Page 51 of Líadan's Code

“Your father is planning a party in New York City it seems, and there’s been a lot of buzz about it in the crime family,” Jordan explains.

“I knew it was happening, just not that it was in New York,” Lía murmurs. “Daddy hates that city. He says it whenever possible, even though he is opening a club there soon.”

“However much he may hate it, Seán figured that in honor of your birthday being the day after, he’d have a party to also celebrate the opening of the club,” Jordan says. “It’s all speculation of who he’ll be naming as his heir that concerns me.”

“What are they saying?” I ask. I know he’s naming Lía as his heir. There’s no one else he could possibly choose. “No one has seen Lía in years in the family. Even Bruin has only seen glimpses of her when she speaks to her father when he takes her out to dinner. Seán rents out the entire place, and the conversation is kept private.”

“No guards,” she says softly. “I’ve seen Bruin as the Banshee, but he avoids me like the plague the family thinks I am. I’d rather be the thing that goes bump in the night than have him anywhere near me.”

“The moment you can, promise me you’ll put him down,” Jordan says, brushing his lips over her temple. “He’s obsessed with you, even though he doesn’t have as much access to you anymore. I don’t want him to have a single second to be able to hurt you.”

Lía nods as she takes a shaky breath. “It would be great to be able to hear him scream as I unleashed my trauma, but if he can’t feel pain the way you say he can’t…”

“Not worth it,” Jordan grunts. “Your father as much as said Bruin’s pain receptors don’t work. There’s only one person I know who could have experimented with him to do that. I’m incredibly thankful that he’s dead now. The doctor was a menace.”

“We’ll put him down, even though I think that’s too good for him,” I mutter. “So other than now knowing where the party will be in less than a week, where’s the fire?”

“Everyone is buzzing about who the heir will be, and there’s already plans to kill them,” Jordan sighs. “Some are more colorful than others, and others talk about how whoever Seán names will be passed around first before they’re killed. They want your father to step down and let them fight it out.”

“Daddy will never do that,” Lía retorts, ignoring parts of what Jordan says. “Everything he’s ever done is to keep them in check. It doesn’t sound as if they appreciate his efforts, though.”

“Do you have any idea what he’s going to do at this event?” Jordan asks, his thumb rubbing Lía’s skin absently. “Is it simply an announcement?”

“Nothing Seán does is ever simple, because of his flair for the dramatic,” I cut in. “He’s going to allow the family to bring their human pets and slaves to this event, so it’ll be closed to the public. There will be very public sex at certain points of the evening, and I’d expect some kind of auction would happen during the event to keep their appetite whet and minds engaged. These people are depraved. Some of them keep human menageries for their household, and are always looking for an opportunity to add to it…”

Jordan stiffens next to me, and I swear he stops breathing completely.

“Songbird…” he mutters. “Fucking hell.”

“Jordan?” Lía asks before Jordan stands quickly. He manages to catch her before she gets dumped onto the floor, even making sure she’s sitting on the couch before he’s pacing.

“What did you just figure out?” I ask, hands fisting. I have a feeling he just pieced together something, and it’s going to be yet another way that Seán O’Brien is finding ways to fuck us over.

“Seán calls Layla a songbird because of the way she sings. My niece has a very unique voice and style, which is why she’s sold out every venue that she’s ever performed at during her solo career,” Jordan says, forcing himself to take a breath. “The blood debt Sean insists Layla owes him despite the fact that it was self defense means…”

“Daddy is going to sell her at this thing,” Lía whispers brokenly. “But, she left the club, right? Couldn’t Layla just move on with her life and never see Daddy again?”

“No, Lía, she can’t,” I sigh as I watch Jordan scrub at his face in frustration. “Seán will dangle her uncle over her head to get her to do whatever he wants.”

“The difference is my niece won’t be alone,” Jordan growls, dropping his hands to his sides. There’s a fire in his hazel eyes, and his sun-kissed hair is sticking in different directions from running his hands through it as he paces.

“The second Seán threatens her, Layla will call her sister because she doesn’t trust him. She’ll hopefully be able to provide some sort of support for her in the club.”

“Layla’s sister is just a girl,” Lía says, her lips sneering. I pinch her side as I roll my eyes, because she’s being sexist right now. “What? Not everyone is a psychopath, Brendan. How can Lennon help at all?”

“Lenny is a psychopath too, Princess, with husbands that match her crazy,” Jordan rumbles. “Fuck, this could go so badly. Layla’s never going to watch her mouth around your father. She finds it too much fun to fuck with him.”

“Does she have a death wish?” I ask. “Seán isn’t someone people tease.”

“Their dynamic is very odd,” Jordan sighs. “It’s as if the asshole can’t help but like her just a little. I doubt it’ll help much outside of possibly making him hesitate at the right moment for her. If Se?n puts things into motion for an auction, he won’t be in control once it does.”

“It gathers a life of its own,” Lía says dully, her eyes glazing as if caught in a memory.

“Uh uh,” I bark, startling her. Picking her up, I plop Lía in my lap. “You’re here with Jordan and I. Stay with us, milseán.”

Taking a shuddering breath, she nods. “I don’t want that to happen to Layla,” she gasps. “I can’t imagine letting this horror happen to anyone else.”

My heart pounds as I hear my girl experience emotions. She’s been so numb for years. Holy shit.

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