Page 29 of Wretched Soul
He shrugs. “It’s just a planning meeting,” he says, then quickly looks away.
I know Ash thinks he’s given me an impossible task by asking for a report in fifteen minutes, but the programs I’ve written do all the heavy lifting.
“They’re due to finish in six weeks,” I tell Ash, sliding printouts across the table. It’s the latest design Barrett’s architect has lodged with the construction company, along with a project plan.
“Then we don’t have much time to reform allegiances,” he replies grimly as he scans the paperwork. He slides it across to Hunter.
I wait for someone else to ask him to expand on his comment, but Ash is being vague for a reason. He’s forcing me to admit there’s a gap in my knowledge because I’ve been fucking around with a woman.
My oldest brother expects us to behave like damn monks. He’d watched our father’s heart break twice, once when Alice left him, and then when Lisa died. That last crack was fatal, and the next generation has been expected to avoid such complications. The fact that Hunter broke that mold has made Ash all the more resolute that he and I keep focused. Reid gets a pass of course. His heart was made for love in a way that ours weren’t.
I exhale loudly, letting Ash know I’m aware of the point he’s making. “What allegiances?”
His hazel eyes bore into me. “The McConkeys. If Ray’s to be believed, the distribution hub Barrett is being forced to include in his grand designs isn’t to appease the Irish. The fucker has got himself involved with the Russians.”
“Jesus,” I hiss.
“Alice was right to be worried about the company he’s keeping,” Ash continues. “Not to mention the enemies he’s made. John McConkey was willing to go easy on Barrett because of his blood ties to us, but this changes everything.”
“We never asked for leniency on Barrett’s behalf,” I say. Life would be so much easier if someone put a bullet in Barrett’s head.
“I asked,” Ash clarifies. “And John was willing to stay his hand as long as he got his distribution hub back. Enough innocent blood has been shed in Poulton Springs, Mace. I didn’t want the situation escalating.”
“And yet here we are,” I say. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one here making mistakes. “If the Russians establish a stronghold in the area, the Irish are going to burn Barrett’s new home to the ground, just like he did with the factory.” I can’t hold in the laugh. “It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.”
“But it wouldn’t just happen to Barrett,” Hunter says, remaining grim-faced. “Poulton Springs would become the main casualty in a turf war.”
“And we can’t let that happen,” Ash finishes.
As much as I agree, doing anything to help Barrett leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I pick up the latest architect’s drawing. The family estate Barrett has planned is lavish and overstated, but my gaze is drawn to the stable block and guesthouse being built on the outer edges next to a ravine.
The buildings are perfectly isolated, and the only way to get to them is through Barrett’s property. He might not be able to see whatever the Russian’s get up to there, but he’ll be dragged into their world, whether he likes it or not.
I trace a finger over the stable’s individual stalls. What do the Russian’s have planned for the site? “I couldn’t track down Quinn Jamieson,” I admit. “But given that she’s hiding her true identity, it’s possible she has links with the Bratva. There’s nothing I can do for now, but I’ll know the second she makes another appearance in Poulton Springs.”
“Assuming you keep your eye on the game,” Ash says.
I almost laugh. There’s another game I have in play that I’m not going to mention. If I had any sense, I’d forget all about Lily. But I’m as competitive as she is, and I’m looking forward to claiming my prize. Over, and over again. The game only ends when she discovers my name. At which point, I doubt she’d want to claim her prize. I’m not worthy of one date, let alone two.
My thoughts are pulled back to the architects drawing. There are twenty stalls. That’s a lot of horses. Either the goods they need to store there are on an industrial scale, or else…
“He wouldn’t…” I say, my jaw so tight I have to grind out my words.
“What is it?” asks Ash.
I slide the drawing across the table, then wipe my hands on my jacket as if I’ve been contaminated from simply touching the plans. “The dividers between the stalls are floor to ceiling brick walls. And the timber fronts are fully enclosed. They’re fucking cells.”
The drawing is passed around the table, each person quick to pass it on to the next until the plans come to rest in the center.
It’s Maddie who speaks first. “They’re going to use them for human trafficking, aren’t they?”
“Yeah,” Hunter says. “Given that Barrett was happy to barter for you with your brother, we shouldn’t be surprised that he’d go along with something like this, but… Fuck. How are we even related to that man?”
Ash stretches his neck. “I need to let the McConkeys’ know. It’s not just a fight over who controls Barrett’s land now. We can’t let this happen. This weekend’s meeting in Vegas is even more crucial than we thought. We all need to be there.”
My stomach lurches. The meeting with the McConkeys is important, I know that, but I had other plans, ones that involved finishing what Lily had brought to a grinding halt when she pulled her lips from mine. I’m going to make her pay for that.
“Could we bring it forward?” I suggest, hoping it looks like I’m being driven by the urgency of the situation, and not my cock.
