There was no choice.
He just hadn’t expected the guilt to be quite so strong.
At this hour, the house was quiet and felt empty. Maybe it was his conversation with Charlie, but it struck him that most of his siblings were gone, moved out and on, and that if he didn’t succeed, Keira would follow the same path and it would only be him and Cillian left of the O’Malley clan. At least Cillian and Olivia were bound to fill the halls withchildren, though he didn’t think she’d be on board for seven kids, the way his mother had been.
And what about him?
Getting married was in the future—he couldn’t avoid it indefinitely—and after everything that their family had gone through, he’d have to make a politically advantageous marriage to solidify their power base. Alliances could make or break them, and it was his turn to take a hit for the greater good.
His mind turned to Charlie, despite his best intentions. He was enjoying the hell out of their time together, and she’d more than proven she could play the game along with the best of them. She’d correctly read the situation with Mae—better than he had—and adjusted accordingly. She’d offered him comfort and surrender. She cared about his siblings, and his relationship with them.
But he wasn’t keeping her. He couldn’t.
Aiden padded into his office and shut and locked the door behind him. It already bore marks of his father being back—papers that had been neatly organized, now scattered across the glossy desk, the bottle of expensive liquor now severely depleted, the very air more stagnant and cloying. The latter was his imagination, but he caught a whiff of the cologne Seamus favored and gritted his teeth.
The man might as well have pissed on the carpet to mark his territory.
At least the burner phones were exactly where he’d left them—in the bottom drawer. He pulled one out at random and considered it. If they successfully removed Alethea and Mae from the New York equation, the new influx of territory would keep Romanov busy for years. He’d have to work his way through the Eldridge operations and ensurethat only those loyal to him remained, a time-consuming task. Romanov might very well leave the O’Malleys alone for good and focus on issues closer to home.
But he couldn’t guarantee it.
The Russian was a slippery bastard. He could do the logical thing and worry about New York, but he was just as likely to assume that Aiden had lowered his guard, and then attack the O’Malleys instead. They were only temporary allies, and with Romanov’s eye on Keira, that alliance wouldn’t last past Alethea’s fall.
Aiden refused to allow that to happen—which meant it was time to bring in the next wave of his plan—whether it would hurt Charlie or not.
He dialed the number he’d memorized as soon as Liam had tracked down the information. Despite it being well after two in the morning, the line rang only a handful of times before a gruff voice answered. “John Finch.”
“Hello, Agent Finch.”
Silence for a beat, and then two. “Who is this?”
“I’m surprised you don’t know. You’ve got my brother dancing to any tune you set, so I would assume that you’d have the rest of us down by now.” Aiden fought to keep his tone cool and disinterested, fought his anger at this man for fucking with his family, and his anger at his brother Teague for getting caught up in such a desperate situation.
“Aiden O’Malley. Do I want to know how you got this number?”
It struck him that Finch might think Charlie had handed it over. The guilt circling Aiden’s throat like a vise tightened. His control wavered. “I have my ways.”
“I’m sure you do.” There was rustling on the other end as Finch settled in. “What is it I can do for you?”
He didn’t miss the fact that the man hadn’t addressed his comment about Teague. He didn’t expect Finch to. It was one thing for Aiden to suspect it—it was entirely another for him to know for sure. He could have told the fed that it was a lost cause. He had more than enough information to incriminate his brother. That wasn’t why he was calling.
At least, it wasn’t the sole reason he was calling.
“It’s more about what I can do foryou.” He didn’t wait for Finch to comment. It didn’t really matter what the agent thought of this. The only thing that mattered was him acting how Aiden needed him to. “There’s going to be a showdown of sorts between the Eldridges and the Romanovs on October twelfth.” He rattled off the specific location. “It might look like a deal gone wrong, but I think you’ll find it’s much more intriguing. I suspect you’ll want to be there.”
“Hmm.” He didn’t sound the least bit impressed. “And what do you expect in return for this tidbit of information?”
“I expect you to back the fuck away from my brother.” It came out harsher than he meant it to.
Finch sighed. “Look, kid, even if your brother was an informant, that deal would be between him and the fed who works with him. You making a deal has nothing to do with that.”
That was about what he’d anticipated, but frustration still reigned supreme. Aiden drummed his fingers on the desk, staring at the closed door. Part of him had hoped it wouldn’t come to this. He’d known better. “Your daughter is very beautiful.”
“Leave her alone.” All tiredness was gone from the man’s voice. “She’s been through enough, and whatever problem you think we have is between us.”
He’d fully intended to throw their physical relationshipin Finch’s face, but Aiden couldn’t do it. He’d had every intention of seducing her to hurt her father, but that motivation had changed the first time she touched him. He wanted her for the sake ofher, not because he wanted revenge.
But he still wanted revenge.
