Page 64 of Exile and Embrace

I sit back and run my hand along my jaw. “I have to ask. Who the fuck is your brother-in-law?”

It’s a question that I should have asked her when she pulled out all those weapons. It’s also a question that I’m not sure she’s going to answer.

Ava pulls the duvet tighter around her, sinking down into the cushions and getting comfortable. “Does that matter?”

“Yes. You keep saying cryptic shit about how he taught you this or he gave you that. If whoever your brother-in-law is will cause another problem for me, then I need to know.”

“Christian Herrera.”

Fuck.

If I thought I was playing with fire by having her here before, I’ve thrown myself into an inferno now.

I nod, trying to process that information.

Though I’m on good terms with Christian, if anything happens to Ava, I’m sure I’ll shoot to the top of his shit list.

“Alright. Well, then you probably do know how to shoot.”

Ava giggles and rolls her eyes. “I know you promised to protect me—and I appreciate it—but if I have to, I can protect myself.”

“Are you keeping a gun with you at all times?”

She jerks her chin in the direction of the large purse she carries when she goes out. “There’s one in there all the time, and there’s another hidden in my car.”

Knowing that she doesn’t go out into the world defenseless makes me feel a bit better.

I stand up from the chair and move into the kitchen as Ava grabs the remote again.

“Cillian and his wife are going to be coming for dinner next week. He wants to meet you. Says that it’s important to him to get to know all the people who are close to his personal business.”

“Okay. I’ll figure out something good to make.”

My phone buzzes on the counter, my father’s number lighting up the screen.

I groan and grab the phone, already heading to the door to go outside. “I’ve got to take this call, Aves, but after that, we can watch whatever you want.”

She waves one hand without looking at me, the engagement ring on that finger glistening beneath the dim glow of the lamplight.

What would it feel like if what ring represented were real?

I shake the thought from my head and step outside, sliding my thumb across the screen.

I don’t have time to think about alternate realities when I already have more than enough to fill my plate in this one.

“Hello, Dad.”

He scoffs. “Took you long enough to answer the fucking phone, Finnigan. How are things going there? How much longer do you think it will be before you can make your move?”

This is the call I’ve been dreading. I know that, sooner or later, Dad is going to start pushing harder for me to kill Cillian and take control.

The only problem is that I don’t know if I can do it anymore. If I even want to.

After seeing how Cillian runs his organization, I don’t know if I want to turn against him. His people are content. There are no random beatings. I don’t get sent to kill people who pissed him off—only those who wronged him.

It’s an easier life. One that doesn’t weigh as heavily on me.

I clear my throat and sit down in one of the patio loungers. “Everything is fine. He’s not a trusting man. I’m in his inner circle, but he usually sends another man with me. It should only be a couple more weeks before he trusts me on my own.”

---