“Nothing good, I can promise you that.” We pause at a door. He lifts a hand like he’s going to cup my cheek, then it drops to his side. “Whatever happens, follow my lead. But keep your mouth shut.”
CHAPTER 21
AIDEN
Cian waits in my office, but he’s not alone. Four familiar faces now surround his spot behind my desk. He pauses in lifting a tall glass of water to his lips, drinks, then wipes his mouth and places the glass down. “There he is. And this must be the lucky lady. Come closer so I can get a good look at the woman who finally got Aiden to settle down. You must be quite the catch.”
Catriona is moving to the desk before I can prompt her, and despite the tension simmering in my body, I find myself reluctantly impressed. I can tell by the rigidity of her spine that she’s not oblivious to the danger we’re in, but that fucking self-control she projects is in full force. She takes a seat in the space across from Cian, and I follow like I’m magnetized to her movements. The thought of her near him sets my teeth on edge, so I don’t sit.
She doesn’t say a word, and he makes a scoffing sound at the back of his throat. With a careless wave of his fingertips, NiallCleary breaks from the line of men at Cian’s back and comes to a stop by Cian’s elbow, where he hands Cian a phone.
“Yes, I can see why Aiden’s been making a fool of himself.” He doesn’t wait for me to respond. Instead, he tosses the phone on the counter between us. On it is the video from the reception. Catriona slaps me over and over again. “Niall brought this to my attention a few days ago. Not the sort of image we like to project, is it, Aiden? In fact, I’m wondering what the point is of attaching ourselves to Senator Gallagher at all if this is the sort of press that results from it.”
My stomach burns as I move closer to Catriona’s chair and brace my hands on the back. “I’ve handled it.”
Cian gives me a wry smile. “I have no doubt that you’ll try, but I know a thing or two about dealing with a willful wife. They require a strong hand. In fact, everything I’ve learned about your Catriona reminds me so much of your mother. Same fighting spirit. I understand the appeal. However, I’m afraid our organization can’t support this marriage if your wife doesn’t understand what it means to be a part of this family.”
I say nothing, knowing he’s already decided what he wants. In front of me, Catriona jolts, but wisely doesn’t say whatever scathing retort she’s conjured. Cian doesn’t give a fuck about what my wife does. It’s a thin justification, and we both know it. He wants to take advantage of whatever excuse he can to back me into a corner. Niall, who has always been jealous of the fact that Cian consistently chooses to place his focus on me, never backs down from an opportunity to knock me down. The cruel line of his mouth hardens even more as he unabashedly drinks in Catriona’s figure.
No matter how many times I’ve offered to get rid of him and save Mara the trouble, she’s brushed me off. I regret listening to her now more than ever.
Catriona must feel him ogling her, but she doesn’t move an inch. She’s as cold as ice. Cian must notice her unnatural calm. If it rattles him, he keeps it from showing on his face. If nothing else, her lack of response sharpens his attention.
Cian softens his threats with a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Normally, we’d arrange for a potential wife to travel to Ireland to meet with the family, obtain the approval from the Clans. Celebrate.” His gaze drills into mine. “But since you’ve decided to do things out of order, without our approval, you’ve left me no choice but to come to you.”
“Congratulations, by the way,” Niall says with a sneer. “We hate that we missed the party. When Cian told me, I couldn’t say no to his invitation to tell you in person.”
Unease twines my guts into knots. I’d hoped I’d be the one to tell Cian the news. Catch him off guard. But someone had beaten me to it. I study the other men in the room, realizing I’ve been so focused on Cian, I haven’t paid any attention to the other three newcomers. Aside from Niall, the three others are older, harder. But they’re also heads of the top Clans in the organization.
Everything inside me turns cold.
Cian contemplates Catriona mildly before studying me. “Your wife is too strong-willed. Defiant. Though you knew that when she forced you to marry her. She needs to be broken. To understand who she belongs to. You’ll show me she knows her place tonight, or there’s no way she’ll be accepted. I could say no outright. Make you deal with this situation you’ve created. But I’m willing to give you a chance for you both to show me where your loyalties lie.”
“And how do you propose we do that? Follow you back to Ireland early for a vote?”
Niall snorts. “You wish it could be that simple, don’t you?”
“Quiet,” Cian barks. It’s subtle, but Catriona flinches. My hands twitch where they grip the chair. The three otherrepresentatives are guys who clawed their way to the top after I was essentially exiled, so I’m less familiar with them than I am with Niall, and that doesn’t make me feel any better.
“This is exactly why marriages are carefully orchestrated. Why I’ve never chosen a wife for you. It requires a delicate hand. Careful thought. One disrespectful spouse can upset the balance.”
I bite my tongue until I taste blood to keep from telling him to get to the fucking point.
“You’ll show me she knows her place tonight, or I will intervene. Traditionally, this would entail two of the highest-ranking family members watching the consummation on the wedding night. Back then, it was about lineage and virginity. Neither of which is my concern. What is my concern is your Gallagher bitch knows she wears a Lynch collar.”
“You want to watch me fuck my wife?”
Cian’s smile is as sharp as the crack of a whip. I swear I can feel its lashes as though they’re striking my skin. “I consider that a bonus. What I want is her obedience.”
When I speak, my voice is low, controlled. But the anger rising inside me is anything but. “That’s not going tofuckinghappen.”
Cian doesn’t seem surprised, only disappointed. “I had a feeling you’d say that.” He gestures to Niall, who pushes a box across the desk. Something simple you’d wrap a gift in. Like jewelry. Apprehension twists inside my chest, slithery and cold. “Open it,” he orders Catriona. “I think you’ll find its contents motivation enough. Tonight, Aiden. Or you’ll live with the consequences. This isn’t negotiable,son.”
I stare at the box for a full five minutes before Catriona reaches for it.
I jerk it from her grasp, knowing somehow, I want to protect her from whatever’s inside. The bloody contents tumble frominside it, thud onto the desk, and roll to a stop between us. There’s a heartbeat of silence before I snatch it up and shove it back inside, closing the lid so I don’t have to see it again.
My eyes lift to Cian’s. “I’ll leave you to… discuss. You have ten minutes. Then I want your answer.”
