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"I've barely seen Eoghan," Inessa admitted. When I shot her a look, she moved her head a fraction to the left…
Hadn’t she told him about the hand?
Or did she just not want me to mention it here?
Aela nodded too. "Declan's been out a lot, and he's only put Cameron down to bed once this week and eaten breakfast with Shay twice. He always tries to make it home for those."
"Finn has hardly been home as well. He made it to a couple of dinners before Jake's bedtime, but that's it."
"Everything's changing," Camille agreed. "We have to adapt to the new order."
"Aidan told me some of the horrible things Senior did—"
Before I could finish my sentence, Aela demanded, "Why do you think I give you shit for hero-worshiping him? I hope to God Aidan isn't anything like him."
"He has to make a stand," I rasped. "He doesn't have to do it like his father did, but this is his first challenge and he has to show up. How he reacts to this will affect how the city responds to him."
Inessa bit her lip. "What's his game plan? Do you know?"
"No. I know it's happening tomorrow though."
"On a Sunday?"
"It's Halloween."
"So?" Aela queried.
"I only know that’s when it is."
"Does that mean Sunday lunch is canceled?" she asked hopefully.
"I think so," I said with a laugh as I mopped at my eyes with a napkin. "Sorry for crying. The past couple weeks have been intense."
Aoife patted my hand. "That's what we're here for. No one can ever understand what we're going through outside of this room. We're in this together."
She was right.
"When I find out what's happening, I'll let you know, okay?" I cast each of them a look. "I know you're not like me. I know you don't want details, but I think we need to break glass ceilings, ladies.
"They want to protect us and shield us from the world, but keeping us in the dark just means we'll fall over more."
"I want to stay out of the business," Aela admitted.
"I want to know enough to be kept apprised of any danger," Aoife said eventually. "I've experienced the ‘dark,’ and Savvie's right—it just makes the fall all the more brutal."
"I feel the same way," Inessa concurred.
Camille shrugged. "I don't mind knowing details. Brennan is very protective. He forgets that I was raised with a father like mine."
"I was too," Inessa argued.
"I saw things I'm grateful you never did," Camille said sadly. "It isn't a competition, Inessa. I know Papa was as much of a brute to you as he was to me. I just... I was old enough to be aware of things you weren't."
Inessa frowned, but she didn't argue.
"I'll bear your wishes in mind," I told them. "And I'll let you know what's going on."
"Do you really think if Aidan doesn't make... I don't know, enough of a splash, it'll affect us?"
I shot Aela a glance. "Yes."
My answer was stark, but so was the truth.
We fell silent after that and drowned ourselves in cake, coffee, and champagne.
Aware that because in this patriarchal society in which we found ourselves, we were our men's weaknesses. That meant, as had been proven time and time again, we had nice, fat targets on our foreheads.
Whether they liked it or not, Aidan’s next steps and the seeds of the legacy he sowed in the upcoming days directly affected them. They just wouldn’t knowhowuntil it was too late.
