Page 93 of Stolen Hearts

Prison wouldn’t have gotten three of my best friends in the world killed because of me.

But life kicking your ass into the deep end is what molds and shapes you. And these days, it’s what’s given me the ability to walk into a meeting full of Kildare vassal family heads and a bunch of our top people and address them as their new king.

Of course, even as I’m standing at the head of the table talking, the information bomb Gavan dropped on us at Konstantin’s place the other night rings like a bell in my head.

Somewhere out there, maybe even in this very room right now, is thetrueKildare king.

Sure, I’ve been approved by two other Council of Clan families. And I’ve been the loyal number two to the outgoing head ofthisfamily for almost ten years. I’m as near to being a Kildare as you can get without actually having been born one. I found a “loophole”, as Neve put it.

But…technically speaking…there’s another, truer, more legitimate leader for this family. One who actually has Declan Kildare’s blood flowing in his veins.

“If he finds out, I’m a dead man, Owen. Dead.”

“I’m telling you, he won’t. Or…if he does…let’s pray we’re both long gone and buried.”

“And God have mercy on whoever’s sitting in our places when he does.”

It’s a thread I’ve been worrying at ever since I listened to that recording. Declan’s heir might be out there. He might be angry about what he was denied given who he is. And since he’s got Kildare blood, well, I mean…look at Declan. Or Cillian, for that matter. This heir could have Declan’s terrible temperament, or worse, Cillian’s actual psychotic tendencies. Cil, especially now he’s with Una, is able to keep his monster in check, at least.

…But who the fuck knows if another Kildare without that control, that anchor, would be able to do the same.

And what happens if this potentially angry, quite possibly psychotic Kildare heir finds out who he is and what he should have, and sees Callie and I as having effectively usurpedhisthrone?

What happens if this potentially unhinged, angry heir alreadydoesknow who he is?

Would it drive him to kill?

Getting officially settled in as the head of the Kildare organization takes almost a full week. There are individual meetings with the various heads of vassal families. I have sit-downs with as many of our allies as I can, with Cillian next to me, to show a peaceful transition of power and make sure they know I’m the one they’ll be doing business with from now on. Shane Dorsey—who’s now the acting director of FBI operations for all of New York City and a long-time Kildare ally—sets up an official meeting for us to make sure we’re both on the same page.

The cynic in me thinks Dorsey is mostly just making sure he’s going to keep gettingpaid. But then, he’s also proven himself to be a huge asset to our family over the years. And honestly, I like the guy.

The days are filled with meetings and handshakes. At night, I come home to a usually-quiet apartment.

It would seem Callie finally listened to me when I made it clear we couldn’t repeat what happened before, and is now either too embarrassed or in too much of a sulk whenever I come home to face me. Because for a week, we’re like ships passing—her in the bedroom, me on the couch.

It’s after one of our marathon meetings that I catch Cillian smirking at me.

“What?” I grunt.

He chuckles. “Nothing. I’m just remembering that hothead with a chip on his shoulder I met ten years ago and comparing him to the man I know today.”

I smirk. “Still got that chip on my shoulder.”

“Yeah. I think you’d have to have it surgically removed at this point.” He grins. “But who’d have thought it? You running the whole show now. A well-adjusted adult.Married.”

I roll my eyes. “Don’t start with that shit.”

He chuckles. “And howismarried life?”

I shoot him a look. “Complicated.”

“I see. And at which point did you assume living with a woman wasnotgoing to be complicated?”

“Har har,” I grumble. “It’s not that part. It’sher.”

He frowns. “I thought you and Callie were friends.”

When my lips twist, his brow arches.

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