Page 38 of Wretched Soul
Ash nods. “Take a look,” he says to me.
“Yes, boss,” I mutter.
Ash had been turning away, but he rounds on me. “Do we have a fucking problem, Mace?”
“Maybe I’m just sick of you waiting for me to fuck up. Apologies if I have a life outside your orbit, Ash, but you’re going to have to learn to suck it up. I’m not on a fucking leash.”
“Hey,” Hunter says, having tuned into our increasingly loud exchange. “Whatever this is between you two, can we leave it on the plane? We need to show the world we have each other’s back, preferably without any daggers sticking out between our shoulder blades.”
“This conversation is done,” Ash says.
Reid lingers until I shoot him a warning glare. I do not need one of his pep talks right now. I’m more than happy to let my roiling emotions simmer on a high heat as I open my laptop, closedown Lily’s dashboard, and give Dr. Edward Romano the full benefit of my hacking skills. I’m in and out within a matter of minutes, but I continue to stare at the empty screen.
My fingers are splayed over the keyboard, and I tap the side of my thumb against the wrist rest. I keep tapping until the flight attendant announces that we’ll be landing in fifteen minutes. My hand shakes as I sip my cold coffee.
I try to convince myself that it’s residual anger running through my veins after my fight with Ash. But is this anger? The truth is, I don’t know what this feeling is. The fact that Alice’s medical notes have elicited any emotional response from me is… unexpected.
Alice’s time on earth is drawing to a close. She has a month left. Maybe two.
I shouldn’t care.
But I think I do.
Ash finally stops pacing when Killian turns up two hours late. Our guest takes a seat at the conference table in our expansive hotel suite without a word of apology.
“How’s married life treating you, Hunter?” he asks, relaxing back in his chair so it tips onto the two back legs. He’s wearing a black t-shirt under his suit jacket that stretches across his pecs. His deep brown eyes sparkle with devilment.
“None of your damn business,” my brother replies. He hasn’t forgiven Killian for telling Ash he had a sister-in-law before Hunter had a chance to explain his hastily arranged wedding.
“Are we still on for tonight?” Ash asks, getting straight to the point.
The chair drops down as Killian straightens up. “I tried my best, Ash.”
“But?” I ask.
Killian sucks air through his teeth. “Your informant’s report was spot on. Barrett’s getting into bed with the Russians. They’ll have offered him protection,” he says. “Which brings me onto what Barrett’s offering in return. Having looked at your architect’s drawings, we agree that the shipments they want to store in the stable block are going to be the two-legged variety. And as you know, my dad isn’t in the business of trafficking anything with a beating heart. Corpses, or soon-to-be corpses, yes. Innocent people, no.”
“So, what do we do about it?” asks Reid.
Killian offers him a beaming smile. “Reid Griffin. It’s good to meet you at last,” he says. “But in answer to your question, you can do whatever you like.”
His words are like a punch to the gut, and I know the feeling will be shared with my brothers.
“Dad was prepared to go to war if the Bratva were making a move on his territory, but there’s no conflict of interest here,” Killian continues.
Ash’s jaw works and it takes a second before he can speak. “He’s prepared to stand back and let women be bought and sold like cattle?” he asks. “I thought John was looking to improve his moral standing?”
“He is,” Killian answers. “And declaring outright war on the Russian Bratva would be counterproductive to that. It drags us back to the old times.” He opens up his hands in supplication. “You wanted to avoid a turf war in Poulton Springs, and that’s exactly what you’ve got.”
Shit. He’s not wrong.
“And your dad’s willing to let Barrett off the hook for destroying his distribution hub?” asks Hunter.
“We’ve been using alternative arrangements that are actually working better for us. And as much as we’d like to make an example of Barrett, it might be more fun watching him dig the hole the Russians are going to bury him in one day.”
“So, we’re all supposed to turn a blind eye in the meantime?” I ask. I can’t help thinking about the women that are going to be held in Barrett’s stable block. How would I feel if one of them was Lily?
“Sorry, lads,” Killian replies. “I’ve had a long and difficult conversation with my dad. He considers this a family matter for you to manage. Barrett’s your brother.”
