“You know damn well that Seamus is in Connecticut,” Teague snapped. “I’d think you’d be as grateful as the rest of us for his absence.”
“It’s not like I see him when he is in town. That’s your burden to bear, obedient son that you are.” Carrigan smoothed back her hair. “Though I much prefer dealing with Aiden to Seamus. At leastyouaren’t pretending I’m dead and buried.”
There were so many undercurrents that Charlie felt adrift in shark-infested waters. These people had been playing dangerous political games long before she showed up—long before Dmitri Romanov was on their radar, too, she’d wager.
Aiden ignored his siblings’ bickering and looked around the room before nodding at Liam. The man detached himself from the wall he’d been leaning against and moved to stand next to them. Aiden spoke low enough that Charlie doubted anyone else could hear him. “Where is Keira?”
“Mark’s on her, but I don’t have the exact location. I’ll look into it.” Liam walked through the door, and if she hadn’t been watching him so closely, she would have missed the flicker of worry in Aiden’s green eyes.
Carrigan clapped. “You’ve lost Keira. Again. Congratulations.” Apparently, Aidenhadn’tspoken softly enough. His oldest sister’s upper lip curled into a truly impressive sneer. “You really know how to treat your sisters, don’t you?”
There was too much history in that question for Charlie to fully understand. She knew there was another sister, Sloan, but Liam hadn’t said much about her other than that she wasn’t currently in Boston.Maybe I should have been taking notes when he was bringing me up to date.
A muscle jumped in Aiden’s jaw, but he didn’t give any other sign of agitation. His mask had slipped into place the second they walked out of his office, and now he was the picture of the formidable family leader. “That’s not why I asked you here.”
“Then do tell us, dear brother. Whyarewe here?” Carrigan’s smile was downright vicious. She looked like she was ready to take a chunk out of him, and only James putting his hand on her hip kept her from doing so.
“As my family, I want you to be the first to meet my fiancée.” He kept speaking over several sounds of disbelief. “Charlie Moreaux, this is my family.”
And then all hell broke loose.
***
Aiden regretted calling this dinner almost as soon as he walked into the room. It would have been smarter to meet with each of his siblings individually and break the news in a controlled environment where he had the advantage—or what passed for an advantage in this family. As it was, Cillian was demanding to know what the hell was going on, Carrigan was calling him seven kinds of a fool, and Teague was staring at Charlie as if he had met her before but couldn’t place where.Time to shut it down.
“Enough!” He had to roar it to get them to shut the hell up, but it worked. His life would have beenso much easier if his siblings were content to follow orders like good little soldiers instead of striving for their individual independence every step of the way. He wouldn’t have to play the hard-ass and could be a brother instead of the head of the damn family that they seemed to resent as much as they loved.
But that wasn’t how things were. He’d had to sacrifice bits and pieces of his relationships with them—especially Carrigan—for the bottom line. The family’s safety lay in its power—to threaten one was to threaten the other—and he’d do whatever it took to ensure that their enemies detected no weakness.
He was about to sacrifice even more. “I’m not asking for your permission or your goddamn blessing. I’m telling you that I’m marrying this woman, and I expect you to fall in line and accept it.” He didn’t actually expect anything of the sort. That wasn’t who his siblings were. But if he acted in any other way, they’d be suspicious.
Carrigan snorted, but it was Callie who rose to her feet, still graceful despite being over halfway into her pregnancy. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, but it never did when she spoke to him. “Congratulations.” She crossed to look down at Charlie. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to getting to know you better.”
And that right there was what made Callie one of the biggest threats in the room.
Teague followed her, Moira on his hip, though he didn’t lie as well as his wife did. “Welcome to the family.”
“If you knew what was good for you, you’d run screaming out of this room.” This from Carrigan, who hadn’t moved. She shook her head. “God, Aiden, I never pegged you for the biggest drama queen out of all of us. A surprise fiancée?Really?”
“Oh for fuck’s sake, shut up, Carrigan.” Cillian stood, looking at Aiden like he’d never seen him before. “This is a mistake, and I’m telling you that now.” He nodded at Charlie. “No offense. I’m sure you’re a great person, but I’ve never heard of you. You marry my brother and it’s as good as painting a target on your chest. I don’t care how good the sex is, it’s not worth it.”
Aiden tensed, ready to step in—the last thing he needed was his brother scaring her off—but Charlie reached up and covered his hand where he’d set it on her shoulder. “Your concern is touching, but I’m well aware of what I’m getting into.” She sounded cool and in control despite the relative chaos going on around them.
Just another confirmation that Aiden had been right to choose her.
Cillian didn’t look like he believed her, but he finally shrugged. “Then welcome to the family. Hope you survive it.”
Satisfied, Aiden looked at Carrigan. Of them all, she was the one he’d been closest to, the one who understood the stakes of the games they played. Maybe that was why her betrayal hurt so fucking much. He didn’t know. He didn’t spend a ton of time reflecting on it—personal feelings had no place in a situation where so many people depended on him to maintain the stable power structure that kept them safe.
They’d avoided all-out warfare so far. He’d do everything in his ability to ensure that they continued to do so.
Up to, and including, lying to his family so he could remove enemy number one.
Carrigan’s green eyes, so like their mother’s, condemned him. “Whatever it is that you’re doing, it’s a mistake, Aiden. You’re going to get her killed.”
“Heris sitting right here.” Charlie stood, moving to Aiden’s side. Her fingers laced through his as if they’d held hands a thousand times. “While your concern is appreciated, it’s as unnecessary as his.” She nodded to Cillian. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m starving, and I hear the staff has put together an excellent dinner for us. So why don’t we all play nice and enjoy it?” If Aiden didn’t know better, he’d think that she wrangled with mob families on a regular basis. Her hand didn’t so much as shake in his, and her blue eyes showcased an icy calm that he admired even as he analyzed it.
Thrives under pressure and in dangerous situations. Good to know.
