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He pulled away from the curb, joining the still-busy traffic, despite the late hour. “Your apartment or the Olysses residence?”
I’d moved out years ago but still had a room at my parents’ place. It came in handy when I worked late with Dad. But most nights I opted to stay at my penthouse, needing the quiet. Tonight was one of those nights. “Apartment, please.”
Vowing to myself for the hundredth time that tonight had been the last visit to Quinn’s apartment, I turned my mind back to business. My phone had been vibrating since I’d stepped off the plane, and I knew I couldn’t avoid answering any longer.
The latest person calling was my brother Gabriel. He would be my second once I took over. And since I knew he’d keep calling, I hit Accept, getting ready for whatever was so damned important it couldn’t wait until tomorrow.
“I thought you were the fuck over whatever makes you disappear every few weeks,” he said without preamble. “Yet here we are again, you gone and me trying to get a hold of you. Like a sad fuckingGroundhog Day. Or night, in this case.”
“Despite what you seem to think, there are parts of my life that don’t involve my family. Get over yourself and tell me why you called at three in the morning instead of waiting until daylight.”
He grumbled something about “shithead older brothers” under his breath before he got to the point. “There’s been rumors that the Irish are making a move.”
“There are always rumors. And we both know them making a move is only a matter of time.”
I loosened my tie and leaned back in my seat.
“This one’s from Marcus. He thinks we need to close ranks and make sure nobody is left unprotected,” Gabriel said, getting my attention.
My thoughts went straight to Quinn. I’d need to add more surveillance. If I knew one thing about the Irish, it was that they liked to hit where you least expected it. And while I didn’t broadcast my trips to San Francisco, they weren’t impossible to track.
“Fine. Make sure Gunner has eyes on Freya, and I’ll come to the house now to discuss strategy.”
Gabriel grunted in acknowledgment and hung up. I rubbed a hand across my face, knowing I wouldn’t get any sleep tonight.
I leaned forward so Ray could hear me. “Change of plan. I need to go to the residence.”
It was what we all jokingly called my parents’ giant mansion in Lincoln Park that sat on eight city lots. My dad had always been a “go big or go home” type of guy, and his gambles had paid off. We had more money than we knew what to do with.
Our last name opened whatever doors we wanted. And there was little that we’d be denied. Growing up with a full staff, none of us knew how to cook or wash our own clothes.
Freya, the only girl and youngest out of the four of us, attempted to fit into normal society. She’d turned her back on the business early on and was now blissfully happy with her fiancé.
But I’d never had the urge to do so. I’d been raised to one day take over. The business was all I knew. The only freedom I’d been allowed was to go to college.
Ray turned right, taking us away from my apartment. “No problem, Mr. Olysses.”
I returned a few more calls, despite the late hour. Only our legitimate businesses had regular hours; everything else was handled at night, and my staff expected late calls.
We pulled into my parents’ driveway thirty minutes later. All the lights were still on, the imposing mansion lit up like a Christmas tree.
When I dragged myself inside, Dad’s study door was open, and voices drifted out to the marble foyer.
Dad pinned me with drawn eyebrows as soon as I stepped foot in his study. “Liam. How kind of you to grace us with your presence.”
I gritted my teeth, sick of all the comments. I worked around the clock. Never took a day off. Had always been a good soldier, willing to do whatever it took. But when I finally decided to do something for myself, everyone acted as if I was slacking.
If only they knew Quinn was the reason I was holding it together at all these days.
Sitting down in one of the chairs, I ignored Gabriel’s stare and Jude’s chuckle. “I had business to take care of.”
Dad sipped his whiskey, his attention never wavering from me. “I’ve just briefed your brothers on the current situation. There’s a new player in town who nobody seems to be able to get any information on.”
I’d heard about this already and had my guys working overtime to figure out what was going on. The market was suddenly flooded with bad pills that seemed to pop up everywhere, and nobody knew where they came from.
Tapping my fingers on my leg, I wished I’d stayed at Quinn’s apartment, prolonging real life for a little longer. “I’m working on it. But they’re smart, and they’re mobile. Whenever we find one of their labs, they’re gone before we get there.”
Dad nodded, pulling folders out from under a messy pile. “We’re going to cut back on some of our less legitimate businesses.” He handed us a folder each, all of us too stunned to do anything but stare at what he’d put in front of us. “We can slowly cut back and at the same time build up on what we want to keep.”
