Page 56 of Then We Shatter

“Good of you to remember you have a family,” Dad says, answering my call on the second ring. I recognize the creak of his executive chair and imagine him reclining back from his polished ebony desk.

“I have news.”

“The only news I want to hear is that the Moncrief wedding is off and the Barkov girl is on a plane back to Siberia. Pull the pin now, or I’ll get one of your brothers to do it for you.”

He doesn’t call me son. This isn’t a suggestion from a father. It’s an order from the boss. But I’m still going to ignore it.

“You don’t have to get the others involved. They’re–”

“You’re right, I shouldn’t have to involve them, but here we fucking are. You’ve been gone too long, and I need you back here. The twins are driving me nuts and they don’t listen to Malachy the way they would you. I should have sent him to Chicago to fuck the girl.”

“I’d have done a better job,” Malachy calls over from wherever he’s lurking. I’d hoped my brothers would be busy at our clubs, but my luck isn’t getting any better tonight. “If you want to play tag, I’m happy to take over.”

I almost crack a molar. “I’d like to see you get near her with two broken legs.”

“Very territorial,” he observes.

I so want to reach down the line and wipe that smug grin off his face, the one I know he’s directing at our dad. He was riling me to prove a point. Nice one, Mal.

“Killian,” Dad says with a rumble of warning. “The only reason I’m not hanging up and calling Ash right now is that we still have a chance of keeping our hands clean. Expose Duke’s fiancée as a cheating whore so we can all get on with our day. No more delays.”

“Sure.”

“For fuck’s sake, son,” Dad says, knowing that answer means the exact opposite.

On the plus side, he’s back in Dad mode. Now’s my chance to seed in his mind how critical it is that I stay. Then I’ll drop the bombshell about Ignacio.

“Listen, everything’s ticking over just nicely. You can ask Shelley,” I suggest, like I don’t already know he has.

Fortunately, Shelley’s one of the few people who isn’t afraid of standing up to Dad, or standing up for me. She knows how bad I’ve got it for Katarina, and she’s got my back.

“I have the perfect cover to keep our fingerprints off this. Everyone at the beauty salon refers to me as Patrick, the hairdresser.”

“Jesus Christ,” Malachy exclaims. “She’s not letting you cut people’s hair, is she?”

“Don’t be a fucking idiot. It’s all in the power of suggestion. What I’m saying is I’ve created a false persona. Katarina’s bodyguards have never seen me, for obvious reasons, but enough people have to lay a false trail for when I let the Moncriefs know she’s been cheating on Duke.”

“So stop fucking around and expose her now,” Malachy argues.

“We need to trigger it closer to the wedding when there’s less time for Vasili to renegotiate with the Moncriefs. Katarina’s planning a big birthday party the night before the wedding. I’ll do it then,” I promise.

Dad grumbles. “You’re cutting it fine.”

“I know what I’m doing.” I’m grasping every last possible moment with Katarina, that’s what. To hell with her final goodbye.

“I’m not happy about this,” Dad replies, but his tone is the first inkling he’s giving in.

“I don’t expect you to be happy, but I do expect you to trust me, Da,” I say to tip him over the edge. “Do I have your agreement that I can stay for the next couple of weeks? There won’t be a Moncrief exchanging vows with a Barkov. You have my word on it.” He’s going to go apeshit when he finds out the Griffins had a plan to get rid of her all along, but I can only deal with one battle at a time.

“Fine.”

I pour myself a stiff drink, the glugging from the whiskey bottle drowning out Malachy’s grumblings.

“Grand. Now, do you want to hear why I called?” I ask, leaving a short pause before I break the news. “I might know where Ignacio is.”

Dad’s voice is glacial. “Where?”

“Boston. I have a contact who’s picked up Diego’s trail.”