by Katee Robert
“Guess what?” She lifted her head and pinned him with a look. “The only thing I need from you is to make me come so we can get past this ridiculous roadblock. If I want to be psychoanalyzed, I’ll hire a shrink.”
There you are.
She’d been almost hesitant since she got into the car with him. He’d started to wonder if she couldn’t hold her own, if this was a mistake. “Then come, Charlie.” He pushed a second finger into her, feeling around until he found her sensitive spot. He crooked his finger against it, sheer masculine satisfaction rolling through him at her gasp. “Let go.”
Her back bowed, and her lips opened in a cry that he wanted to eat. Aiden heard the office door open, but he didn’t stop, finishing her off and cursing himself for having a goddamn plan that didn’t involve sinking into her. Not yet.
A throat cleared behind them, and he shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over her lap before turning to find Liam standing there. “Yes?”
“Teague and Callista are in the dining room with Moira.” He hesitated. “There was no mistaking the sounds coming out of this office as they walked past.”
That was the goal, but Aiden still glanced at Charlie to see if it bothered her. In the fifteen seconds it had taken Liam to deliver his report, she’d managed to fix her dress and stand. The only indication of what they’d just been doing was a flush to her cheeks and chest that hadn’t been there before, and her nipples pressing against her dress.
And his rock-hard cockstand.
“Good.” She passed back his jacket and adjusted her hair. “Then I suppose it’s time for me to meet the family.”
Liam’s gaze jumped between them, but he just nodded. Aiden would hear what he thought of this mess later, he had no doubt—but his man wouldn’t question him while they had an audience. “I’ll let them know you’re on the way.”
“Do that.” Aiden waited for the door to shut to turn and face Charlie. “Most of my siblings won’t believe us.”
She arched her eyebrows. He kind of hated that she’d put herself together so quickly, even if that was a valuable skill to have. “That’s to be expected, I’d think.”
“Yeah, well, my sister Carrigan is the sole exception.” He’d gone back and forth about inviting Carrigan to this dinner. Her husband, James Halloran, was still more enemy than ally, and she never went to any of these types of things without him. His presence could very well agitate the issue, and that wasn’t even taking into account that Carrigan could go for Charlie’s throat.
He ran a hand over his mouth. “She’s overprotective, even if we rarely see eye to eye these days.”
“She’s going to label me a gold digger and a whore, then.”
“My sister doesn’t slut-shame.” He didn’t know why he was defending her. If Carrigan had married Dmitri Romanov like their father had arranged in the first place, he’d be their ally instead of their enemy …
Aiden shuddered a little at the thought of Carrigan at Dmitri’s side. The wild and fiery part of her that came to life in James’s presence would have died as a result of that marriage.
But he doubted his sister’s vengeance for being forced in that relationship would have spared her own family. She would’ve helped Romanov take over the entire eastern seaboard inside of five years—Boston included.
“Bully for her.” Charlie gave a mirthless smile, drawing him back to the present. “I can handle it.”
“I know.” It was why he’d recruited Charlie in the first place.
That, and because of her father.
The same FBI agent his brother Teague had been supplying with information for years.
Aiden smothered his rage. Both at his brother and John Finch.
Keep it locked down.
He offered Charlie his arm. “Shall we?”
She nodded, no evidence of anything but calm confidence on her face. She would have made one hell of an undercover cop. She smiled. “Let’s do this.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Charlie braced herself, nearly overwhelmed when Aiden led her into a room with eight other people—three couples and two little girls. They were talking, though tension ran through the space like fault lines.
And the power.
Good God, the power.
She’d once read a book that described one of the characters as wearing a mantle of power. Back then, it had been impossible to wrap her head around. Now, standing in this room, she understood.
Liam had given her a brief rundown of the family tree while they were shopping today, so she could put names with faces without too much trouble. The blond woman sitting at the table was Callista Sheridan, newly appointed head of the Sheridan clan. Her husband, Teague, was Aiden’s middle brother, and the small child in his lap with a head full of curls was Teague and Callista’s daughter, Moira. Callista was pregnant again, far enough along to show. They should have looked like just another American family—and they did, until Charlie looked into the woman’s blue eyes.
If she thought I was a threat to her family, Callista Sheridan would kill me without a second thought and bury my body where it would never be found.
The thought left Charlie cold. Rationally, she’d compared Aiden to Romanov and she knew he wasn’t some good man who just happened to run one of the three crime families who ruled Boston. But now that she was standing in a room with both him and the other two-thirds of that power wheel, it was clear … Aiden was ruthless.
Another couple sat at the far end of the table, as far from the rest of them as they could get. The man was like a blond lion lazing in a chair with his woman on his knee, but there was a coiled tension in his body that spoke of violence ready to be unleashed. For all his surface attitude, it was clear he didn’t want to be here and didn’t trust any of them. This had to be James Halloran—which made the woman perched on his lap in a borderline indecent dress Carrigan. She, at least, wasn’t pretending to be anything other than what she was—powerful and dangerous.
God, Charlie could barely breathe.
Her gaze skated to the middle couple. This man was dressed in a three-piece suit and had tattoos peeking out at throat and wrists—that would be Aiden’s brother Cillian. He was in charge of the O’Malleys’ accounting and cyber-security, and though he didn’t have the level of power that some of the other people did, the way he hovered over the woman and child at his side … Another person not to cross.
She started to dismiss his wife—a pretty Middle Eastern woman with a wild mane of hair—but froze. Charlie knew that face. Olivia Rashidi and her daughter were Dmitri Romanov’s last remaining family, though Olivia was only his half sister via their late father’s mistress.
Liam had left out that little piece of information.
Charlie shot a look at Aiden to silently tell him that he’d be answering her questions later, but found his attention focused on James and Carrigan.
I am in the room with the most dangerous people in Boston. Who thought this was a good idea?
She’d gotten through the last four years by flying under the radar and biding her time. Now she was about to be thrust into the limelight, such as it was, and Charlie suddenly wanting nothing more than to turn around and walk out of the room. Only the fact that Aiden promised to bring about the justice she desperately wanted kept her feet planted and her chin up as every eye turned to her.
Aiden, at least, didn’t seem the least bit bothered by the attention. But then, he’d grown up in this world. This was his natural habitat. He guided Charlie to a chair and pulled it out for her. Her instinct screamed at her to remain standing with a clear path to the nearest exit, but she managed to sink into the seat all the same.
He stood at her back, likely knowing that she was half a second from bolting. “Thank you for coming.”
Carrigan uncoiled herself, though she didn’t move away from James. “I’d be tickled pink over the invite if I thought for a second this was a friendly family gathering. Except I know the O’Malleys don’t have those, and, eve
n if we did, I wouldn’t be invited.” She made a show of looking around. “Where is our darling father? He’s been missing in action for well over a year now.” She raked her gaze over Charlie. “And who the hell is this?”
Charlie wasn’t going to touch that with a ten-foot pole. The only thing Aiden had told her before leading her in here was to let him do the talking, and she was more than happy for him to field the hostility.
No one seemed particularly thrilled to be here—herself included.
“You know damn well that Seamus is in Connecticut,” Teague snapped. “I’d think you’d be as grateful as the rest of us for his absence.”
“It’s not like I see him when he is in town. That’s your burden to bear, obedient son that you are.” Carrigan smoothed back her hair. “Though I much prefer dealing with Aiden to Seamus. At least you aren’t pretending I’m dead and buried.”
There were so many undercurrents that Charlie felt adrift in shark-infested waters. These people had been playing dangerous political games long before she showed up—long before Dmitri Romanov was on their radar, too, she’d wager.
Aiden ignored his siblings’ bickering and looked around the room before nodding at Liam. The man detached himself from the wall he’d been leaning against and moved to stand next to them. Aiden spoke low enough that Charlie doubted anyone else could hear him. “Where is Keira?”
“Mark’s on her, but I don’t have the exact location. I’ll look into it.” Liam walked through the door, and if she hadn’t been watching him so closely, she would have missed the flicker of worry in Aiden’s green eyes.
Carrigan clapped. “You’ve lost Keira. Again. Congratulations.” Apparently, Aiden hadn’t spoken softly enough. His oldest sister’s upper lip curled into a truly impressive sneer. “You really know how to treat your sisters, don’t you?”
There was too much history in that question for Charlie to fully understand. She knew there was another sister, Sloan, but Liam hadn’t said much about her other than that she wasn’t currently in Boston. Maybe I should have been taking notes when he was bringing me up to date.
A muscle jumped in Aiden’s jaw, but he didn’t give any other sign of agitation. His mask had slipped into place the second they walked out of his office, and now he was the picture of the formidable family leader. “That’s not why I asked you here.”
“Then do tell us, dear brother. Why are we here?” Carrigan’s smile was downright vicious. She looked like she was ready to take a chunk out of him, and only James putting his hand on her hip kept her from doing so.
“As my family, I want you to be the first to meet my fiancée.” He kept speaking over several sounds of disbelief. “Charlie Moreaux, this is my family.”
And then all hell broke loose.
* * *
Aiden regretted calling this dinner almost as soon as he walked into the room. It would have been smarter to meet with each of his siblings individually and break the news in a controlled environment where he had the advantage—or what passed for an advantage in this family. As it was, Cillian was demanding to know what the hell was going on, Carrigan was calling him seven kinds of a fool, and Teague was staring at Charlie as if he had met her before but couldn’t place where. Time to shut it down.
“Enough!” He had to roar it to get them to shut the hell up, but it worked. His life would have been so much easier if his siblings were content to follow orders like good little soldiers instead of striving for their individual independence every step of the way. He wouldn’t have to play the hard-ass and could be a brother instead of the head of the damn family that they seemed to resent as much as they loved.
But that wasn’t how things were. He’d had to sacrifice bits and pieces of his relationships with them—especially Carrigan—for the bottom line. The family’s safety lay in its power—to threaten one was to threaten the other—and he’d do whatever it took to ensure that their enemies detected no weakness.
He was about to sacrifice even more. “I’m not asking for your permission or your goddamn blessing. I’m telling you that I’m marrying this woman, and I expect you to fall in line and accept it.” He didn’t actually expect anything of the sort. That wasn’t who his siblings were. But if he acted in any other way, they’d be suspicious.
Carrigan snorted, but it was Callie who rose to her feet, still graceful despite being over halfway into her pregnancy. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, but it never did when she spoke to him. “Congratulations.” She crossed to look down at Charlie. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to getting to know you better.”
And that right there was what made Callie one of the biggest threats in the room.
Teague followed her, Moira on his hip, though he didn’t lie as well as his wife did. “Welcome to the family.”
“If you knew what was good for you, you’d run screaming out of this room.” This from Carrigan, who hadn’t moved. She shook her head. “God, Aiden, I never pegged you for the biggest drama queen out of all of us. A surprise fiancée? Really?”
“Oh for fuck’s sake, shut up, Carrigan.” Cillian stood, looking at Aiden like he’d never seen him before. “This is a mistake, and I’m telling you that now.” He nodded at Charlie. “No offense. I’m sure you’re a great person, but I’ve never heard of you. You marry my brother and it’s as good as painting a target on your chest. I don’t care how good the sex is, it’s not worth it.”
Aiden tensed, ready to step in—the last thing he needed was his brother scaring her off—but Charlie reached up and covered his hand where he’d set it on her shoulder. “Your concern is touching, but I’m well aware of what I’m getting into.” She sounded cool and in control despite the relative chaos going on around them.
Just another confirmation that Aiden had been right to choose her.
Cillian didn’t look like he believed her, but he finally shrugged. “Then welcome to the family. Hope you survive it.”
Satisfied, Aiden looked at Carrigan. Of them all, she was the one he’d been closest to, the one who understood the stakes of the games they played. Maybe that was why her betrayal hurt so fucking much. He didn’t know. He didn’t spend a ton of time reflecting on it—personal feelings had no place in a situation where so many people depended on him to maintain the stable power structure that kept them safe.
They’d avoided all-out warfare so far. He’d do everything in his ability to ensure that they continued to do so.
Up to, and including, lying to his family so he could remove enemy number one.
Carrigan’s green eyes, so like their mother’s, condemned him. “Whatever it is that you’re doing, it’s a mistake, Aiden. You’re going to get her killed.”
“Her is sitting right here.” Charlie stood, moving to Aiden’s side. Her fingers laced through his as if they’d held hands a thousand times. “While your concern is appreciated, it’s as unnecessary as his.” She nodded to Cillian. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m starving, and I hear the staff has put together an excellent dinner for us. So why don’t we all play nice and enjoy it?” If Aiden didn’t know better, he’d think that she wrangled with mob families on a regular basis. Her hand didn’t so much as shake in his, and her blue eyes showcased an icy calm that he admired even as he analyzed it.
Thrives under pressure and in dangerous situations. Good to know.
“I’ve lost my appetite.” Carrigan stood, James following her. He hadn’t once spoken, just watched the whole circus. Aiden didn’t like to admit it, but the Halloran territory was in good hands with this man—and so was his sister. Those two had already made some big changes, creating a nonprofit organization to help victims of sex trafficking, and quietly bringing down the perpetrators of the slave trade by means both legal and illegal. As a brother, he was proud of his sister and happy that she was happy.
As the head of the O’Malley family? Her actions had put every single person under his care in danger, and she’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. J
ames Halloran might not be the worst choice for a husband, but it didn’t change the fact that he and Aiden would never be friends. There was too much history between their families—too many betrayals.
Too many deaths.
Aiden couldn’t help thinking of Devlin, his youngest brother, who’d been gunned down three years ago. Back then, the O’Malley siblings had been more friends than enemies. Devlin had been good and kind, but Aiden couldn’t help thinking that his youngest brother’s relative innocence would have disappeared over time. That if alive, Devlin would have been as much a stranger to him now as the rest of his family.
For the first time in a very long time, Aiden felt well and truly alone.
Charlie squeezed his hand, bringing him back to the situation at hand. He’d anticipated Carrigan’s reaction, but it wasn’t her that he needed to convince. It was Teague and Cillian. Teague had never been stupid—his idiot decision to become an FBI informant aside—and he was still looking at Charlie like he recognized her. She had only superficial similarities to her father—the line of their nose, the shape of their eyes—but Aiden wouldn’t put it past his brother to connect the dots if given the opportunity.
So he wouldn’t give him the opportunity. He stroked Charlie’s shoulder again. “We’re setting the wedding for November.”
If anything, Cillian looked more aghast. “In two months?”
“No reason to wait.” And every reason to rush this along so no one has too much time to do more than react. Their pending nuptials would distract the rest of the family from what he was doing with Keira and Dmitri, at least for a little while. Cillian knew about the deal with Romanov. He had to know. But Teague and Carrigan would revolt, and it would put them all in a precarious position of fighting each other when they should be fighting Romanov.
“Is she pregnant?”
“Cillian!” Olivia broke her silence to smack his arm. “You’re being rude.”
“No surprise pregnancy.” One of those in the family was more than enough. His managed a grin. “Just true love.”
