Page 23 of Declan

Fucking hell, she’s everywhere!

In a baggy shirt and shorts—both black, of course—with her long, wavy, raven hair cascading down her back. I crack my neck, tension rising again just from her presence.

What the hell is wrong with me?

I clear my throat to get her attention away from whatever she’s frying on the stove.

“We have people to do that,” I say, grabbing the coffee pot and pouring myself a cup before sitting on the bench.

“Shit!” She jumps, turning to me with a wooden spoon in hand. I glance at it, raising my hands.

“I come in peace,” I chuckle as she rolls her eyes.

“I like making my breakfast.” Her coldness makes me uncomfortable. She was softer yesterday. I guess her walls are back up. Good. It’s better this way.

I stare at her for too long, my eyes tracing her legs up to the curve of her ass. I’d slap those cheeks until she begged me to stop.

“Declan,” Kian’s voice cuts through my thoughts just in time since my dick is already half-standing, and in these sweatpants, there’s no hiding it.

I rise from the chair, giving one last glance at her before heading to the office.

“The cameras are all up and running at the docks again,” Kian says. I nod.

“Let me get dressed, and we’ll leave,” I say, walking to the main bedroom upstairs.

Kian and I have a few meetings and a business lunch in the city, while Connor will stay behind at the mansion. He’s still digging into what happened at the docks.

“Is it safe for Connor to stay behind with Viviana?” Kian jokes, though the way he scrubs his chin tells me he knows this isn’t the best situation for my little brother.

“He needs to learn how to deal with vixens like her,” I reply, more amused than anything.

Connor is nothing like me or Kian. Hell, he’s not even like our father. Women make him uncomfortable as fuck, especially headstrong ones like Viviana. The poor kid can’t even breathe properly around a beautiful woman. When she talks back like Viviana does, it’s ten times worse.

By the time we arrive at the restaurant, Flynn Brady is already there. He’s in charge of dock security, a crucial part of the Irish Consortium. Our families are the key players: us, the Keefes, the Flanaghans, and the Bradys. Bryan Keefe owns most of the clubs in town. He’s an eejit, and I have zero patience for him, so most Irish Consortium meetings are done with Flynn, who passes the info along.

As the meeting progresses, I can’t help but think about Connor left behind with Viviana. Maybe it’ll toughen him up—or maybe she’ll break him. Either way, I’ve got bigger things to worry about right now.

“There’s no way someone outside would get past our security,” Flynn says, raising his wine glass. “Which means—”

“We have a mole.” My voice is cold, my hands clenching around the glass. I look at Kian, and he nods.

“The Russians?” Kian asks, lowering his voice. It’s like those fucking bastards are always nearby, hidden in the shadows.

Flynn was with me when Elva got killed. He felt my rage as his own. We tore this fucking city apart, but there were no clues. Nothing.

“I don’t think any of the Irish Consortium families would work with them,” I say, shaking my head. During the Dark Wars, the Russians attacked all the families—women and children were killed and tortured. There’s no chance in hell anyone would team up with the Koslovs.

“Giovanni?” Flynn clears his throat, avoiding my eyes.

I smirk. “Don’t worry, lad. The last person I care about now is that piece of shit.” The Morellis are business, nothing more. I couldn’t care less if they all dropped dead.

All of them except Viviana—but I won’t admit that.

“They have an alliance now. Would they risk it?” Kian twirls the ice in his whiskey. “They’re sick of paying us for security and import/export fees.”

“Now they don’t pay shit, but they’ve lost their part of the docks,” Flynn murmurs. He’s right. They’ve lost everything. Their only moneymaker is the guns they ship to Europe, and even those go through the Flanaghans.

A chill runs down my spine, but I shake it off. We’re already digging into Giovanni, but now, with Flynn thinking the same, I’ll have to be more careful around Viviana.

---