Christ. If we can move their money wherever we want…the options are limitless. A chill runs down my spine at the very thought of what I can do. Ryan, God love him, would never do this on his own. He isn’t wired to harm other people without instruction. It’s one of the many things I love about him. Me on the other hand? The Greeks already issued me an invitation to fuck up their world when they messed with my wife.
My eyes flick to one of the accounts on the screen—the one tied to Taryn’s fund. It’s grayed out, disconnected from the rest of the chart. “What about her account?” I ask, my voice sharp.
Ryan follows my gaze. “I’m not touching it. That money is sitting in limbo, exactly where it was when the Greeks burned her. It’s quarantined as far as I’m concerned.”
“Good.” I lean back in the chair, jaw tight. “She’s out of this. I don’t want her name anywhere near what we’re doing now.”
“I’m not using it,” Ryan says, his tone even. “But I’m watching it. I’ve left some of the other smaller accounts untouched as well. If the Greeks loop back through hers, I’ll know. I’ve set up a silent trigger—anything unusual, and I get an alert. Honestly, Liam, there’s not enough in the account to matter.” It’s just over a hundred thousand, but he’s right, compared to the rest of this fund, it’s peanuts.
I hesitate, torn between relief and frustration. “I don’t want her thinking I’m messing with her money.”
“You’re not. But if they decide to move it, I’ll know. That account is still a weak link, Liam. You should tell her to leave it alone. If she touches it, they’ll know and may go looking deeper. See if they can hack into wherever she tries to move that money since they no longer have deeper access to her parents’ accounts. I can see where the Walshes’ bank accounts were recently fortified. They aren’t feeding Taryn any money from them, so it’s all locked down. Rowan moved quickly.”
“Taryn should have nothing to do with any of this,” I say quietly. “And, her parentsshouldn’tbe sending her money any more. She’smywife.”
I have a pretty hefty trust fund that I got access to when I turned twenty-one. More money will be coming when I go to work for my father full-time. We have more than enough not only to live, but to live well for the rest of our lives. “She’s safe. Her old account is irrelevant. There’s nothing to tell her.”
The words taste bitter. I hate that she was ever caught in the middle of this. She’s not built for the mob’s dirty games, and yet, here she is—my wife, tangled in something she never asked for. Part of me wants to tell her everything, lay it all out. But what good would that do? It’s not like she can help us chase down Greek shell companies. And she’s been through enough.
I scrub a hand over my face. She’s out of this. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
“You don’t tell her anything, do you?” Ryan asks suddenly.
“About what?”
“Any of this. What we’re planning. What you’re feeling.”
I shoot him a look. “She’s got enough to deal with. I’m not hiding shit from her, so quit giving me that look.” Jesus. I’m the only person who has told her anything about clan business, so his accusation pisses me off. I continue with my defense. “She hasn’taskedabout the money. If she did, I’d tell her. I don’t lie to her, Ry. I’m not about to drag her deeper into this when she’s finally starting to recover from all the trauma this account caused.”
“Or maybe you don’t want her to see the side of you that’s like Da,” Ryan says, voice calm, cutting straight to the bone. “Ruthless when it comes to our enemies.”
I freeze, then laugh, but it’s humorless, because he’s echoing my thoughts from only a moment ago. “You really know how to ruin a conversation.”
Ryan clicks another window open, showing a string of test transactions. “The first wave of leaks will go live after midnight. It won’t hit her account. Not even close.”
“Good.” I pause, then ask, “What if they notice the pattern?”
“They won’t,” he says. “But if they do, they’ll chase the wrong leads. And by then, I’ll have everything mapped.”
“I’ll follow up with more instructions then.”
“You know I’ll do what you need, Liam,” he agrees. “But, I still think you should talk to Da. And Taryn.”
I lean back, watching the screens flicker. For the first time in days, I feel like we might have a shot at beating the Greeks without spilling blood.
Taryn’s face flashes in my mind, her wary eyes when she looks at me sometimes, like she’s not sure if I’m her husband or just another made man. I want to protect her. I want her to trust me. She should know I have her back. I have since the day we got engaged. Like I told my brother, it’s not lying if she doesn’t ask about it. She obviously wants to move on. I’m not going to stand in her way.
“I have to protect her, Ry,” I say the words in such a low voice, I’m surprised he hears me.
Ryan studies me for a long moment. “You’re different with her.”
I blink. “What?”
“You laugh more. Real laughter, not the fake crap you use on everyone else.”
“She’s funny,” I say defensively. “And I’m notalwaysfake.” I can’t deny that sometimes I am. I do what’s necessary.
“She makes you better,” he continues, his voice calm and irritatingly certain. “You like her.”
