Page 66 of Honorable Sins

She grimaces. "Yes. Kieran is keeping us safe like he promised."

"Of course he is. No one is getting anywhere near you or your daughters," I promise her.

"I know. We have so many bodyguards, I feel like we're a K-Pop band." She laughs a little.

I'm glad the stress isn't getting to her too badly. It can't be easy knowing a human trafficking ring is targeting her daughter. Even if her new husband has already eliminated almost all the members of said ring.

"Are you enjoying newly married life? I want details." The single phone conversation we've had since her surprise wedding was too brief.

She blushes, pink suffusing her cheeks as her mouth opens and closes with nothing coming out.

"That good, huh?" I tease.

"It's uh…it's better than I thought it would be, considering why we got married."

"From the way you're blushing, I'd say so. I didn't know Wraith had it in him. He's always so taciturn and stoic."

"He talks more when we, uh…" She presses both hands to her hot cheeks. "Never mind. I can't believe I was going to say that to you."

"I can and I'm here for it." I waggle my eyebrows, seeking to lighten the mood even further.

Dwelling on the dangers of our world won't change it, only mute the good things with added stress and anxiety.

I'm not comfortable with a lot of women outside my immediate family, but Áine has the makings of a friend. I can just feel it. The way she stands up for her girls and her willingness to marry a total stranger to keep them safe shows that she has the right priorities.

I want to help her learn not to just exist, but to thrive in the mob world I was born into.

"He's just…" Her voice trails off and she looks out at the bay, like maybe she'll find answers there. "Kieran's a lot, you know?"

"In a good way, right?" Do I need to talk to Mick on Áine's behalf?

Looking back at me, Áine smiles, her oddly colored eyes lighting up. "The best way. He's really different from Troy."

"That's good to hear." Troy was a rat. Wraith is one of the few men Mick trusts.

Not as much as he trusts Brice, Rory and Conor, but they've been with him a lot longer. He trusts Wraith more than he does any of my father's lieutenants though.

"Not like that," Áine says, showing she knows exactly what I was thinking about her dead husband. Not that it would be hard to figure out. "Of course, he's loyal and honest like Troy wasn't." She grimaces. "I can't believe how much I didn't know about the father of my children."

"I bet Wraith doesn't like to hear you refer to Troy that way." Mick would hate it.

He's lucky I don't have any men in my past to bedevil him with because I would. I like to keep my powerful underboss, soon to be mob boss, husband on his toes.

"You have no idea," Áine says with feeling.

"That sounds like a story you need to tell." I frown at the sight through the French doors of Allison being led into the sunroom by security staff. "But it will have to wait."

Áine turns her head and when she sees what I do, her lips flatten. "She's here."

"Looks like it. Quick, before she comes outside, her glass is the one in the front. I'll serve her first, so there's no chance of them getting mixed up."

"I still can't believe she wanted me here," Áine says.

"Because she doesn't see you for the strong and courageous woman that you are. She spent six years telling you what to do and thinks she's about to do it again."

Áine lets out a short breath that isn't quite a laugh. "She's going to be disappointed."

"I expect she will."