Page 12 of Brutal Obsession

Beside me, Darren rubs at a smudge on his cheek, his movie-star blond hair somehow still perfect even after throwing at least one grenade back there. His chemical-blue eyes are unreadable as he toys with a lighter, though the line of his mouth transmitssuspicion. “Yeah, I don’t get it. Enzo is a nobody. He was never this smart when his brother was in power.”

“And if he had this much talent for strategy and evasion, why wasn’t he part of his older brother’s administration?” Rory adds more kindling to the pile.

Shane’s office is darker than the hall outside, decorated with plush brown leather and heavy, dark wooden furniture. We stand together in front of the desk, the same line we’ve held for years, and face down the Irish Kings’ top three men.

Shane’s flanked on both sides by his cousin Donal and Thomas Brennan—Harper’s father and the man I’ve answered to since I turned nineteen.

“Our intelligence pointed toward Enzo De Luca being there tonight.” Finn bites the bullet and delivers the bad news to his father. “He must have changed course at the last minute.”

“He’s anticipating our movements.” Shane growls the words at the carpet. Even while seated at his desk, his tall, imposing frame is menacing. Rough gray stubble clings to the angular jawline he shares with his son, though his is pock-marked with scars from the countless times our enemies have tried to off him. “I want to knowhow.”

“Cian managed to get some information off his hard drive during our sweep.” Rory volunteers the information, though I wish he wouldn’t.

Shane’s expectant eyes fall on me. “Well?”

“I found out that the De Lucas don’t have Harper.” I hold my breath while the room reacts. Donal—the underboss of our clan and Darren’s father—glances up at my words, as does Thomas. “I also discovered her current whereabouts.”

“He doesn’t have her?” Donal balks, his severe facial features knitting together in disbelief.

I shake my head once. “He never did.”

“Why the fuck would he lie about that?” Darren snaps beside me.

“Why else?” Shane drops a heavy fist onto his desk. “To manipulate us.”

“He wants the leverage.” Finn’s line of thought follows his father’s.

“And he will very soon have it.” The words are bleak, but I say them anyway, triggering a second wave of reactions.

Rory nudges my shoulder. “What did you find, Cian?”

“While I was on Enzo’s computer, he received a message with a photograph of Harper. It included the coordinates. I deleted it, but it’s safe to say he has operatives on the ground who know exactly where she is.”

“And?” Thomas explodes, spit flying from his mouth onto Shane’s floor. “Where the fuck is she?”

“Hawaii.”

The room erupts. None of the side conversations or divided mutterings stop until Shane recaptures everyone’s attention.

“This poses a grave threat to Harper.” He steeples his fingers, sinking into thought.

“Let her be captured,” Donal suggests, disdain and irritation thick in his voice. “We wasted time and resources searching all this time. Harper Brennan has just as little respect for this family as thatsisterof hers.”

Finn bristles at the reference to Riley. The two of them are romantically involved these days. Engaged, actually. When Harper disappeared before the wedding, their father forced Riley to fill in. All that time they spent together pretending to be husband and wife must have rubbed off on them, because now they’re a couple for real.

“Leave Riley out of it.” Finn can talk back to Donal. He’ll be the head of this mafia one day, and Donal would do well to remember that.

Donal scowls at Finn but keeps Riley’s name out of his mouth. “Harper Brennan’s safety is no concern of ours anymore. She deserted her duty, so let her fend for herself.”

I grind my molars together. If he were my equal, I’d tell him to watch his fucking mouth.

I’m more pissed off at her than anyone else in this room, but even I wouldn’t suggest abandoning her to the clutches of a sick dirtbag like Enzo De Luca. And why the fuck isn’t her father as up in arms as I am?

“Enough.” Shane raises a hand for silence. “Harper will answer for her behavior, but we need to deal with the bigger problem first. Enzo has been hunting for her, and he’s now within striking distance. We need to get her back before Enzo grabs her and attempts to use her as leverage against us.”

Gratitude for the levelheaded leadership of Shane Gallagher streams through me. I respect the man, partly because of the way he isn’t swayed by the more vicious men of our crew.

“He’s managed to field our every offensive, so we need to change our approach. I’m going to send a solo operative to take care of this.” Shane rises from his desk. “Cian, I’m assigning this one to you.”

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