Page 35 of Twisted Obsession

“Oh Janey Mack! Have you told her I’m home?” I cry, guilt riding me hard since I haven’t been in touch with my best friend. “She’ll be going out of her mind!” Like an ostrich with my head stuck in the sand, it hasn’t even occurred to me.

“It’s okay, we kind of told her you were traveling to Ireland unexpectedly and had your phone stolen on the way to the airport, so you’d lost all your contacts, which was why you hadn’t been in touch.”

I don’t know quite how I feel about that. I’ve never kept anything from Emylyah, but given her husband is the Pakhan of the New York Bratva, I guess I can understand my brothers’ reservations about saying anything.

Yes, it’s an oddly incestuous little world we live in. One of alliances and careful scrutiny, because it pays to keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. But Lyah and I have been friends since we were in boarding school together, way before I even understood the harsh realities of my world, and long before she married into an opposing faction. But it hasn’t necessarily been a bad thing. Our enduring friendship initiated a cautious fellowship with the Bratva. One that doesn’t have a basis in either party ‘owing’ each other anything, which is only a good thing.

Callum moves the conversation on. “They must have been watching if they were ready to pounce the moment Roisin stepped out alone.”

The thought sends a shiver of apprehension down my spine, because that means they always had me in their sights. It was simply a matter of time.

Ciaran nods his head, deep in thought. “Everything that’s happened, every step they’ve taken and move they’ve made, is goading us into an all-out war. I feel like they’re playing with us. Provoking us into making a strike…”

He pauses for a moment, his countenance pensive, but resigned. “I just need to decide our next move carefully. We can't afford to be rash, but we also can't let this go unanswered."

Roisin leans forward, her eyes pleading. "Ciaran, Callum, please. Think about this. Going to war with the Italians could destroyeverything we've built. There has to be another way. And I’m telling you, it’s not what Mika Rossi wants either."

Callum's jaw clenches. "Mika Rossi is not in charge, Roisin. He might not want this, but someone sure as hell does. And besides, what would you have us do, Roisin? Let them think they can take whatever they want from us without consequence?"

"Of course not," Roisin says, shaking her head. "But escalating this situation will lead to bloodshed on both sides, and what does it gain us in the long run? We need to be smart about this."

Ciaran sighs heavily, rubbing his temples. "She's not wrong, Callum. A war could devastate us, even if we win. We need to consider all our options."

"What options?" Callum scoffs. "They've made their intentions clear. They want our territory, our business, everything we've worked for. And they’ve been systematically taking it. Then they take our sister and you both want to ignore it?" His voice is dripping in disbelief on that last line.

“I’m not saying ignore it,” Ciaran says irritably. “And we haven’t been. We took care of the fuckers who were selling on our patch… Not that they were soldiers, as you feckin’ well know–just stooges placed there to provoke a reaction. And we took Maricela…”

“Which is why they targeted me in retaliation,” I remind them, since I’m the one front and center of this shit show. My brothers rarely talk business around me, but I’ll be damned if they cut me out when it involves me so personally, and the sooner they realize that, the better.

“Roisin, you should stay out of this…”

I’m up out of my seat before Callum can even finish. “Stay out of it?” I ask in disbelief. “I would havelovedto have stayed out of it, brother dearest, but I didn’t get much choice in the matter, did I?”

Both of them widen their eyes at my display of temper but fuck this shit. I’m already involved, so it’s too late for them to start treating me with kid gloves.

Ciaran holds up his hands in a placating gesture. "Okay, okay. You're right, Roisin. It wasn’t our intention to sideline you, but you’re our little sister. Protecting you is what we’ve always done.”

I jam my fists on my hips and narrow my eyes at him. “Well, there’s no point in trying to protect me after the fact, now, is there?”

“We were worried you might be… fragile,” Callum concedes, and in that brief moment, love for my brothers wells up and threatens to overflow.

Blinking back tears I really don’t want them to see because I don’t want them to think they’re right about treating me with kid gloves, I collapse back onto the couch and take a large slug of my wine while I collect myself.

“Well, I’m in this now, whether you like it or not. So you may as well listen to what intel I can give you at the very least.”

Callum opens his mouth–to say what, I don’t know, but Ciaran shoots him a warning glance before turning back to me. "So, what do you know, and what do you think we should do?"

It sounds a little like they’re humoring me, but I don’t call them on it. As long as they listen to what I have to say, then at least they’ll be better informed. Whatever they decide to do.

I take a deep breath, before diving in. "I think you need to understand who's really pulling the strings here.”

Callum scowls. “We already know it’s the feckin’ Viper.”

“That’s right, but what you don’t know is that the Viper is acting alone in this. He doesn’t have the support of most of the organization, and those who are aware are very much opposed to what he’s doing.”

Callum leans back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. "How do you know the Viper is going out on a limb like this? Whatever you’ve heard could just be a ruse to lull us into a false sense of security before their next attack. Info they’ve planted to make us lower our guard and stop us from being proactive."

I nod. “Okay, fair point. But think about it. Why would they be so determined to start a war? Mika Rossi has always been about business, not bloodshed. He’s made no secret of the fact that he wants to change the way LCN operates."

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