Page 57 of Watch Me, Daddy

“Good enough for me,” I said, throwing another wink in her direction.

She sighed rather expressively, but she smiled anyway, her own cheeks turning rosy. She was happy. I could see it written all over her face. As she smiled, her signature red lips caught the light as she grasped her glass full of whiskey.

If I had to guess, Ada was the one in charge of that relationship. She was a woman who knew what she wanted and wouldn’t settle for anything less. Her eyes dipped to Shane, and I watched them. He gazed back at her like she was his world.

She whispered something in his ear and glanced at her glass of whiskey, and he nodded, his gaze darkening for the briefest of moments before he whispered a single word into hers. I wasn’t certain, but I thought he’d said two. I assumed he was speaking of the number, but I couldn’t be sure. Her cheeks pinkened as she sipped her drink, and they smiled at one another. I could see the love that passed between them, especially Shane’s.

I knew the look. It was the same way I looked at my Irina.

“Grab a drink and head on back,” Kieran pronounced, and my siblings and I moved from the main restaurant area to the back room where there was a large oval shaped table for us all to sit around.

By the time we settled in our seats, each of us had a glass of whiskey aside from the twins. They both had a pint of Guinness in front of them. Maxim had a glass of vodka.

The family had already been appraised about the match between Irina and I. Kieran had apparently told them Maxim was coming, but not me, probably just so he could see me shake in my boots a little bit sitting next to my future father-in-law.

Cunning bastard.

Caden clinked his glass on the table, and the murmuring around the table quieted. The expression on his face was serious, even more so than usual. Connor was equally as solemn, which was a departure from normal. He was usually lighthearted and optimistic.

“Anastasia Kozlov called me this morning. She gave us a bigger picture into the Kozlov family, and it isn’t exactly what we want to hear,” Caden began.

“Anton hasn’t given up his crusade against us, nor has he backed down from attacking our allies, namely the Carusos and several Greek families by the port,” Connor continued for him.

“Why hasn’t Roman put a stop to it? He’s the kingpin after all,” I interrupted.

“According to Anastasia, Roman is nominally in charge, but with Anton in the way, he isn’t so much in practice. His men are torn, split between the two. Already, several of them are threatening to follow one over the other exclusively. It’s a tenuous situation,” Caden continued.

“If Anton continues on his current path, war in our city is imminent. Many people will die, and Anastasia recognizes this. He’s an asshole, and they’ve had bad blood between them their entire lives,” Connor added.

“Why have we not talked about her in all this before?” I questioned.

“The Kozlovs are a traditional bratva, run by men and only men. She has nothing to do with their daily operations,” Kieran replied.

“Then why should we trust her?” I pressed.

“Anastasia is Roman’s daughter, but something tells me she has a little more sway with her father than we think,” Cormac answered.

“I think you’re right,” Kieran interjected, nodding thoughtfully.

“Anastasia came to us with a proposition,” Caden stated, and the room went quiet.

“She thinks it would be best if Aidan takes Anton out of the equation entirely,” Connor finished for him.

“His sister wants me to kill him,” I said, my voice flat with disbelief.

“That’s what I said too, but hear me out,” Kieran took over.

“I’m listening,” I scoffed, sitting back, and taking a sip of my whiskey, allowing the smooth and velvety texture to wash over my tongue. The rich flavors of honey, fruit, vanilla, and a hint of toasted oak engaged my senses, and then the taste unfolded to a spicy pear and apple flavor, accented by a touch of creamy toffee.

“If we collectively take Anton out as a family, then that will instigate a blood feud between us and the Kozlovs, which is exactly what we are trying to avoid. Instead, what Anastasia proposed might actually work. If you’re the one to kill him, we can swing the story as a personal dispute between you two over Irina instead of an insult between families,” Kieran continued.

“An isolated hit, then,” I said thoughtfully.

“Yes and no,” Caden smirked.

“It’s a fight over a woman,” Conner winked.

“A dispute between men, and that’s that,” Cormac considered, and I sat back, rolling it over in my head.

---