Chapter 1
Chapter
One
Three and a half years later
CIAN
Today is the anniversary of the day that I killed my wife. I tortured her for six goddamned months, and put her out of her misery the same day I found my daughter.
I took my time, didn’t rush, and got creative. Burning, starving, sensory deprivation, and in-depth knowledge of Nancy’s fears made it a very enjoyable experience for me.
I think the snakes were probably the best part of it. They hissed, made her piss herself, and then bit the fuck out of her.
My lips are curled in amusement as I remember her screams when my daughter walks back out onto the patio. Just beyond it is the garden, where the flowers are still blooming, despite the incoming cooler weather of fall.
I like to think their brilliant colors are because Nancy’s ground up body parts are fertilizing them. Could be wishful thinking, but even the gardener mentioned how much prettier the flowers were now.
There’s something ironic about this, isn’t there?
“Sorry, I’m having trouble with staffing the heat spa,” Aisling sighs, getting comfortable on the patio couch.
I made sure the cushions had enough padding to sleep if she wanted to.
She works a lot of late nights. If her alphas are on a job for me, it means she can comfortably sleep outside at my house if she’s in the mood.
I live twenty minutes from the city if the roads are clear, which makes her work accessible.
“What kind of staffing does a heat spa need?” I ask incredulously.
Hiding a smile, Aisling shrugs.
“Maybe staffing was the wrong word. I need alphas who want to volunteer their time at the heat spa,” she explains. “Especially older alphas.”
My daughter lets that sit with me for about a minute before my eyes widen.
“Why older?!” I ask, my voice breaking with stress. “Isn’t the Host Club at University of Lyons up to the task?”
“Dad,” Aisling giggles. “Not everyone wants to have sex during their heat with eighteen to twenty-one year olds. There are some that want—”
“Please, please, please don’t finish that sentence,” I groan.
My daughter and I talk about just about everything, but this might be where I draw my line. Maybe. She has me wrapped around her finger.
“I have to,” she grins. “Unless you’re up for pimping out your work associates, I’m up a creek without a paddle. I have a few older betas that are willing to use a knot ring to help out, but I need others that have the stamina necessary for a heat.”
“This was not on my bingo card for conversations with my daughter,” I groan.
“I know, but you love me and all the inappropriate topics I manage to find,” she says.
“Let me think of people that I can talk into donating their sexual services” I grumble.
Aisling grins wildly, despite the heat of embarrassment in her cheeks.
“That’s being a team player!” she yells dramatically.
Chuckling under my breath, I watch as she drinks the whiskey we’ve been having outside. It’s a beautiful day, we may as well enjoy it. I’ll have one of her alphas drive her home. My daughter can be a lightweight.
“What else is going on with the heat spa?” I ask. “Are the officials finally lightening up?”
“You mean ever since they changed commissioners?” she asks. Recently, some of the more crooked politicians in Minneapolis were forcibly removed from office.
Basically, a very scary assassin decided to do a few good deeds for the city after we worked together to help her out of a bind. Isolde has a very particular sense of justice, but it worked out for us.
“Yes,” I agree, sipping my drink. The whiskey burns just enough, the perfect thing to take the edge off this conversation.
“We’re officially able to open for free to the public later this month,” Aisling says proudly. She’s been working her ass off to get this done.
While there are other heat clinics available, some of them can be shady. This spa has various amenities that the others have like a sauna, ice baths, massages, and a variety of facials.
“Is the rest of the spa, ah, staffed?” I ask delicately, making Aisling cover her face as she snorts.
“Yes, Dad, they are,” she wheezes. “We have receptionists, estheticians, spa staff, security, and all other relative positions filled by really amazing people. It’s just the, ah—”
“The alpha dicks,” Hayes smirks, coming out with the whiskey bottle. “I promise not to eavesdrop any further. Boss, you’re starting to look constipated.”
“I’m not cleaning blood today out of anything,” Aisling sighs. “I swear, it’s like you’re asking for a bullet wound, Aiden.”
“Maybe I’m bored,” he teases her, kissing her cheek. “I’m going to my appointments. Don’t pick on the old man too much.”
Picking up a cute figurine on a table, I ask myself if I can throw it well enough and not hit Aisling. Hayes winces, knowing he’s running out of luck.
“Bye,” he mutters, ducking back into the house as I return the figurine to the table.
“How are you on supplies?” I ask as if Hayes had never come out here.
“I haven’t had any more issues with Omega’s Haven or the heat spa,” Aisling says happily.
We are both ignoring Hayes. Good to know. They haven’t had the smoothest of paths in their relationship, but it’s gotten much better. He treats her like the queen that she is.
“Good. And the transitional living apartments?” I ask. I haven’t had a chance to catch up with her in a hot minute, so I want to make sure she’s not having issues.
Aisling wants to do everything alone, and that’s not necessary. She has a support system, she should use it.
“Finally complete,” she says happily. “We have omegas and their families already moving in. I’m so happy things are starting to fall into place.”
“So your life is perfect except for that one thing, huh?” I ask begrudgingly. Her angelic smile isn’t fooling me at all. “Way to lay that on thick, kiddo.”
“Yup. I mean, I’m trying to figure out what I want to do for my birthday, but outside of that? Life is pretty perfect,” she shrugs.
“God, I cannot believe I’m about to fucking do this,” I grumble. “I will throw my hat into the ring if you present at the senior mafia families meeting to discuss the need that the heat spa is currently having.”
“Oh that’s dirty,” she hisses, leaning forward with a laugh. A cool breeze blows through the covered patio, and Aisling pulls a blanket down over her legs.
“Are you saying my daughter folds?” I gasp, pretending to be aghast.
Aisling isn’t a quitter.
“Most of those men are married and packed up, Dad,” she reminds me.
“I’m aware. So I’ll amend our wager to include that the meeting includes all eligible bachelors over the age of thirty,” I decide. “I bet that’ll draw out a few of the packs that exist on the outskirts of our community.”
“Like Pack Royal?” Aisling asks. “I think they just threw in the towel on dating. Nothing has gone right for them. I feel bad.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong. Your fate is tied elsewhere,” I murmur. “It does seem that they’ve had shit luck when it comes to finding an omega. I’ll make sure they get a special invite to the meeting. Are you game?”
“I’m always game,” she says, pushing her blonde hair off her shoulders and pulling it up into a twist to get it off her neck. Her hair has been growing, and she is glowing with health.
There’s no hurry for things in life when you’re happy and with the people you love. On the flip side, it means you might make some very questionable decisions.
“Then if you can get forty percent of the alphas who attend the meeting to agree to, ah, staff the heat clinic on a rolling rotation, I promise to throw my hat in the ring,” I decide.
Her surprised face tells me that she didn’t expect me to say that.
“Seriously?” she asks, eyes wide. “Forty percent, huh?”
“Yep,” I say. “I’ll schedule the meeting for a week from today so you can get your shit together.”
“Fuck,” she breathes. “I can do this. I accept!”
I don’t know whether I’m more worried she’ll fail or succeed. Oh well, what’s done is done. Relaxing into the couch, I decide to finish my whiskey before I start making calls.
Procrastination at its finest.