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Until now it seemed.
But then Ihadcome back a little early.
“How do you know?” I turned my attention back to Bree.
“A lot has happened since you left, Aidan,” she snapped, and I suddenly knew exactly what had happened. My father had been whispering about taking back territory to avenge my mother lately… I hadn’t thought he would actually fucking go through with it.
Now the Italians were retaliating.
Jesus.
We’d been here before, and it hadn’t ended well. Surely he couldn’t be that stupid again!
“I’ll go and speak to Dad.” I needed to hear this from the horse’s mouth.
I pressed a kiss to her forehead and left her, skirting round one of the groups of residents to reach my father.
“Dad!” I called over the clamoring of voices and the rush of water from the hoses. He turned to the sound of my voice, his eyebrows going up as he saw me. He didn’t look pleased to see me, but then he never did.
“What are you doing here, Son?”
“I came back early and saw all this. What’s happening? Bree said we’re at war with the Loro Ombra again?”
Cullen grabbed my elbow and pulled me away from where residents could overhear. He was limping… had something happened to him?
“Keep your damn voice down will you. Jesus. I don’t need a riot on my hands.”
“I’m sorry, Dad, but what is going on?”
I’d expected this to happen, but I’d expected it years ago. It was one of the reasons I left. I thought it might give him less incentive to run off to his death if he knew he had no heir to take over and look after Bree… I’d never thought all these years later, at his age, that he would start another territory grab.
“These greedy bastards, they took so much from us. They’ve been strangling our clubs and restaurants. Stealing shipments. Fucking our construction contracts. All because they knew we wouldn’t react out of fear… for years, they’ve been taunting me. They took your mother. They took your sister… hell they basically took you too. Now I’m going to make them bleed.”
His eyes were wild, his words coming out in a mad jumble.
He’d lost the goddamn plot.
“Dad, come on. Be sensible. We don’t have nearly enough men to take them on.”
“I’ve been expanding, Son.” He stabbed a finger into my chest. “You’d know that if you were home for more than five fucking minutes to take some responsibility.”
I rolled my eyes internally.
“What’s triggered all this, I don’t understand.”
“Ten. Years,” he seethed, and I could see the veins in his head popping out. Now that I looked closer, I could see some bruises and grazes that were almost healed on his face. “Ten years they took from your mother. From your sister… she would have just turned twenty, you know.”
Of course. Quinn’s birthday had been a couple of months ago. Had that really triggered all this?
“I want them to pay. I want them to suffer the way we… the wayIsuffered.”
“You don’t think I suffered?” I reared back, glaring at him. It wasn’t the first time we’d had this fight. It likely wouldn’t be the last.
If he only knew what I gave up…whoI gave up.
“You fucking abandoned us, Aidan. You left like your family hadn’t just been ripped apart. You left and barely looked back.”
I shook my head at him. He’d never understand. I did it for him. I did it for Cait.
