Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
“He’s a known factor, and he has a history of keeping his word once he gives it.” And therein lay the problem. He wanted Romanov out of the picture—permanently. But he was reasonable enough to acknowledge that killing the man outright wasn’t going to do them any favors. He’d spent so long planning in silence, the only person who knew the full story was Liam.
Maybe it was time to change that.
“The Eldridges are just a distraction.”
Cillian’s eyes went wide. “That’s one hell of a distraction.”
“Yeah.” Alethea took the term sadistic to unparalleled lengths, and her heir was even worse. He couldn’t fault Romanov for wanting to remove them from the equation as quickly as possible—that was exactly how he’d felt about Brendan Halloran before the man was murdered. “I’m not convinced Romanov couldn’t remove the threat without our help, but the fact remains that he asked for help.”
“What did you get in return?”
“Keira gets a choice.” It was hard to say it aloud. He felt fucking weak for even allowing it on the bargaining table to begin with. Aiden very carefully didn’t look at his little brother. “I don’t think for a second that he’ll honor that—he’s put too much time and too many resources into securing her. She’s his last-ditch effort to save face and prove that crossing him is a mistake.”
“So what’s the endgame?” Cillian’s tone gave nothing away.
“He breaks his word, which will be enough to prove to both Sheridans and Hallorans that he’s a mad dog who needs to be put down. Between the three of us, the war will be quick and brutal, and over before anyone realizes it’s started. It’s a risk, but a calculated one.”
And if he could aim John Finch at the bastard, he could potentially get the FBI agent away from Boston and off Teague’s back. If he was lucky, maybe Finch would get caught in the crossfire.
Except that thought didn’t bring the same satisfaction it once had.
Finch was Charlie’s father, which meant his death would hurt her, and Aiden didn’t relish that.
“That sounds great in theory.”
He shifted to face Cillian. He could tell his brother knew what he was thinking. “Our father is going to get in the way.”
“Without a doubt. He’s already started trying to undermine you.”
Aiden knew that. But there was only so much Seamus could do. As soon as Aiden realized that his father might be back—and that he didn’t necessarily want him back—he’d taken steps to ensure the men’s loyalty. It wasn’t foolproof by any means, but it would make it harder for his father to win them over.
That didn’t mean Seamus would play along. If he had his way, Keira would actually marry Romanov. The thought of his sister, already so lost, trapped in a marriage with that monster…
“I’ll take care of it.” He wouldn’t make the same mistake with Keira that he had with Carrigan. He would protect her, even if it meant defying his father and putting both himself and Charlie in danger in the process. He pushed to his feet. “I’ve got to go.”
“What are you going to do?”
“What’s necessary.” He let calm settle onto his face—a mask was better than nothing. “I’ll protect the family—even if that means protecting the family from Seamus.”
* * *
Charlie hadn’t had a chance to talk to Aiden about Keira taking Krav Maga. She hadn’t actually talked to him at all, despite sitting six inches from him for the last five hours as they traveled from Boston to New York. The silence had been uncomfortable at first, but when she realized Aiden was thinking hard about what the night would bring and probably strategizing the best way to go about it, she left him alone.
The driver slowed and pulled the car to a stop. They’d arrived.
She leaned over Aiden and peered out the window. “It’s a warehouse.” And a seedy one at that. When she was still a cop, she’d spent time in some of NYC’s worst neighborhoods, and the location of this place was the worst of the worst. Cops barely patrolled this area unless they had a specific reason to be there, because the badge put a target right between their eyes, and the neighborhood mostly took care of its own. They didn’t want or need the law interfering. “This is such a bad idea.”
If she’d known Aiden would take them to murder central, she wouldn’t have chosen a short strapless dress that hugged every curve and left little to the imagination. It was also a red bright enough to stop traffic, and she’d felt pretty damn great about the choice. Until now. “You said we were meeting the Eldridges.”
“We are.”
She pointed at the building. “We’re going to walk in there and get killed.”
“It would be bad business for Alethea to murder us, in a warehouse or otherwise.” Aiden climbed out of the car and held out a hand to help her from the backseat. If she didn’t already know that things were tense, she would have now, by the fact that he didn’t comment on her dress or do more than brush a quick kiss over her mouth before they left. He was preoccupied, which was all well and good…if they weren’t about to meet two of the scariest women Charlie had ever come across.