Page 105 of Ruthless Reign

“That was for my son,” he said in a dangerously even tone and I knew he wouldn’t attack again.

Aodhán licked the blood from the split at the far left of his mouth and smiled—fucking smiled at my Dad. “Fair play,” he said, his voice rough.

Damien nodded as if that was that and Becca gaped at them both.

“The senator just washed up on shore at his resort in Panama,” Dad explained. “With a bullet between his eyes. And two of our own are missing. That’s the reason for the entourage.”

“Who?” Hardin asked.

“Chase and Israel. I sent them out to see if they could pick up a trail from the storage warehouse your boy blew up that might lead back to the Sons.”

“They found it, then,” I muttered. “If he has them.”

“Where’s Sloane?” Becca asked, trying to look out the still-open door.

Dad snorted. “If I let her come in here with me this fucker would be a pile of ash at our feet.”

And sure enough, I could see Ma outside, fuming in the passenger seat of Dad’s ride. I gave her a little wave and she flipped me off. With love.

“If my father has your men, they’re dead,” Aodhán said and whatever trace amounts of camaraderie had started to form between him and my Dad grew stale.

Dad clucked his tongue.

Aodhán had no apology in his eyes, just a stone cold hardness as he met my Dad’s stare. “My Dad doesn’t hold people. He ends them. Without prejudice. Without mercy. If he took your men, that means he knows it was me at the warehouse last night. It’s retaliation for his fallen men, but he won’t be finished.”

Aodhán let out a heavy breath. “He won’t attack yet. I made sure of that. But when he can replenish what I destroyed, he won’t hesitate. He’ll throw everything he has at you.”

“To get you back?” Becca asked him, confused.

Aodhán laughed haughtily. “No. To kill me and every last one of you. What I did last night was an act of war, and he’ll treat it as such.”

Dad swore.

“It’s what we were getting ready for already,” I reasoned with him when he looked like he was two seconds shy of pulling his pistol and eliminating the problem. “At least now we know it’s coming. And time is on our side. It’ll take that bastard weeks to replenish what Aodhán took. That’s more than enough time for Diesel and his men to station themselves down here for the fight.”

Aodhán cleared his throat. “You have days. Maybe a week at most. With my father’s contacts, he’ll have everything replenished and then some by then.”

“Jesus,” Zade whispered, incredulous.

“Then we don’t wait. We strike now. Before he has a chance to recover. Where is he hiding?”

Dad put the question to Aodhán, a knot between his brows.

“I don’t know.”

“His men, then? Where are they?”

Aodhán’s jaw flexed. “I only know of one location, but he might have cleared it out by now.”

“That fast?” Becca challenged. “It’s barely been hours since you showed up at the door.”

“It’s possible they’re still there.”

“How many?” Hardin asked.

Aodhán’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Thirty. Forty possibly.”

“And how many men does he have in total?” I asked, my mind racing, trying to keep up with all the new information, store it away for future use.

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