Bad Girl
Conrí
Cuán was sitting in my kitchen stuffing his face when I returned.
My brother had no shame. None whatsoever.
“How come you get Rua’s chicken pie? What am I?”
“The cheap imitation,” I snapped. “What were you thinking? I told you things were fragile and you barged in here tonight—twice.”
“I know you’re concerned, but she’ll come around,” he said with a shrug, stabbing his fork into the pie.
I studied him for a moment.
He was comfort eating.
Good.
“That will all go to your belly,” I said casually.
The fork halted midway to his mouth.
“I’ll work out all weekend,” he muttered, and stuffed the hunk of meat and pastry in anyway.
He chewed. Swallowed. I was almost out of the kitchen when he spoke again.
“When are you seeing her again? What happened after I left?”
“I’m telling you nothing. You can’t keep anything to yourself.”
“Oh, that reminds me. Mum and Dad are going to call you tomorrow to find out how it went.”
I closed my eyes briefly and said a quiet prayer for self-control before I walked out and slammed the door behind me.
His infuriating chuckle followed me all the way to my bedroom.
And that was when I relaxed.
I sat on the couch and looked out at the city—the Thames catching the light the way it always did, the building opposite dark and quiet. By all accounts tonight had been a success.
I’d met Nika’s Bad Girl.
Kael agreed. He wasn't docile—it had taken real restraint for him to behave as he had. But she’d settled. And to some degree she’d recognised us.
I took out my phone, photographed the view and sent it to her with a message.
Me: The view from my bedroom. You girls sleep well. I’ll see you on Monday.
I set the phone beside me and waited.
It wasn’t long.
Nika: A spectacular view. Goodnight.
No mention of Monday.
I smiled.
Glad that I was the boss.
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I read the email again wondering if I should add that it wasn't a visit due to the unspeakable event that took place on that floor.
From: cgallagher
To: shughes
Cc: dfitzgerald, charrington
Hi Steve,
I’d like to spend time on the Project Development floor today, ideally for the full working day. It’s been a while since I’ve had the opportunity to sit directly with the teams, and I think it’s important to reconnect with the work at ground level.
I’m particularly interested in observing how current projects are progressing in real time, understanding any operational challenges the team may be facing, and getting a clearer sense of where we can better support delivery from a leadership perspective.
It will also give me the opportunity to engage more informally and hear feedback firsthand.
There’s no need for anything formal or staged. I’d prefer to see the floor as it operates day to day, so minimal disruption would be appreciated. I’ll move between desks, sit in on discussions where appropriate, and keep things as unobtrusive as possible.
Claire, Daniel—please feel free to flag anything you think would be useful for me to see while I’m there.
I’ll make my way down shortly.
Kind regards,
Conrí Gallagher
Chief Executive Officer
Kilcullen Tech PLC
Think before printing. Please consider the environment. ??
I hit send.
Kael didn't need to voice his approval. I felt it.
We needed to strike a fine balance between dominance and care. Our Bad Girl was beneath the surface watching and assessing. What I’d considered instability was vulnerability.
She’d awakened years after her first shift should have taken place. She had no pack protection. A human personality that she was possibly still connecting with.
All weekend I’d studied her files and online presence. When I gained all her information, I’d studied it as if she were a threat to us. After tonight and Kael’s reaction to her, I knew better.
She was the firstborn of Ana and Niko. Sara came five years later. They were an ordinary family like millions of others.
Except Nika was mine.
Her Bad Girl was mine.
It all came down to our skills of persuasion if we were fortunate enough to be invited when she went into heat.
And even then there was no guarantee.
Kael stirred and a slow whine built in my chest.
The thought unsettled us.