Page 47 of Riordan's Revenge

“One who’s been targeting women and who I’m going to enjoy cutting pieces off of.”

His gaze darkened. “They will hurt him before they kill him. There will be retaliation. Ye need to stay far away from Deadwater.”

“The fuck I do.”

Jamieson slammed the fridge. “This isn’t a game, Cass. Ye don’t have to prove anything to anyone. It’s Arran’s war that he doesn’t need help winning.”

“Yet he was on the phone to your dumb arse. Tell me he wasn’t asking for your help.”

Jamieson faltered.

Fuck. I was right.

Struan shifted in front of me and moved Jamieson away, blocking my view of him. He spoke low to our brother, the arsehole.

I sensed Tyler’s gaze on me.

The intercept guy scratched his chin. “He has a point. Deadwater will be a battleground.”

“Are ye staying away?” I poked my tongue into my cheek. “Will the brothel close? Will Everly and Genevieve be sequestered away in the countryside like obedient little women?”

He didn’t reply.

My brothers turned back.

Jamieson took a long breath. “All I’m saying is with your track record, you’re due to lose interest in the place anyway. Why go back when it’s at its most dangerous?”

Damn. An arrow to the heart. I knew I was flaky, but that hurt.

Struan took over. “Meant to tell ye earlier, Thea wants to talk to ye about Project Audrey. She could use your help.”

The pain curled inside me and intensified. Jamieson warned me off, Tyler backed him, and now Struan was sliding in a safe alternative, like any of them had the right to.

Yeah, fuck all of them.

Without another word, I turned on my heel and stormed away. Upset zinged in my veins. For the first time in my life, I’d found a calling. I loved the warehouse and all it stood for. The gang war was just one aspect of that and necessary to return balance to the city. More importantly, Bronson being taken offthe streets meant the world was safer for women. That was the point.

Bootsteps followed me, drumming up the stairs.

“Are ye going to try to control me, too?” I asked Riordan.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, kidnapper.”

I deflated. “Oh, yeah. Sorry.”

We turned the corner.

He spoke again. “Why do you think your brother will be helping Arran?”

“Jamieson burns things down. He’s good at it. He destroyed Arran’s family home, on Arran’s request, of course. The two of them razed it to the ground and sent that house of horrors to the gods. He also turned the hostel where we’d been held prisoners to cinders. This place got a bit of a scorching as well at one point. Luckily while our father was alive to know about it.”

“Your other brother referenced two people called Scar and Burn. I take it the latter is Jamieson?”

I managed a nod, though my mind was in Deadwater.

At my room, I unlocked the door. Riordan closed us in and waited for me to continue.

I paced. “Like with calling in Tyler whose specialism is trafficking, and who will no doubt be shutting down the Four Milers’ women-abducting routes, if Arran wants Jamieson, he intends to cause damage.”

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