Page 55 of Watch Me, Daddy

“Aidan, what did you do?” he asked, his voice tinged with concern and the slight thread of warning.

“I may have fucked Irina Morozov,” I admitted sheepishly.

There was a long silence before Kieran burst into laughter. “You? Smitten by a Morozov? This is rich.”

“Hey, it’s not funny!” I protested, gritting my teeth against his taunting. I’d always been one to put business before pleasure, and for the first time, I’d done something that put it all at risk.

Kieran’s laughter subsided, and he sighed. “Alright, alright. So, what’s the plan, little brother? Do I need to get you out of there? You’re not seriously considering pursuing this, are you?”

I took a deep breath. “Actually, I am. But here’s the thing… I might need to marry her.”

Silence. Utter, baffled silence.

“You want to dowhatnow?” Kieran finally managed to choke out.

“I want to marry her,” I repeated. “It’s the only way to avoid a potential war between our families. Her father showed up this afternoon. He already knows.”

“Because getting married is the logical solution to all family disputes,” Kieran deadpanned, but I could tell there was a hint of amusement in his tone.

“Kieran, come on. It’s not about logic right now. It’s about protecting our family and her,” I replied, rolling my eyes even though he couldn’t see me. There was a sigh on the other end of the line.

“I would have expected this kind of flair for the dramatic from the twins, not from you, Aidan,” Kieran muttered.

“I prefer to call it ‘creative problem-solving’,” I shot back.

I didn’t even have to see him to know he was shaking his head.

“Well, you’re definitely going to have to marry her now, but I think you knew that already when you fucked her,” Kieran chuckled, his amusement painfully clear now.

“I didn’t…” I began, but he cut me off.

“Don’t even try to deny it.”

“Fine. I won’t then,” I lifted my chin, defiantly. Deep down, though, a part of me knew he was at least a little right, but I wasn’t about to admit it.

“There’s a few things you should know,” Kieran continued, and I stiffened.

“What is it?”

“The Kozlovs kidnapped Ada,” he began.

“What the fuck? Where is she?” I blurted out. Ada and I had always been particularly close. She and I worked side by side often. Oftentimes, she brought me along when she needed a little muscle behind her, but she didn’t truly need me. She was a badass all on her own.

“She’s safe. Don’t worry. We got her back, all of us, Shane Kavanagh included,” he answered.

“I’m glad to hear that he’s pulling his weight then,” I scoffed. I’d known Ada was seeing someone and I couldn’t help it. My protective streak came out with my little sister, even if she could handle herself.

“More importantly, the Kozlovs found out we had something to do with Irina’s disappearance. That’s why Ada was taken. They wanted to send us a message. I want you to come back to Boston. Taking Irina to Maine was wise, but now that they know, we’re splitting our forces between there and here. She’d be safer with us all together,” Kieran continued.

“How did they find out?”

“I’m not certain, but one of our soldiers has disappeared. It’s my gut feeling that they captured and tortured it out of him,” he answered.

“Motherfuckers,” I whispered.

“Come back home, Aidan. Bring your future bride, and we’ll deal with this together,” Kieran commanded, and I nodded.

“We’ll be back in the morning,” I answered.

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