something. Then she opens the top drawer and starts digging through my items.
Her brow is furrowed, which piques my interest.
It isn’t just casual curiosity that has her looking through my things. This is purposeful. She’s looking for something.
I sit back and watch for a minute as she methodically moves on to the next drawer, moving things around with care, presumably in an attempt to go unnoticed.
My mouth quirks as I watch her.
I’m not sure whether to be pissed or impressed that she has the guts to go snooping through my things when she knows damn well there will be consequences if I find out. But that only adds to my curiosity.
Ciara is up to something, and I have every intention of finding out what it is.
She’s waiting for me in the kitchen when I get home, leaning against the counter with her arms crossed, although it’s obvious to me that she’s trying really hard not to look guilty.
I stand in the doorway for a moment as I let my eyes roam over her body, admiring the way her pink leggings and crop top hug her curves.
Add to the fact that her blonde hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and I have a recipe for disaster as I picture wrapping her hair around my fist and tugging on it hard.
When she catches me staring, her cheeks flush pink, which sends a rush of blood straight to my cock.
“You were working late.” She fiddles with the hem of her top.
“I was at Kieran’s.”
“How is he?”
I swallow a laugh at her attempt to act casual.
Does she really think I can’t see the guilt written all over her face?
“Same as always. He’s an asshole.” I stalk toward the island.
“Good to know.”
I bite the inside of my cheek as I rest my forearms on the cold marble. Time to ask the question that’s been burning in my mind since I saw her in my room.
“So, did you find anything interesting while you were snooping through my things?”
Her shoulders stiffen as she looks up at me under her lashes.
“Don’t trouble yourself with lying, Tine Bheag. I saw you on the cameras.”
Her face pales, but then her eyes turn to daggers as she rounds the island. “You were watching me?”
“Of course, I was,” I turn to lean against the counter, folding my arms across my chest.
She spins, scanning the corners of the kitchen. “Where are the cameras?”
“Everywhere. Except your bedroom and the bathrooms, of course. I’m not a complete bastard.”
She turns to glare at me, her nostrils flaring. “You’ve had cameras watching me the entire time?”
“It’s my house. Did you really think I wouldn’t have surveillance?”
“That’s disgusting.”
“What’s disgusting is you going through my private things. So, I’m going to ask you again, did you find anything?”
Her cheeks flush as she folds her arms, drawing my attention to her tits for just a second too long. I grit my teeth as I fight the urge to adjust myself.
“I wasn’t looking for anything. I was bored, and you told me to make myself at home.”
“So, were you wanting to make space for your things in my dresser, is that it?”
She narrows her eyes at me, and I smirk as I push off the island and take a step closer to her.
“While I did tell you to make yourself at home, that didn’t mean rifling through my drawers like you’re on a fucking scavenger hunt.”
She huffs as she flicks her ponytail over her shoulder. “I need something to do. I’m going crazy, sitting around all day waiting for you to grace me with your presence.”
Is she seriously using boredom as an excuse?
I rub a hand over my jaw as I try to keep a lid on my temper. “So, go shopping or get a facial. That’s what wives do, isn’t it?”
Ciara rolls her eyes so hard I half expect her to pull something. “I want to work. You said this was a business arrangement, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“Then treat it like one.”
“By having you work for me? Yeah. No, I don’t think so.”
“Why not?” She punches her hands on her hips.
“Because you’re my wife, not my employee, and to be quite honest, Tine Bheag, it’s time you started acting like it.”
“Oh, you mean obedient and available on demand?”
I wet my lower lip with my tongue as I purposely let my eyes roam over her curves. “That wouldn’t hurt.”
“This isn’t a fucking fairy tale, Ronan. You didn’t marry a sweet, pliable girl who’s going to sit around and wait for her man to come home. I have skills that could be helpful to you.”
Jesus fucking Christ.
My cock strains painfully against my zipper as I take another step closer to Ciara, trying not to picture her dropping to her knees in front of me.
“Oh, I’m sure you do, Tine Bheag.”
She scowls, but I catch the flicker of heat in her eyes and know she’s picturing the same thing, which makes my cock twitch.
“Not like that. Never like that.”
“That’s funny because if I hadn’t stopped the other night, you would have come on my tongue.”
Her jaw hits the floor as her cheeks flush vivid scarlet.
I chuckle under my breath, loving how fired up she gets.
“And whose fault was that? You didn’t exactly give me room to think.”
“I wasn’t looking for thoughtful conversation, unless of course you screaming my name as you climax counts.”
“You think very highly of yourself.”
“You’re not the only one with skills, sweetheart.”
I watch with smug satisfaction as her throat bobs. But then she shakes her head, her blonde ponytail swaying around her shoulders.
“I meant my IT degree.”
“I don’t follow.”
“I specialized in cyber security and data encryption. I also minored in finance, so I worked the books for my father for years, making sure the money flowed…clean. I made sure no one could trace it.”
I blink.
That isn’t what I was expecting her to say at all, and I have to say I’m a little impressed.
“And you’re just telling me this now?”
She shrugs, still clearly pissed with me. “You never asked. Besides, you’ve made it very clear that you think I’m just some spoiled brat with a nice rack.”
I swallow a laugh. “You’re definitely a brat, but don’t sell yourself short.
Your rack is a lot better than nice.” I flick my gaze down to her breasts.
“But you’re also not as clever as you think you are if you learned anything about business from your father.
That man was a snake with bad instincts. ”
Her green eyes flash. “Don’t talk about my father like that.”
“I’ll talk about him however I want. He’s dead, remember? Probably because he didn’t know who the fuck he was messing wi—”
She springs forward, her palm cracking across my cheek before I can even register her moving.
My skin barely stings, but I suck in a breath.
I knew Ciara had fire, but she's walking a very thin line.
“If you want to be a cold bastard, that’s your business. But you don’t get to insult my father in my face.”
I exhale before taking a step closer, until my chest almost brushes against hers, and I wrap my hand around the back of her neck, holding her in place as I lower my head so that our noses almost touch.
“You’d do well to remember that I’m the one who owns this house, and everything in it.” I squeeze her neck slightly. Not enough to hurt her but enough to remind her who’s in charge. “If you want something to do, you can start by having dinner ready for me when I get home, like a good little wife.”
“Make your own damn dinner.” She pushes against my chest.
I drop my hand from her neck and step back, letting her storm from the kitchen in a rage. I stare after her, too damn pissed to even appreciate the sight of her ass in those pink leggings.
Ciara says I give her whiplash with my moods, but she’s just as bad. One minute, there’s such heat between us that I almost bend her over the kitchen island, and the next, she’s looking at me like she wants me dead.
I’m no stranger to hard work, but Ciara McCarthy is on a whole new level. I’d do well to stop thinking with my dick and remember why she’s here in the first place. But that’s easier said than done when her smart mouth and killer curves have me thinking such dirty thoughts.
I wait until her bedroom door slams shut before stalking from the kitchen to my office.
The feeling of Ciara’s palm against my cheek still lingers, so I pour myself a glass of whiskey in the hopes of settling myself and carry it over to the desk.
It feels wrong to be sitting in my father’s chair and drinking his whiskey. This room was once his sanctuary and now it’s mine, but I feel anything but at peace.
Downing the rest of my drink, I pull out my phone and give Connell another call.
He picks up on the third ring, his voice groggy like I’ve dragged him from a nap or a bottle.
“Yeah?”
“Any update on the encrypted payments?”
“Still working on it. They’re heavily protected. I’ve never seen code like this in your father’s ledgers before. Whoever buried these numbers knew exactly what they were doing.”
Shit. This is not good.
“Can you crack it?”
“Eventually, but it’s going to take time.”
Time I might not have.
I rub my forehead as I try to think through what to do.
“Do you think my father was hiding something?”
Connell hesitates, which is an answer in itself. “Honestly? Maybe. There are layers in this encryption that weren’t standard for any of your operations. It’s...weird.”
Not exactly the comforting words I was hoping to hear. “I want another update by morning.”
“On it, boss.”
I hang up the call and lean back in the leather chair, staring at the ceiling as I try to look at this from my father’s perspective.
All of the other transactions had been scrubbed clean and were legitimate-looking on the surface except for the encrypted ones. So, there must have been a reason why my father wanted to hide them. But the question is, from whom?
My father made sure to teach me this business, inside and out, so the fact I can’t access these files makes me nervous.
I think back to Ciara’s offer and how she admitted to having specialized in cybersecurity and data encryption. She might be a pain in my ass, but maybe she can actually prove herself to be useful by taking a look at these files.
As much as I hate the idea of handing her over my family’s secrets, I might not have any other choice, because right now, I’m not just fighting to keep this empire afloat, I’m fighting to understand what the fuck my father got himself into and what he left for me to clean up.