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"Aoife doesn't even goddamn know I'm here," Keegan growled. "Don't bring her into this. She's already gone through enough this year."
"What do you know about my wife?" Finn snapped, lurching forward and only stopping when Brennan grabbed him by the arm and hauled him back when I shot him a pointed look.
"I know she lost your baby. I know she figured out that you've been fucking lying to her for your whole marriage. I know that she's split a chasm down the O'Donnelly clan because she wouldn't forgive your bastard father for what he did to her mother." He sneered at Finn. "I don't know the girl, not really, and I'm already fucking proud of her."
Eoghan and I shared a glance.
Ma had made many mistakes, but... Da's gamble had worked.
Keegan believed Da was the one behind his sister’s death.
Relieved despite myself, I moved over to the sofa and took a seat. As I stared up at him, I murmured, "Your death would cause more problems than solutions."
He blinked then settled heavily on the sofa opposite me. "What?"
"You heard me. I don't believe in an eye for an eye. Clearly, you do, and we both know my father did, but I don't. It'll serve no purpose for us to tear each other to shreds, but that doesn't mean I won't do it."
He crossed his legs, settling his ankle onto his knee. "That’s assuming you can kill me. I got more weapons in this room than you have brothers."
"I'm sure you do," I mused. "Doesn't mean one of us won't get to you first. As I said, your death causes more problems than solutions.
"When our father died in our arms, I vowed that I'd bring you down, tear you apart. But I was thinking about our current situation, and I realized that if I do that, I'll make a martyr out of you.
"My father's killer will never be a martyr. But, I know what you want, Keegan. I know what your end game is, and I know that you won't get that by blowing up buildings."
He sneered at me. "And what do I want, Junior? Seeing as you know me so well."
"You want a unified Ireland and, for whatever reason, you also want to take the Sparrows down." I shot him a smirk. "I'm the closest you'll ever get to achieving both, Keegan.
"On your own, you're a renegade. A tool that's used by governments around the world. You're a cog in a machine that's bigger than you." I leaned forward. "I own this city, and by the time I'm done, I'll own the East Coast and I'll have a sitting president on my side.
"If you want to annihilate the Sparrows and marry the Republic to Northern Ireland, I'm your best bet."
The silence that settled among us was so thick that we could have choked on it, but as he looked at me, as he studied me and tried to find my tells, as he tried to read me and discern my truths from my lies, I watched as reality sank home.
"And what do you want for all that?"
"I want the ECD. It's mine by birthright anyway. But I want you, the sitting leader, to show me loyalty. I want you to sit on the council, and I want you to be seen supporting me." My lips curved. "And if you ever want to know your niece and your great-nephew, then this is the only path where you'll be able to carve that out for yourself because Finn will never let an enemy of the family anywhere near his wife and son."
Straightening, Keegan got to his feet. I felt Eoghan tense up behind me, literally felt the air around him vibrate as he leached a warning into it, but I didn't ignore it, just knew that Keegan needed room to think.
He wanted to maneuver.
But I was good with negotiations.
Better than they realized because Da had never utilized me as a negotiator.
Da had never let me fucking do anything other than be his heir in name only.
Eventually, he said, "I want immunity."
"Why do you think Jonesy is still alive?" I knew exactly what he was talking about.
Keegan turned to me. "He won't cop for the assassination charge."
"He will if I threaten his family."
"His boy? Richie?"
