Page 44 of While You Sleep

“I didn’t need to. It was him, and he wasn’t alone. Anything you want to tell me, Alto?”

“I’m a man of honor, Irish, and I don’t like that put into question. We need to meet.”

The truce and upcoming alliance between our families was under threat, and I fought to gather my control. For the first time, I struggled to put the good of the family first and not say something that could jeopardize everything I’d done to get to this point. But I was struggling to think about anything but Sophia trembling in my arms. “Where?”

I called Danny and got him to double security on the house, then strode down the hall to check on Sophia.

She was curled in a tight ball, somehow, she’d fallen asleep, and as I looked down at her, I realized I didn’t want to leave, even knowing she was safe in my home, but I had to go. This needed to be dealt with, now.

Her hair had fallen over her face, and I brushed it back. Jesus, she was so incredibly still. I held the backs of my fingers to her slightly parted lips to feel the warmth of her breath. How many times had I stood in her room at night, staring down at her while she’d slept, fighting the urge to touch her, confused over my obsession with her? Trying to figure out why I was in her apartment again, why I couldn’t stay away?

Now I could touch her whenever I wanted to. She was in my bed. She was mine. And I was still confused. I didn’t know why this tiny woman was able to reach deep inside me and drag that gasping, drowning part of me from the darkest, murkiest depths. A part of me I didn’t think I possessed anymore, but she had, without even knowing it, and the more time I spent with her, the more I couldn’t bear to be parted from her.

I ran the backs of my fingers over her soft, warm cheek. No, nothing and no one was going to be taking her from me. No matter the cost.

I tucked pillows around her to minimize any damage if she had an attack while I was gone. It was all I could do for now.

Then I forced myself to walk away.

* * *

I met Declan and Conor back at the club. The party was over and most of the guests had already cleared out.

“Take a seat,” Alto said when I walked in, all good humor from earlier gone.

I didn’t want to sit. I wanted to blow a hole in Paolo’s head, then watch him bleed out all over the floor. “This needs to be dealt with,” I said to the older man, not letting him see my fury. I was known as a cold monster who would slit your throat without batting an eyelash, and when Sophia wasn’t involved, that description was more than accurate, but I didn’t feel cold right then. Anger burned the back of my neck, in my gut, brighter, hotter with every passing moment that I didn’t get to hurt the fuckers who’d fired shots at us and almost hit Sophia.

“I can’t allow the O’Rourke monster to kill my nephew, you must understand this. I can’t align with the family who killed my sister’s only son.”

“And I can’t align with a family who shot at my wife. Your nephew doesn’t care about an alliance, Alto, he wants war.”

Alto’s jaw tightened, then he snapped his fingers. Two of his men appeared, dragging Walter and another guy with them. They were bruised and bloody. “Paolo is just misguided.”

“Misguided? He opened fire on my wife,” I said, barely keeping my anger in check, something that had never been an issue before.

“I can’t give you Paolo, but after your call, I sent my men to find those responsible. These are your gunmen, and they swear they were acting alone.”

“And you believe them?”

“I do.”

He was lying, trying to prevent a war between us, to save his piece-of-shit nephew’s ass, and a whole lot of money that our alliance would bring him, and us. “I’m not stupid, Alto. Paolo wants Sophia, and he won’t stop until he gets what he wants.” I wasn’t sure what that was. I assumed he wanted her for himself. I thought I was his target, but then his mindset could have shifted more toward if I can’t have her, then no one can.

Alto’s gaze locked on mine. “Paolo is on a plane as we speak. I’ve sent him home to his mother in Sicily.”

I refused to show weakness, but it was hard to stay in my seat and not blow the old fucker’s head to pieces. “You insult me and my family. I’m owed retribution for what happened tonight.”

Alto didn’t move, didn’t look away from me, but several of his men had closed in. Declan and Conor moved to stand beside me, my own men now on full alert.

“Paolo will be watched,” Alto said and sat back. “I hope we can put this unpleasantness behind us now.”

I wanted my pound of Paolo’s flesh, but that wasn’t going to happen. At least not right now. What I so desperately wanted to do was tell him the alliance was off, the wedding between Declan and Gaia was off, then shoot every last motherfucker in this room, but I wasn’t just the O’Rourke monster anymore, I was the head of the Irish mafia in this city. Brennan was nothing, and everyone knew it. My moves needed to be strategic. This anger was new for me, and I had to get a handle on it. I couldn’t let it rule me. A war right now would be bad for all of us—including Sophia.

So instead of pulling out my gun, I waved my men forward. My only option was to take Alto’s conciliation prize.

They strode forward and grabbed Walter and his sniveling friend and dragged them from the club. Then I walked out, Dec and Conor right behind me. “Take them to the warehouse,” I said and got into my car.

* * *

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