Chapter Twelve
Aiden woke up early. He watched Charlie for a few minutes, marveling at how different she looked with her face relaxed in sleep, one arm flung over her head as she breathed evenly. It was almost enough to draw him back to bed to lose himself in her for a few more hours.
Last night had been a reprieve—a welcome one that he had every intention of revisiting—but now there was business to attend to.
He showered and dressed, and then headed downstairs to take care of any complications that had arisen overnight, before the rest of the household was up and about.
Business had been quiet for the last year as they’d engaged in their cold war with Romanov.
Aiden hadn’t wanted to pull the trigger on full-out war, and the Russian seemed just as hesitant for reasons unknown.
In the meantime, the O’Malleys were pulling in as much from their legit businesses as they were from the darker side of things.
He reached the bottom of the stairs, and stopped short. Liam blocked his way. The man looked downright worried.
Cause for worry was a problem, but if there was immediate danger, they wouldn’t be standing there staring at each other. He waited, but Liam didn’t seem all that inclined to break the silence. Finally, Aiden sighed. “What’s going on?”
Liam cleared his throat. “You should go to your office. Immediately.”
That had been his intention, but now it seemed that was the last place he wanted to be. He gave himself a mental shake. Whatever was waiting for him there couldn’t be worse than he’d faced in the last few years. Still…“You’re very cryptic this morning.”
His man hesitated and then muttered, “Seamus is back.”
He froze. No. But there was nothing joking on Liam’s face. Which meant his father was, in fact, behind the office door, waiting for him. At six in the morning. “How long has he been here?”
“He got in last night.” Liam held up his hands and took a step back. “I was under command not to disturb you. He’s been in the office since he got here.”
“What time last night?”
“Around eleven.”
Which meant someone had called him about the party, and he’d left the house in Connecticut almost immediately to drive here. The only reason Seamus O’Malley would be back and snooping was because he expected to catch Aiden doing something he shouldn’t be doing.
Considering the plan he’d already put into motion, there was quite a bit for his father to find.
I don’t have to explain anything to him. He took himself out of the equation when he left and never came back.
The thought wasn’t comforting in the least. He shot a look at Liam. “Is my mother here?”
“Yes.”
Then shit was definitely going to be hitting the fan.
The only thing worse than dealing with his father was having his mother sniffing around Charlie. She’d more than proven she could hold her own, but it was one thing to face down his enemies and his siblings. His mother was a different animal altogether.
One thing at a time.
Aiden took a steadying breath that did nothing to steady him, and headed for the office.
There was no point in delaying this coming confrontation—because it would be a confrontation.
He’d worked too damn hard to get all the pieces in motion to have his father step in and fuck it up.
No matter how much Seamus O’Malley liked power.
Aiden stepped through the door and closed it softly behind him. “Hello, Father.”
Seamus didn’t look up from the desk, where he had several stacks of paper scattered. “You sure as hell made a mess of things while I was away, didn’t you?”
“Actually—”
“Sit down and shut up. I’m speaking.”
Aiden instinctively moved for the chair before he caught himself. He straightened, working hard to keep his voice calm and controlled. “With all due respect, you don’t have the full story.”
“Don’t I? In the last year, you lost your sister Sloan, handing her off to none other than Jude MacNamara, one of the deadliest hit men out there, in addition to being a sworn enemy to our closest allies, the Sheridans.
You also reached out to yet another enemy and offered your baby sister to him in marriage to keep your cowardly hide safe—feel free to step in if you think I’ve got it wrong—and you’ve hooked up with some gold digger and put my mother’s ring on her finger.
It sure as hell sounds like you’re so busy thinking with your cock that you’re not doing what is required of you.
” Seamus sat back. “So I’ve come to resume control. ”
Absolutely not.
Aiden wrangled back his instinctive response—but only barely. “We’re in a delicate position currently—”
“Because of your actions.” His father’s dark eyes were steely. Unforgiving. “All your current problems are a direct result of steps you’ve taken.”
Aiden crossed his arms over his chest, and then abandoned the stance because it made him look defensive, and looks mattered when it came to going toe to toe with his father.
He couldn’t let his temper off its leash, because any display of emotion would confirm the impression he didn’t want—that he was out of control.
“We need to remove Dmitri Romanov from the equation.”
“Then maybe you should have paid Sloan’s new man to do exactly that.” Seamus steepled his fingers. “You want a chance to explain yourself? Now’s the time. Because I have half a mind to remove you from the situation.”
Aiden froze and did his damnedest to smother the instinctive fear that had been drilled into his head from the time he was a kid. Fear wasn’t driving him. He refused to allow it.
He dropped into the seat and stared his father down, keeping his words clipped.
“You want to throw around accusations? Fine. We’ll do that.
I’ve been the one running this family for the last year and a half while you were out licking your wounds.
You handed over the reins. You don’t get to come take them back because you don’t like how I do things.
I’m the head of the O’Malley family now. ”
“Watch your tone, boy.”
Aiden kept his tone contained and calm even though all he wanted to do was throw something.
“If you’d stopped to talk to me instead of coming in here behind my back—which just proves that you know coming back here like this was bullshit—you would know that I have no intention of letting Keira marry Romanov.
It’s a stalling tactic while I get the rest of the game into play. ”
Seamus sat back. “I’m listening.”
Aiden couldn’t help feeling like he was delivering a closing speech and his father would act as judge, jury, and executioner if he fucked it up. “Taking out Dmitri Romanov would split New York wide open and create a power vacuum. We have no control of who steps into the hole Romanov would leave.”
His father made a noncommittal noise, so he kept going. “But if I take his power before we remove him, it lessens the impact of his absence—and allows for us to gain a stronger foothold in his territory.”
“And how, exactly, is this ploy about marrying off your sister part of the plan?”
Seamus was taking an awfully high horse considering that three years ago, he had tried to force Carrigan into marrying the same damn man.
“Romanov came to me for help, which indicates that he’s in a precarious place at the moment. He wants Keira. He has for some time now, if I’m not guessing wrong. While he’s distracted with her, he’s not going to be looking for a knife in the back from one of his allies.”
“You’re underestimating him.”
“I can’t afford to.” Romanov wasn’t a fool. He’d expect some kind of betrayal, but he needed Aiden’s help badly enough to risk it. What was more, the fact that he was willing to negotiate about Keira meant that he really wanted her. His actions at the party last night had only driven that home.
His baby sister was nothing but bait. They might be temporary allies with the Russian, but one wrong move would put it all in jeopardy. Romanov said he’d give her a choice, but that was shit-all of a guarantee that he wouldn’t cart her off to New York the first chance he got.
Not going to happen.
Seamus shook his head. “It’s too much risk for too little payoff.”
“Bullshit. Romanov is going to take us out. He’s got the ability to do it, and we both know it.
The only reason he hasn’t is because we keep Olivia and her daughter safe—and because he wants Keira.
” When it came right down to it, that was the tipping point to the man offering the alliance in the first place.
He had to know Aiden would fight him every step of the way if he tried to force his hand.
More flies with honey and all that bullshit.
“You’re right. He could have taken us out—and he damn well fucking will if he finds out you’re planning on going back on your word and crossing him.” Seamus shoved to his feet. “I don’t care if you’ve been running things for a day or a year—you’re out. It’s over.”
Nothing his father said made any sense. He shook his head. “So, what? You’re going to renounce the engagement and have him come after us for blood? You just said that he could take us all out.”
“There’s only one option—thanks to you. You will honor the alliance and do whatever the Russian says. Your sister has to marry Romanov. No schemes. No knives in the back.” Seamus strode for the door. “You made your bed. Now Keira has to sleep in it.”
* * *
Charlie had just finished getting ready when a knock at the bedroom door drew her out. She opened it to find Keira there, the very picture of nervous energy. “Hey.”
“You want to get out of here for a little bit?” She shot a look down the hall like she was afraid someone would catch them and drag them back to their rooms.
Charlie followed her gaze. “Looking for someone?”
“My parents came back into Boston last night unexpectedly.” She made a face. “The very last thing I need is to be cornered by either of them.”
Aiden’s parents were back? Was that why she’d woken up alone?