LIAM
She left an hour ago, and I’m still standing at the window like a sap, watching the street like I expect her to come walking back up the sidewalk.
Taryn. My wife, who, this morning, offered to become a Trojan horse for my family’s enemies, then kissed me senseless before falling back asleep on my chest like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like we were a real couple with a real future. I’ve never wanted something to be real so badly.
And now she’s sitting in class like a regular student, pretending we’re not in the middle of digital warfare with a Greek faction that would slit our throats if they saw an opening.
I scrub a hand down my face. I called Rowan this morning and told him that I was worried the Greeks would make a play for her. I simply told him I’d been watching her account and there had been activity. He was quiet before he told me he’d send his sister to keep an eye on her. As if Gráinne is capable of keeping her safe. Then, he asked me if I had a tracker on her. I don’t. But, I sure as hell will soon. At least she’s on campus. Surrounded by people.
I should be with her. Instead, I’m pacing our damn kitchen, trying to summon the courage to do the one thing I’ve been putting off since the second Ryan showed me what we were capable of:
Tell my father.
It’s not that I’m afraid of him—despite the fact that I’ve spent my whole life trying to avoid him. But I can’t deny my anxiety. This is the first time I’ve actually had something to show him. A win. Something he didn’t orchestrate, didn’t command. And I have no clue how he’s going to take that.
Will he finally take me seriously? Or rip it apart out of principle—just because it didn’t come from him? I stare down at my phone and exhale once through my nose before hitting the call button.
It’s time.
“Son.” My father’s gruff voice answers. “Not in class?”
I hold in my sigh. Not a great way to begin this conversation. “No. I’m not. There’s a matter I need to discuss with you. Do you have time now?”
A beat of silence. “You don’t sound like yourself. Hold on.” I can hear him ordering people out of the room. “What’s going on, Liam?”
“I told you that I had access to the Greeks’ accounts. That I planted Taryn’s money as a way to get access. You never asked me about that access. Why is that?” I try to keep my tone even but serious.
There’s a pause. A long one.
“I didn’t think you were serious.” My father’s voice is flat. “I figured it was bravado. A stunt to save face in front of the clans after the entire mess. I let them all think it was true because Ialsowanted to save face. But no, I didn’t believe you had gotten that far after you talked the lass into moving her money.”
So, he believed the part about me being manipulative with a hair-brained scheme…just not the part where it worked. I hold in my sigh. “And Bobby?” I ask, jaw tight, waiting to see what his hacker has uncovered.
“He’s still working on it.”
I huff a humorless laugh. “That’s because he’s trying to walk through the front door, Da. Ryan built a tunnel underneath. We’re already in. We’vebeenin.”
Silence. Then, “Ryan? Did you say,Ryan?”
“Yes. My little brother. Your son. The one you never thought was strong enough to join the business? He cracked their network in minutes. We’ve mapped dozens of accounts, pinpointed shell structures, and traced laundering trails that link back to that shipping company in Cyprus. You know—the one you always suspected but couldn’t prove? Well. It’s there. And, we have it in a chokehold.”
“Jesus,” he mutters. I imagine him rubbing his face, pacing a room that was once full of men he just kicked out.
“I haven’t moved anything major yet. I wanted to be sure. Now I am. But we need to act fast before they lock us out. And Taryn—” My voice falters, then firms. “Taryn might be exposed.”
He curses. “What does your wife have to do with this?”
“She tried to move her money. The wrong way. She triggered a flag. They’re going to notice. And when they do, they’ll start asking questions, given the other traps we set up. I worry they’ll think it’s her. Or at least that she’s involved.”
“You’re saying they’ll come for her.”
“I’m saying I won’t risk it.”
Another long pause. Then, unexpectedly: “I’m coming to see you.”
“What?”
“I want to see the data. And I want to see my daughter-in-law.”
