The resentment is there, in the ticking muscle in his jaw and the slight flare of his nostrils. Without even trying, my father has always made him feel like second-best.
I turn my attention back to my father. “Yeah. She was reminding me how much she hates my guts.”
He laughs before clapping me on the shoulder. “Good for her. Though…it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, you know?”
I frown. “Whatwouldn’t be the worst thing in the world?”
He shrugs. “Getting involved with her. It could be an easy way to fix some old wounds.”
Brennan snorts, and I shoot him a glare before focusing back on my father. “Dad, please don’t start.”
He slings an arm around my shoulders. “I always felt bad for her. She didn’t deserve to be caught in her da’s mess.”
There’s something about his tone that doesn’t sit well with me. Is he feeling guilty for what happened to Ciara’s father?
Whatever it is, I’ve heard this particular speech before, and regardless of how much she entertains me, how much her body calls to me, I don’t intend on humoring him tonight.
“For one, Ciara would never go for it, and two, I have no intention of trying. I’m not in the business of charity.”
Brennan scoffs. “No, but she might be.”
I shoot him a glare.
Brennan quickly shuts his mouth.
My father takes a sip of his whiskey. “Think about it.”
I say nothing, only because I don’t trust myself not to agree.
Whether I like it or not, part of me is more drawn to Ciara than I care to admit. She doesn’t flinch when I get too close, nor does she fold when I challenge her, and that… does things to me.
Dangerousthings.
And I know I’ll eventually need to find someone to start a family with, the Sullivans need an heir, after all.
I also know I’m not in a business that has room for love, so Ciara would not be the worst choice.
Of course, knowing her, we would end up either fucking each other’s brains out or killing one another. Likely, both.
My father tips his glass in the direction of our uncle, who’s also in attendance. “Ah, Lorcan. Come, Ronan, he wants to speak with you.”
I nod and follow my father.
The moment Lorcan clocks me, his face breaks out into a grin, the very one that Brennan inherited.
“Ronan, good to see you.” He claps me on the back before doing the same to my brothers. “Boys, looking sharp as always.”
My uncle has always been easy to deal with. He’s what Kieran describes asmore human, though that might have something to do with Lorcan growing up in similar shoes to him. My father grew up being the favorite out of the two of them. It led to a huge falling out when they were both in their early twenties, and it took years before they found peace with each other for the sake of the family business.
It’s something I’ve always feared might happen between Kieran and me, but I’ll do everything in my power to avoid it.
My uncle puts a hand on the shoulder of the man standing beside him. “Ronan, you remember Angus O’Malley?”
“Of course.” I reach out and shake Angus’s hand. “How have you bee?—”
A gunshot slices through the air.
One moment, my father is standing beside me, sipping on his whiskey. The next, glass shatters as it hits the floor, seconds before my father does.
