Page 5 of Riordan's Revenge

It took me a second to work out what he meant. “Oh, no. That’s Sin and Lottie. My brother and his wife. They raised me from the age of six, and I call them my parents sometimes. They have their own kids, though.”

Riordan finally brought his attention back to me, hostility in his hard gaze and mistrust as deep as Deadwater’s river. “What am I doing here?”

I pulled a face. “I needed to leave the warehouse in a hurry and I got scared. No excuse, but I wanted to take ye with me.”

His eyes widened. “So you just did? You drugged me.”

“I know, and I’m really sorry. I’ll never do it again. I can be impulsive, and it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

He gave a snarl of incredulity. “Are you kidding? How the hell did you even get me out of the building? Scratch that, why am I here? What’s going to happen to me?”

“You’re here because you’re mine. I can’t explain any better than that, but I will call Arran so he knows where ye are. There’ssomething else I need to tell everyone as well. Let me get Sin and Lottie back first so I don’t need to repeat myself.”

I found my phone in my pocket and sent a text. In under a minute, my brother thumped on my door, and I let him in.

“No Lottie?”

He glowered at Riordan but answered me. “Should be along in a minute. She’s feeling under the weather.”

Internally, I fist-pumped. My sister-in-law had paused in having babies once Magnus was born so she could go to university and get a midwife’s degree. The minute she graduated, I knew the two of them would get on with baby number five.

Now probably wasn’t the time to celebrate.

“Your boy’s awake, then.” Sin gave a head tilt to Riordan.

He got an equally dark glare in return.

I ushered my brother to a seat then video called Arran, keeping the screen on me.

He picked up. “Cassie. Finally returning my calls. Is there a reason Manny spotted you on the CCTV smuggling one of my crew out of the building?”

I’d known Arran since I was a child and considered him family. A relationship which now needed mending after I’d thoroughly abused his hospitality.

My confidence wobbled.

With my gaze down, I launched into my story. “Last night, I had to leave the warehouse in a rush. Shade left his knockout kit in your office, and I borrowed it.”

On the screen, Arran narrowed his eyes. “How did you get into my office?”

I rummaged in my bag and produced a set of keys. Jangled them. “Ye gave us these, remember?”

We were investors in Arran’s warehouse, myself included.

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “What was Will doing with you?”

Will was the security guard I’d paid to carry Riordan. “Dude took a bribe before I even finished the sentence. He also sneaks off duty to vape and leaves the back door unguarded. You need to kick his arse to the kerb. I’ve done ye a favour in exposing him.”

Arran just stared. I pressed on.

“That’s confession number one. The second is a bit more complicated.”

I panned the camera around, showing him the man on my sofa.

“You knocked out my new recruit using the stolen drugs then bribed my guard to kidnap him?”

Why was everyone so hung up on that? “Yes, but he’s awake now.”

“Right,” he drawled. “Is he okay?”

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