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“Then make itveryclear when you go to them that the man who puts my brother to death will follow him shortly after,” I say coldly. “Viktor, you should be the one to present this information to them. Maximilian is your charge, and frankly—” I glance at Luca, “--I don’t fully trust you yet.”
Luca’s jaw tightens. “I notice you didn’t invite Graham to this meeting. Afraid he might have an opinion about your plans for his daughter? Arranging her marriages behind his back?”
“I am not Graham’s pawn,” I say evenly. “He may hold an advising position here, as he always has, but I don’t feel the need to run my every move by him, nor does he dictate my actions. Maybe once he held that kind of power, but not any longer. I’m my own man, and no one else’s.”
“Hmm.” Viktor gives me an appraising look. “I’ll bring this to the table as soon as I can—before your wedding obviously.”
“Good. In the meantime, I’ll carry on as if I’m marrying Saoirse and as if our plans are continuing as normal—as they will if Liam refuses to set her aside. Let me know as soon as you can what the response is, and what Liam says he will do.”
“I will.” Viktor nods to me. “Is there anything else.”
“No. But make sure none of this is mentioned to Graham. I want him left out of this, for now. Is that understood?” I look around each man in the gathered group, waiting for assent.
Once I have it, Viktor and Luca file out, followed by their security. My own men disperse shortly after, leaving me and Jacob in the room, Quint and Charlie working downstairs.
“Are you certain about this?” Jacob asks, one eyebrow raised. “You know it likely won’t change anything. A man who does what Liam has already isn’t likely to let something like a priest’s blessing stand in his way. He’ll step down of his own accord or get the marriage blessed and tell them to go fuck themselves and force him out.”
“We’ll see. We’re giving him another chance to honor the original contract, by revealing his duplicity.” I shrug. “He’s been living with Anastasia as husband and wife for a little while now. Maybe the shine has worn off, maybe the threat to his position has let him see the error of his ways. If so, we can go back to London, pick up whereweleft off.”
Jacob frowns. “Not that I’m against that idea, mind you. I’d like to be back in our proper home. But don’t you want to marry the girl? I’ve seen the way you look at her—”
“I want my brother alive.” I cut him off sharply. “Marrying Saoirse and taking back the Kings was only ever a measure to achieve that by mollifying them. If it’s not necessary—”
Jacob shrugs. “If that’s the honest truth. But I’d wager a good deal that you’ve got feelings for the girl. Maybe just a hell of a lot of lust, maybe more than that, but I’ve been your right hand as well as your friend for a long time now, Connor. From what you said, Liam was happy to be rid of her. But knowing that the girl you want is in your brother’s bed—that’s the kind of thing that haunts a man.”
“Enough.” I cut him off sharply. “It doesn’t matter. There’s plenty of women in the world. If I have any regrets about letting Saoirse go before I’ve had her in my bed, I don’t doubt I’ll be able to drown them readily enough. This is about more than that.”
“If you say so.” Jacob shrugs. “At the least, you’ll get one over that Irish bastard that’s got eyes for her.”
“What the bloody hell are you talking about?” I look at him confusedly, and Jacob grins.
“Well, he’s Liam’s right hand, innit? If she’s Liam’s wife, there goes any hope he has of ever getting his hands on her.” Jacob smirks. “I’m off to the pubs. Let me know if you want to join later, or if you’re saving yourself for your bachelor party this weekend.”
“I’ll be along in a bit.” I sit there for a moment after Jacob leaves, considering what he said. I hadn’t thought of Niall’s attempts to flirt with Saoirse being thwarted by handing her back to Liam, but thereisa certain amount of satisfaction in that.
A small consolation, at least.I’ll need all I can get, if I’m going to lose the chance to ever touch Saoirse again.
But then again, considering the way she makes me feel, it might be for the best. I’ve never met a woman I couldn’t walk away from.
I don’t intend to start now.
8
CONNOR
My bachelor party, organized by Jacob with full access to whatever funds he needed for it, is at one of the premier strip clubs in Boston. It’s not the kink club I had a private room at back in London, but it’s luxurious in its own right. Jacob managed to get exclusive access through some of Viktor’s connections, and when we enter the club, called the Black Lily, I’m more than a little impressed.
The entire place lives up to its name, decorated in sleek black and white, from the shining black floors to the black velvet furniture and marble-topped bars and tables with opaque black vases filled with white lilies, black sconces on the walls with white candles and black iron chandeliers. Even the black lacquered stages are topped in gleaming white with black poles for the girls, and every girl I see is dressed in either black or white lingerie.
“Well, they get points for sticking to the bit,” Jacob mutters as we’re escorted inside by a gorgeous blonde in a fitted black blazer with a black lace bodysuit underneath it and matching thigh-high leather boots with sky-high heels. I smirk, noticing Viktor and Luca already on one of the couches, reclining with drinks as Levin, Viktor’s right hand, chats up one of the cocktail waitresses.
This club is for only the most elite, requiring a buy-in to even hold membership that would make most men pale. For tonight, it’s been rented exclusively for us, with a bar tab paid and the women on retainer for our pleasure tonight.
“Apparently they do more than just dance, for the right tips,” Jacob mutters under his breath. “Or so I was told.”
“Well, you’re playing with other men’s money tonight, so enjoy yourself,” I tell him with a wink. “I certainly plan to.”
I’ve yet to hear anything regarding the information I told Viktor to convey to the table. As I approach his couch he stands smoothly, striding towards me as Luca watches the stage pointedly, as if there were someone actually on it.
