“And?” I lift my chin, not getting it.
“I’m not going to be the only one showing up with a wife.” He points at the door. “Viviana won’t have the patience to entertain the Bratva women.”
“Flanaghan has a wife,” I point out.
“She hasn’t shown up in six months. Doubt she’ll start now,” Connor says, laughing.
“And you two eejits?” I look between Connor and Kian.
“I’m not taking anyone. I’m too young for that shit,” Connor jokes. I roll my eyes as Declan bursts out laughing.
“Well, the Bratva sister is hot,” Kian adds, arms crossed, leaning on the wall.
“How the fuck do you know that?” I grin.
“I’ve been investigating. Saw pictures.” He shrugs, cocky.
“You are not going to fuck the Bratva leader’s sister, Kian.” Declan pinches the bridge of his nose, frustration radiating off him. “Christ.”
“So that leaves… yeah?” I tilt my head, grinning. “Who the hell am I supposed to take—”
I stop, a grin stretching wider.
“No!” Declan snaps, jabbing a finger at me as I raise my hands in mock surrender. “Not Autumn. Viviana will kill me.”
“I didn’t say anything, mate.” I let the innocence drip off my tongue, hands still raised. Watching him stress over his wife is the best part of my day.
“I know you, Brady. Don’t fucking play with me. Not Autumn, you hear me?” He’s pacing now, jaw clenched. I barely keep from laughing.
It’ll be her or no one.
We go over everything and check the next shipments.
The meeting’s over, and I head to the new mansion.
Still can’t believe Declan talked me into buying this bloody monstrosity in the middle of nowhere. He said I neededspace.Said I’d outgrown the penthouse, but I doubt that.
The Callaghans are nearby, but everything else is forty minutes out: my clubs, the docks…Autumn.
The gates creak open, and the security guard nods as I drive through.
Three storeys, all dark stone with two massive columns out front and a staircase just to reach the main door. Seven bedrooms, each with its own bathroom; three living rooms, a kitchen big enough to feed a small army, and a dining room that could host the entire royal family.
Fucking hell.
There’s a library I’ll never use, a sunroom with overpriced couches, and three offices. I use one. Kaden takes the other when he stays over, but it was the outside that sold me.
Not like Declan’s; he’s got hedges and roses and a garden full of shit no one touches.
Mine?
Mine’s surrounded by tall and dense trees. A fucking forest at my doorstep.
At night, you can’t see past the tree line. The darkness swallows everything.
I built the walls higher. Fortified the lake border too, the one that runs into the Callaghan estate. Cameras are on every corner and guards posted on every side.
It’s a fortress, my own personal dead zone.
