He couldn’t argue that point, no matter how much he wanted to. It was entirely too easy to lay every single sin he could think of at Romanov’s feet, but the unfortunate truth was that the man had moved to protect Keira in the most efficient way possible. “There had to be a better way.” A way that didn’t include Charlie and Carrigan getting cut all to hell as bullets whizzed over their heads.
“How shall we deal with the responsible party?”
Should have seen that coming from a mile away.It struck him for the first time that there were fiancées from the O’Malleys, the Hallorans,andRomanov in that restaurant. If Dmitri hadn’t sounded a warning, that would have been a blow that every single one of them would have had a hell of a time coming back from—if there was any coming back from it at all. Aiden’s chest tightened painfully again at the thought of Charlie sharing the same fate asDevlin. “Prove it’s the Eldridges—with evidence—and I’ll take care of it.”
“Unfortunately for both of us—and James Halloran, I imagine—I’m not handing over that information unless you give your word that we will cooperate in bringing down our mutual enemy.”
“No. Our alliance doesn’t cover this, and you damn well know it.”
Dmitri sighed, as if Aiden had disappointed him. “That is the wrong answer.”
Frustration had his control cracking and his mouth getting away from him. “What the fuck do you even care? Keira is merely a means to an end. I’m sure you have other women lined up if that falls through.” A man in Dmitri’s position—Aiden’sposition—had his pick of political hopefuls who wanted to marry off their daughters to accrue more power for their families. No one was quite on the O’Malleys’ level, but there were other players in New York who would fall all over themselves to step in if Dmitri so much as crooked a finger at them.
“Your lack of understanding doesn’t change the fact—if you want the information, you will loop me into whatever retribution you have planned.”
He could find the information on his own given enough time, but it presented the same problem he’d run into with James. Aiden stepped to the side as Liam came back to the porch with a handheld device that he promptly ran over every piece of furniture they had out there, before turning it to the deck itself. He cursed and lifted a chair to yank something off the bottom.I knew the timing of his call was too convenient.
Aiden watched with satisfaction as Liam crushed thesurveillance device under his heel. “Do not bug my house again.”
“I make no promises. How can I expect to know when you’re planning things if you refuse to call me and inform me whenmyfiancée is involved as well? What is your answer?”
There was no choice, as much as he hated to admit it. “Fine. You’re in.”
“Delightful. We’ll meet in neutral territory. I trust you’ll ensure that James Halloran minds his manners.” Dmitri ended the call.
Aiden leaned against the railing and glared out into the night, wondering where the fuck he’d gone wrong. He was supposed to be orchestrating the downfall of Romanov to ensure that he didn’t end up actually marrying Keira, and yet here he was, working with himagainto bring down a common enemy.
The world had gone topsy-turvy when he wasn’t looking. He felt like he was moving through a foreign land without a map or compass. It didn’t matter. He wouldn’t let it.
All that mattered was the bottom line.
Chapter Twenty
Charlie picked at her breakfast, not feeling much like eating. She took a bite of the eggs out of principle. With all the chaos going on, she needed her strength. Waking up alone—again—had put her in a foul mood. Add to that the fact that Keira wasn’t in her room and Liam wasn’t lurking at the bottom of the stairs like she was used to and she felt completely out of place.
The two men who worked in the kitchen took pity on her and threw together a late breakfast, even though it was obvious that they were on the way out the door. Now she sat alone, wishing she’d just gone back to sleep instead of coming downstairs.
Footsteps had her perking up, and for half a second, she thought the man who walked through the door was Aiden. But then his features registered.Seamus.She braced herself, but the contempt that appeared in his dark eyes still hit her hard enough that he might as well have reached across the kitchen island and slapped her.
Seamus O’Malley crossed his arms over his chest and looked her up and down—or at what he could see of her upper half. “At least my son has good taste, even if thinking with his dick has put our family in jeopardy.”
Even though she knew that was the part she played and a necessary one at that, irritation bloomed. “I happen to like his dick quite a bit. And you’ve already made your opinion known. Now you’re just being mean.”
He cocked his head to the side. “What I can’t figure out is how you got Liam on board. He’s usually the more levelheaded of the two, and he won’t hear a word spoken against you. Are you fucking him as well?”
Charlie carefully set aside her fork, because if she didn’t stop holding it right now, she’d throw it at him. She pushed back her stool and stood. He was the same height as Aiden, so he towered over her, even with the table between them. Every instinct she had screamed not to show Seamus her back. She lifted her chin, refusing to let him intimidate her. “If Iwasfucking him, it wouldn’t be any of your business.”
“Wrong, girl. Anything and everything that happens in this house—with my children or my men—is my business.”
She widened her eyes and pressed a hand to her chest. “Your men? Oh my God, I’m sorry. I didn’t know Liam’s dick had your name tattooed across it.”
She expected him to come at her. Most straight men with anger issues couldn’t stand even the slightest homoerotic accusation leveled at them.
Seamus surprised her, though. He raised his eyebrows in an expression that almost perfectly mirrored the one Aiden had given her just hours before. The similarity made her skin crawl. He shook his head. “You aren’t doing yourself, or my son, any favors by continuing this charade. You can’tmake it in this life—your temper is going to get you both into hot water, and it’sAidenwho will have to get you out again.” He reached into his jacket. “How much?”
“Excuse me?” She was still trying to process the lightning-fast change in his demeanor, and it took his pulling out a pen for her to understand what he meant. “You can’t pay me off.”
“I think we both know that’s not true.” He opened his checkbook. “A hundred thousand should be enough, don’t you think?” Seamus glanced at her. “Don’t look like I just kicked your puppy, girl. You might love fucking my son, but you don’t love him. Anyone with eyes can see that. Take the money and get something better than a bullet for your troubles.”
