Page 86 of Twisted Kings

If Declan wanted to curry favor with my father, he could sell us out in a heartbeat. I hoped he wouldn’t do that, but my motto was ‘trust nobody’.

He sipped his Irish coffee while I struggled not to fidget. Eventually, I spoke, mostly to break the awkward silence between us.

“I’m truly grateful for all you’ve done for me…for us.” And Iwasgrateful. He’d put himself and his family on the line for me when he could have ignored Eden’s cry for help on my behalf.

“As you should be.” He drained his coffee and huffed with annoyance. “It’s cost me a fecking fortune!”

“Like you’re broke,” scoffed Eden as she came sailing in, ignoring the guards who did their best to stop her. I noted her hair was now a vibrant shade of purple with icy blue tips. “You’re the richest fucker this side of the Atlantic.”

“Hardly, cousin.”

Eden perched on the arm of my leather club chair. “Ignore the grumpy bastard. He’s pissed I beat him at monopoly again. Such a sore loser.” She winked at me while Declan scowled.

“Only because you cheated,a bhobain.”

“Nooo, I never cheat.” From her laughter, I strongly suspected that was a blatant lie.

“So, are you ready to party like it’s 1999 this evening?” This evening being New Year’s Eve.

“Um, I’m not sure it’s a good idea,” I hedged, aware Declan didn’t want any trouble. “And I can’t abandon my sister.” Verity had taken the sudden departure from the beach house in her stride. If anything, she seemed excited about visiting somewhere new. I guess after being locked up in a boring attic her whole life, going to new places was thrilling for her.

“Oh, don’t worry about Verity. She can hang out with Declan’s sisters. They’re staying here tonight and have a movie marathon planned.”

“Um, how old are they?” Verity wasn’t old enough to watch scary movies or stay up past midnight.

“Saoirse is 12 and Aoife is 14. Honestly, she’ll be fine with them. Ronan has Aiden and Cillian on guard duty to make sure they don’t get up to anything.” She leaned in and whispered, “Aoife has a huge crush on Aiden. It’s hilarious.”

“Um…” I blinked, not sure whether partying was a good idea with so many people wanting to kill or kidnap me. “Where is the party?”

“In the basement-level club. Fear not, Declan’s security is top-notch.” She cast a sly grin in his direction. “He’s invitedhiscrush, so he doesn’t want any trouble.”

“Jesus fucking Christ, get the fuck outta my office, the pair of ye. I have fecking work to do!”

Eden grabbed my wrist and pulled me to my feet. From his annoyed mutterings as the door swung shut behind us, Declan hoped I never darkened his door again. And who could blame him?

We stepped into the elevator. The doors swished shut and Eden pressed a button for the fourth floor, where she was staying. From the outside, this building in central Belfast looked no different from the many other historical buildings in the city.

The exterior dated back to the 1800s, but the interior had been extensively remodeled to reflect the needs of the 21st century, complete with state-of-the-art security systems and all the luxuries money could buy.

Apartments for the family took up the upper floors, while the Kelly family maintained offices on the first floor. The ground floor masqueraded as the reception area for serviced apartments, which the building claimed to be, and in the basement, there was an exclusive nightclub.

When we reached Eden’s apartment, I heard my sister giggling, followed by more female laughter.

My shoulders tensed. I’d left her with the guys.

“What’s Verity doing here?”

“Oh, she’s having a makeover. The girls brought all their makeup and stuff over. She’s having a ball!”

Of course she was. I sighed. The longer my sister spent out in the real world, the harder it was to keep her safe. She had no sense of danger. Everything was new and exciting to her, and she soaked it up like a sponge.

“Don’t worry about her. The girls will take care of her. They love her to bits already.”

Eden’s assurance didnotease my mind.

“Really?”

Eden patted my arm, reading me like a book. “Yes. I promise she’ll be fine. You need to give her some freedom. Let her be a teenager.”

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