Carrigan had given voice to something he’d been mulling over for months. Boston wasstablefor the first time in several generations. Even things with Romanov were at a mild simmer—and could possibly stay that way once they dealt with the Eldridges. Starting shit for the sake of some archaic idea of loyalty to family above all else…
If Seamus had been a different father, their family would have functioned differently. Aiden wasn’t prepared to lay the blame fully at his father’s feet, but ignoring the part he’d played in the whole thing was ridiculous.
He and Teague and Carrigan—and even Sloan—had a chance to heal the wounds of their fathers.
All he had to do was take the olive branch Teague was extending.
He looked over and met Charlie’s gaze as she chatted with Callie. He could feel her emotional support even across the distance, and it struck him that if Charlie couldstill see the good in people after all the terrible shit that had been done directly to her, he was being petty as fuck for even considering letting this peace offering go unmet. He managed what he hoped was a reassuring smile for her and twisted to face Teague again.
The hope in his brother’s dark eyes actually hurt to look at.
“I look forward to meeting this godson of mine. Devlin, huh?”
Teague shrugged, though his expression was now full of emotion. Relief. Happiness. Hope. “Devlin was the best of us. It seemed wrong to pick any other name for our son.”
“I like it. I think he’d approve.” And for the first time in three long years, Aiden actually felt something resembling peace about his younger brother’s death. As if a jagged broken piece had slid into place to create something completely new.
This night had been unexpected across the board. He and Teague and Carrigan weren’t going to go merrily skipping through a field of daisies—and they might never have the same close relationships that they had before everything went to shit, but…it was a start.
And he had Charlie to thank for it.
On that note, he leaned toward Teague and lowered his voice further. “I’m prepared to put this all behind us, but there’s something I need in exchange.” Charlie would never forgive him if he had the cops who’d hurt her removed completely, but there was another avenue available. It had the added bonus of tangling up Romanov, but he couldn’t pretend that was his motivation as he laid out what he wanted.
When he was through, his brother’s gaze skated to Charlie. “Finch’s daughter.” He shook his head. “And you careabout her. You wouldn’t be willing to trade in this favor otherwise.”
“I care about her.” He hesitated, but they were past the point of pride. “I also miss the fuck out of you. This will satisfy both debts.” Because he had no illusions about that—if he wanted Charlie to stay, he had to give her a reason beyond outstanding sex. Aiden was who he was, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t find some kind of compromise.
He just hoped like hell that it wasn’t as long a shot as he suspected.
Teague finished his beer. “I would have taken care of it just because you asked.”
The possibility of a future working together instead of fighting was enough to make Aiden smile. “Let me know when you have it lined up.”
“Will do.” Teague set his empty glass down. “I missed the fuck out of you, too. I’m glad we got this figured out.”
“Me too.” It was one less thing for him to carry around, and strangely enough, trusting his siblings made him feel stronger instead of like he was diluting his power base. Imagine that.
Carrigan stepped onto the stage. She looked perfectly at home as the center of attention, the head of a nonprofit that was doing actual good in the world. His sister was a goddamn inspiration, and it might be worthwhile for Aiden to take a page from her playbook and consider making his corner of the world less shitty for everyone who lived in it. Protecting them was all well and good, but why not take it a step further?
Slow down. Learn to walk before you run.
He had to deal with the threats posed by both Romanovand the Eldridges before he could do anything else. But maybe, just maybe, he’d find some time to talk to Charlie about what a future would look like if he was more than just a mob boss.
Would it be enough for her to consider staying?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Dmitri had allowed Aiden and James to agree upon a place to meet, mostly because he was the one holding all the cards. It made no difference if he was in New York or Boston, O’Malley territory or Halloran. They needed him, no matter how much they might hate him, and he would use that to his advantage.
It served a dual purpose, after all.
The anger, which had never quite left him upon receiving news of the attack, spiked. That fool Eldridge woman had no idea what she was unleashing when she went after one of his—afterKeira. His skin crawled just thinking about her rushing back into that room and danger. He should have known she’d respond like that and approached the whole thing differently, but he hadn’t stopped to think and analyze. He’d discovered she was in danger and acted. She could have been killed or seriously injured—because of her connection with him.
Unacceptable.
If Mae Eldridge was going to act like a mad dog, he would put her down like one.
He was too close to finally having Keira. He wasn’t going to let some sadistic woman with a chip on her shoulder and a jealous streak a mile wide ruin his plans. He’d already planned on removing the Eldridge family, because their increasingly erratic violence was starting to gain federal attention that no one in New York could afford. It had been strictly business.
