The twins snicker from their chairs, burying their faces in their beer when Liam shoots them a glare.
“First off, watch you language, young lady.” Liam scolds, turning his attention back to me. “Second, I understand the resentment, Avale—” He cuts himself off. “Ava. But you must understand that Neil was in a compromising position. He couldn’t help you without letting on that he was passing information.”
Neil is a spy? That’s news to me.
“He’s been spying for you?” I ask incredulously. Liam shakes his head.
“No,” he says. “He’s been spying for Dashkov. Has been for some time.”
That can’t be right. Matthias would have told me if Neil was spying for him. That was our agreement. No secrets when it came to Elias and Christian.
Looking back at the confrontation with Christian before the funeral Neil had silently warned me not to mention my marriage to Matthias. The only people who knew we were married for real were Matthias’s inner circle and the man who officiated our shotgun ceremony in the kitchen. Not even all his men knew. They all just thought I was a spoil of war.
“That can’t be right,” I whisper, mostly to myself. “Matthias would have told me.”
Seamus snorts; his face twisting in a way that tells me he doesn’t think I’m the brightest crayon in the box.
“You think that man would have given you insider information?” he scoffs. “He’d be an idiot to tell the supposed ‘daughter’ of the man he is hauling money out of that he has an inside man.”
“Since we’re married—” I narrow my eyes at him. “—Yes. And watch your tone,brother. I took a bullet for you. Athank you big sisterwould be nice.”
Kiernan howls with laughter. Even Liam’s lips twitch, but Seamus isn’t having any of it.
“And how stupid was that, aye?” he questions.
“Stupid?” I ask dumbfounded. “I took a bullet for you, you bigheaded ginger. That man would have shot you, and you’d be dead.”
“I was wearing a bulletproof vest, ye’ moron,” he snaps. “The worst I would have gotten was a bruise. You, however, would have died if he’d been aiming any higher.”
I blink.
Well, shit.
“But…I didn’t see a vest.”
Seamus rolls his eyes. “That’s the point. If a man sees a bulletproof vest, he automatically aims for the weaker points like the head or limbs,” he informs me “If they don’t think we’re wearing them, they aim for the chest. Hurts like hell, I would’ve lived.”
Is my mouth popping open and closed like a guppy?
I’m pretty sure it is. A big fat frickin’ guppy.
“As entertaining as this all is,” Liam interrupts, pulling out the chair next to him. “I’m tired of standing. “Ava, take a seat please. It appears we have a few extra things to discuss.”
Feeling like a chastised child, I do as I’m told. Kiernan smiles warmly at me as I sit down. Then hands me a bottle of water.
“Can’t drink while healing.” He winks at me before turning to his father.
Seems unfair.
“You remind me of your mother,” Liam tells me proudly, his eyes shining with unshed tears. “But I can see my genes have certainly taken over.”
I can’t help but laugh at that.
“It is kind of like looking in a mirror.”
“Don’t we know it,” the twins exclaim at the same time before bursting into what is no doubt their tipsy cackles.
“Did your mom ever…” Liam awkwardly leaves the sentence hanging, unsure of how to proceed.
