“And yet you’ve managed to outsmart me? Which is why I’m in desperate need of your assistance? Is that what you’ve come here to boast about?”
“On the contrary. The only thing I’ve benefited from is luck. And timing.”Aleksander reaches into the coat of his jacket, and Zahra immediately tightens her grip on my gun, aiming it right at his knee underneath the table.“I was cleaning out our family heirlooms. You may recall that decades ago, our families were much more aligned. Evidently well enough allied that the Irish and Persian inner circle would visit my father’s house in Mykonos.”
Confusion covers Zahra’s face, and I’m sure mine. Whatever allyship we must have had with Ukrainians ended long before I was born. Neither my father nor Naser had mentioned anything to me.
“I see the surprise on your face. I wouldn’t have believed it myself if not for this.”He places an old, tattered photo on the table and slides it toward Zahra.
Zahra scans the photo diligently but it’s hard to make out the contents of the image from the security cameras. Her hand starts to shake and I want nothing more than to see what she’s seeing. She sucks in a gasp. “Oh my god…”
“They say a picture’s worth a thousand words and I suppose this one is worth a million. My father’s the man sitting next to yours as they lounge by the pool. Declan is truly a spitting image of his father, Cillian, who’s standing inside the pool, and next to Cillian is?—”
“Lorkan,”Zahra spits his name.“T-This photo can’t be real. You’ve doctored it.”
Aleksander shakes his head vehemently.“No. You’re more than welcome to run it through any software you need, but that photo hasn’t been touched. Your eyes do not deceive you.”
Dammit. What’s in the image? What does she see that’s causing her so much distress?
“The tattoo on Lorkan’s chest?—”
“Is identical to the ones worn by the men who tried to kill you,”Aleksander finishes her sentence.
Aidan chokes on air, while Azula practically growls. The room starts to feel like it’s spinning as I squeeze the arms of my chair, looking for something to ground me. Lies. 1``
It had to be an altered image. I know all the tattoos my uncle has and not one of them bears resemblance to the Vulture that’s been haunting us.
“It c-can’t be. Declan would have seen it growing up… He would have warned me.”
My heart aches at the pure agony in her voice. I nearly barrel out of the room, stopped only by Aidan grabbing my arm and calming me down. I need to be there with her.
“From what I can tell, he covered it up a year later. It’s hard to tell in this photo with the Celtic knots he added in.”Aleksander removes another photo from his pocket for Zahra to assess.
Zahra swallows hard, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers.“I assume this is why you requested to meet one-on-one.”
Aleksander nods.“While I know Declan isn’t Lorkan’s biggest fan…I wasn’t entirely sure how he would handle the fact that this uncle has tried to kill his new bride.”
Zahra winces at the same time I do. We both know my Uncle Lorkan has done some heinous things, but until recently, I was certain he never wanted the full responsibility of being a boss. He had always boasted about being able to enjoy the power of being high up in the mob without bearing the fullweight of being the final decision maker. Maybe his tune has changed. Or maybe he’d been lying this entire time. My stomach turns at the thought.
“I appreciate you bringing this to my attention.”Zahra braces her shoulders.
“Of course. I hope it serves as a gesture of good faith.And an expression of my desire to restore what was once a strong bond between our families.”
Aleksander extends a hand out for Zahra, which she shakes. The initial exchange is nothing to bat an eye at—until he refuses to let go. Instead, he leans in and presses a kiss to the back of Zahra’s hand. In an instant, I’m shoving my brother and Connor aside, barreling out of the office and heading straight down the hall.
By the time I throw the door to the dining room open, Aleksander is fully back on his side of the table. He greets me with a smirk like he didn’t just have his grimy lips all over my wife. Speaking of the angel, Zahra turns her chair so she can look right at me, her eyebrow is raised at my sudden interruption. “Is it time for my next meeting,husband?”
I blink. Husband was more of an adjective than a term of endearment, yet it reduces some of the tension in my jaw. God, the hold she had on me is as impressive as her quick wit. I didn’t think twice about barging in, but it would certainly blow our cover if I revealed why I came barreling in.
“Yes. I tried to ask Azula to wait, but you know how impatient she can be.” The lie leaves my lips with ease, though I have a feeling my wife’s second will make me pay for it one day.
Zahra lets out a small chuckle that manages to ignite every inch of my body. She stands from her chair and turns her attention back to Aleksander. “If you’ll, excuse me.”
“Of course. Please don’t hesitate to give me a call if youneed me.” He casually shoves his hands in his pockets, licking his bottom lip as his eyes flicker to Zahra and then me.
I take a step forward, ready to ring his neck with my bare hands, but Zahra steps right in front of me, blocking me from his path, and distracts me with the sweet warmth of her body as she leans her back into my chest.
“I’ll be sure to be in touch. My staff will escort you out.” Zahra gives him a soft smile before taking my hand into hers and leading us out of the room and back into the never-ending hellscape that was our reality.
34
