Page 12 of Forbidden Forget-Me-Not

“Alive…we’re grateful for that.” Fiona pulled away and walked over to Nash, holding out her hand. “I can never thank ya fir what you did. Me family owes our lives and allegiance to you. Whatever we can do, we will.”

I hadn’t realized that Nash was the reason Fiona was here. God, I hated that Father never told us anything. We all lived in the dark, waiting for the morsels of information he dropped like treats.

“I appreciate that,” Nash said, returning the gesture.

“Well, now that all the loud and obnoxious ones are out of the way,” Ronan said, his arrogant tone making me roll my eyes.

Ronan held out his hand with a dramatic sigh. “I’m Ronan, the heir to this family.”

If Ronan were any more like a strutting peacock, he’d have feathers sprouting out of his ass. I crossed my arms and glared at my brother, who thought he was God’s gift to humanity. He was so annoying.

“Oh yes, the heir, how could we forget? Next time we’ll hire trumpeters and a squire to announce your grand entrance,” Nathaniel mocked.

I pressed my lips together, holding in a laugh. I loved my youngest brother so much. He never held back.

Ronan glared at Nathaniel before his eyes traced over Ren like she was food.

“Too bad you’re family,” he said, his lip lifting.

Ren yanked her hand out of his and stepped away.

“Lucky for me, I am,” she sniped back.

You go, girl, tell him.

“Oh, I like her. Can we keep her,” Ronan asked.

The tension coming off the guys with Ren was palpable. Ronan must have noticed it too, because he waved his hand dismissively at them.

“Relax, I’m only having a little fun. Everyone is so fucking sensitive these days.”

“Shut up, Ronan. Don’t disrespect your cousin,” Father growled as he walked down the steps.

Ronan grumbled but backed up. Ren didn’t seem nervous or affected by my father’s appearance. She straightened her spine as he stopped in front of her. I knew my father’s games. He would try to unnerve her somehow. Apparently, today’s tactic was the silent treatment. Why was my family always so dramatic?

The distraction gave me the opportunity to look over at Goran standing on the stairs. His head turned in my direction, and his eyes softened ever so slightly.

“I’m Dimitri,” Father finally introduced himself, pulling my attention back to him and Ren.

“It’s nice to meet you,” she replied, and shook his hand.

“You look just like your mother did at the same age. It’s like using a time machine to get a glimpse of my past. I was sorry to hear what happened to her,” he said flatly, making it hard to tell if he meant it or not.

Ren turned his hand over, staring at the Mikhailov tattoo.

“Do you know who in the family wants me dead,” Ren asked bluntly, and Father laughed.

“How about we eat dinner first? Then, we can talk conspiracies and business,” he replied, releasing Ren’s hand.

I wanted to step in and break up the conversation before we ended up in one of our usual family arguments.

“It’s not a conspiracy,” Ren growled before I could intervene.

Father looked shocked that anyone dared talk to him like that. I loved it, and Nathaniel was beaming like a fucking cat with a new toy.

“The night we were attacked, my mum locked me in a panic room. The men tried to get at me and got close to the cameras. I watched the entire thing. One of the men had a polar bear tattoo. That tattoo,” Ren said, pointing to Father’s hand.

Shock rippled around me as we all looked at one another.