Page 122 of Revenge

“Do you want to check the other deeds now?” Gabriel said and my ears pricked up. Clearing my throat, both men, turned to look down at me. We had a table at the side of the dancefloor.

“Better not, or I’ll be in trouble,” Kai replied, glancing between us.

“I’ll leave you the lot and you can check them later,” the workaholic lawyer said, rolling his eyes. Gabriel opened a briefcase which he’d perched on an empty chair before sliding the documents inside “I must say I never thought I’d see the day when the great Kai Kinlan bowed down to a woman.”

Kai chuckled as he lowered himself into the seat beside me, “You’ve seen how she handles a weapon, Gabe.”

Gabriel slid the case onto the floor and under the table, “Good point.”

And of course, the lawyer had been there the day at the vault when I had shot Kai.

A flutter of pale blonde hair captured my focus from behind Gabriel as his wife, Leonie, wrapped her arms around his waist.

“You said you’d dance with me,” she cooed, pushing up on tip toes to whisper into his ear. His entire body came alive. Gabriel was the least animated of the men who worked with Kai. He was a card close to the chest man like all lawyers.

Leonie was possibly the sweetest female I knew. She was a prima ballerina with the Royal Ballet and she and I had become friends over the last year. The fact that our men lived in each other’s pockets was a contributing factor.

I never thought Gabriel and Kai would have an allegiance given their history. Gabriel’s father used to be one of the meanest criminal defence attorneys in the city. His son, like Kai, decidednotto follow in his father’s footsteps and work with criminals.

The two men were now tight. It had taken Kai’s decision to go straight, to convince Gabriel to get on board. Now they were busy making shit loads of money together,legitimately.

There it was, that word again.

Gabriel was Kai’s right-hand man now for all things legal.

I glanced around the school hall decorated to the hilt. My mother’s wedding reception was lavish, and she was dressed in an ivory dress with a black sash (a clear statement of good versus evil).

People from all walks of life were eating buffet, dancing, chatting, or sitting around shooting the shit. It was refreshing to see hardened criminals and regular people getting along.

Before Kai started to run things legally, normal law-abiding people weren’t allowed anywhere near mafia folk. Now things were much more watered down. Kai still had to work to make every venture clean, and Gabriel was helping him do that. Coming out from that darker side of the business was a gradual endeavour.

“I’ll come by the houseafterthe weekend to collect the case, so as not to piss off your better half,” Gabriel said before Leonie dragged him away towards the dance floor.

I could see my mother attempting to get Cillian to dance. He’d mellowed and didn’t work as a contract killer anymore but as head of security, he still didn’t let his guard down easily. No pun intended.

“I swear to God, that boy becomes more pussy whipped, every day,” Max Hunter snorted as he watched Gabriel being ushered away. “Shall I go to the bar?”

“Ever heard the saying happy wife, happy life?” Max’s girlfriend Amber said.

“Now there’s a myth if Ieverheard one. You women areneverhappy, married or otherwise,” Max chuckled.

“You're clearly doing something wrong then, Max,” Amber batted back. I felt a bit sorry for him, the man had his work cut out with Lady Swift. Amber was nice enough but boy was she high maintenance. A titled Lady, Max had to work his arse off to stay in her good books. And for someone like Max, who was usually so relaxed he was almost asleep, that was no easy feat.

He used to be part of an underground fight club which helped him offload, now he had Amber. She more than allowed him to do that. Theirs was a fiery relationship. Amber’s hair was flame red and she had the temper to match.

My eyes tangled with Max’s and he shook his head, rolling his eyes.

“You didn’t seem to think I was doing anything wrong last night,” Max said with a wink in my direction. He was sitting opposite the table with his legs crossed at the ankle. Even sitting the man was huge. Max was solidly built, tattooed everywhere and as mean as they come when someone pissed him off.

“I don’t remember,” Amber replied, sipping her champagne.

“You don’t remember, yet you were so vocal about it, my sweet. You even called out to God at one point.”

Here we go, helovedgetting a rise out of Amber. And to be honest, it didn’t take much. She was highly strung and didn’t smile much but she loved Max, wholeheartedly.

“By all means, blow your own trumpet, Max. See where that gets you?”

Kai started to chuckle from beside me, his fingers skimming up and down my leg as I watched the show. He was listening but his focus was on his phone, as usual.

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