Trinity’s coppery red hair is pulled into a high ponytail at the back of her head. As Brody takes her coat, I notice she appears brighter and more confident.
Probably the influence of her new family here in New York. Or Brody. Maybe both.
Good for her.
Cat smiles, shaking first Finn’s and Riley’s hands, then Brody’s and Trinity’s. “Thank you all for coming. Lunch is waiting for us in the dining room. Please follow me.”
Sensing the tension in her spine, I place my palm on the small of Cat’s back as we all head in that direction.
She’s got nothing to worry about. They’ll love her.
Anyone would.
Lunch itself proves uneventful. The women get to know each other, chatting about summer plans and organizing weekly brunches.
Brody and I exchange looks over our drinks.Brunch.Great.
Once the food’s gone, though, the air thickens with anticipation.
Finn and Cat take the lead, discussing what they know about the Russians—more than expected, thanks to Nino’s heavy involvement—and how they might prevent the Bratva’s power grab from going too far.
We deliberate for hours, moving past lunch and into dinner. By the time after-dinner drinks are passed around, it’s feeling like a regular gossip fest.
Unfortunately, we’ve made no real headway on building an effective army to bombproof the alliance, and at this rate, we’re staring down sunrise.
While Finn and Trinity are obviously holding back, I’m reluctant to ruffle Finn’s feathers since he saved my ass.
Surely Brody knows as well, so why the hell isn’thesaying anything?
Damn, and I thought scheming was exhausting. This good guy shit is twenty-four-seven. Connor the Good Son, he was a manipulator, but Connor the Capo uses logic and reason to create forward motion and goes to bed beat.
It’s one hell of a learning curve.
Because Brody’s not keen on probing, I meet Cat’s gaze and subtly gesture at Finn beneath the table.
Bless this woman for understanding exactly what I’m saying.
She smiles and refills Finn’s wine. “Finn? You seem like a man who’s got something to say. The floor is yours.”
Finn clears his throat and rakes his hands through his thick hair, his muscles flexing to the point that his dress shirt might rip in two. It’s black, of course, but he dressed up for the occasion. Riley must’ve had some influence in that regard.
I study Finn from across the massive walnut table and wonder what kind of elephant balls I possessed that made me think I could toy with this guy.
I may be good, but the man before me is an actual beast.
After a beat, Finn’s eyes flicker over to Trinity, who nods.
Interesting.
Finn gulps down some wine before gesturing toward Cat. “It’s time to go on the offensive instead of waiting for the Roguilins’ next move. To get into their operation before they can do more damage.”
Trinity jumps in like siblings do. “Only one man can execute an attack the Russians won’t see coming.”
Cat tilts her head, loose hairs falling from her bun. “Who do you have in mind?”
“Liam.”
“Liam?” I raise a brow. “Never heard of any Liams in the Gallagher clan.”
