Page 87 of Beautiful Scar

I’d do anything for my brother. I’d kill anyone, hurt anyone, burn the whole fucking world if he asked.

But nobody fucks with my wife and survives.

Fire flickers as it pours out the windows, and I swear I can hear the sweet music of Oisin’s terrified and agonized screams bellow into the night like a beautiful song.

Chapter 26

Tigran

“You smell like a bonfire,” Aunt Sona says back at the mansion. Her arms are crossed, and her nose is all wrinkled up. “What happened?”

Arsen fills her in as we head into the main office. I pour everyone a drink, and even Sona accepts it this time. She seems thoughtful but annoyed as she sips the delicious whiskey. I let the hot burn of it linger on my tongue, thinking about Oisin’s last moments.

“We wanted him alive,” Sona says, giving me a pointed look. “The twins knew things we could’ve used.”

“Nothing we can do about it now.” Arsen slumps into his chair and looks toward the window. “Liam was talking about war when one twin was dead. Now that we have Oisin and most of his soldiers, it’s all but guaranteed.”

“The McGraths have been getting too full of themselves lately anyway,” I say with a shrug.

“War’s not simple.” Sona gives me an exasperated look. “You can’t just murder every single one of them.”

“Why not?” I arch my eyebrows. “You know a thing or two about murder, right?”

She rolls her eyes and gestures at Arsen, ice clinking against glass. “You need to leash your brother. He’s out of control.”

“I’m not a dog,” I snap, glaring at her.

“Then why do you keep acting like one? Running around pissing all over our plans.” She barks back at me, barely restraining her anger.

“That’s enough,” Arsen says, shoving to his feet. He slams his hands on the desk. “I’m sick of you two bickering. Do you hear me? I’m sick of it. I get enough whining from Roman.” He picks up his drink and points at Sona, then at me. “You two are staying in this room until you work out your differences. When you’re done, you may both leave.”

“Fuck that,” I say, shaking my head. “That’s a waste of my time.”

“I’d rather cut off a toe than stay here with him.” Sona’s nostrils flare as she turns her back to me.

“Shut the fuck up, both of you,” Arsen says, sounding harsh and tired. “This is an order from yourpatron. Come to an agreement and stop arguing, or I’m going to replace both of you as my top advisors. Understood? Now, I’m going to visit my wife and kiss my son. You annoying pricks.” He storms out, slamming the door behind him.

Sona makes a scoffing, annoyed sound as she refills her glass. I note that she doesn’t offer to pour for me, but that’s probably expecting too much. We stand on either side of the office, eyeing each other.

“I killed him on purpose,” I tell her, smiling slightly. “I broke his knees and his hands and left him to burn.”

She sighs, shaking her head. “I’d say I’m surprised, but I’m really not.”

“Oisin didn’t know a thing. He was hiding in a drug den. He was nothing more than a knife for Liam and Seamus.”

“Then are you going after them next?” Her eyebrows raise questioningly. “Going to hunt down the McGrath brothers?”

“Thinking about it.”

“You can’t just kill the whole city, Tigran,” she says, losing her patience again. “You got away with it when the Brotherhood was first coalescing around Arsen because we needed a steady hand and a little terror to straighten out everyone’s loyalties. But now blood isn’t going to solve every problem.”

“Been working great for me so far.”

She takes a long drink and slumps down into a chair. “You want to know something fucked up?” she asks. I hesitate, then sit on a couch facing her. “For the longest time, I was jealous of you.”

That’s not what I expected her to say. That’s almost impossible to imagine, if I’m honest. She was always kind to Arsen when we were younger—although that changed as he grew up. But she has never been anything but dismissive toward me at best, and outright hostile most of the time otherwise.

“How’s that work?” I ask, cocking my head. “You were jealous when you treated me like a brainless animal?”

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