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Luckily, Eda seems to accept this. “It must be difficult, both siblings on different sides of this war,” she empathizes. “Do not worry, darling. I will not tell Connor.”
“Thank you.”
“Padraic has made things hard enough for you, it seems,” Eda states, leaving a gaping opening for me to elaborate.
But I change the conversation entirely. “How did you meet my father?”
“You know, I’m not sure I remember.” Eda takes a sip of her drink. A flicker of disappointment crosses her eyes. “But the first time we worked together was in this very bar.”
I glance around us, trying to decipher what their business could have been.
“He helped me take out the previous owner,” Eda supplies simply. “I just loved the architecture of the place and I needed a front for my own businesses.”
“My father… killed someone for you?” I ask, somewhat horrified.
“Oh no, darling. We didn’t get our hands dirty like that,” Eda clarifies. “No, the previous owner was your uncle. Your father was jealous and so Caleb merely provided me with his brother’s itinerary.”
I feel myself paling. I take a long drink.
“My father had his brother murdered?”
Eda smiles crookedly. “Are you interested in following the tradition?”
“No, of course not!”
“This is a shame, darling.” Eda muses as she finishes her drink. “Your brother is quite… How do I put this… Ego driven?”
I shake my head, rocked by the new information. “I have no interest in my brother’s business. Nor having him killed.”
“You are loyal, I understand,” Eda says gently. “But this is a dangerous game and, whether you like it or not, you’re now a player.”
I take another long drink. And reach the bottom of the glass.
“Another?” Eda is already clicking for the bartender’s attention before I can protest.
“What happens if I refuse to play?”
“Someone will play you anyway.” Eda gives me a long stare. “Take your brother, for example. He already has contingencies in place if you should disappear like your sister did.”
My blood turns cool. “Contingencies?”
A second glass of amber liquid is placed before me, and I immediately bring the rim to my lips. I already know that whatever Eda is about to divulge, I’m not going to want to hear it.
“You are an unknown variable to him. He has a file on you, you know. Outlining your character, your likes and dislikes. He’s created a social profile and decided that your betrayal is very much a possibility.”
“How do you know all this?” I press, struggling to understandwhyConnor would go into so much depth.
“Did your fiance tell you how strained their relationship has been recently?”
“I was there. I know Arnie has stood up to him a few times…”
“Connor really didn’t like that.” Eda draws out her “really” to emphasize the point. “I suppose I was just in the right place at the right time to hear his consequential scheming.”
“So what happens then if I run away or betray him like he thinks Aimee did?”
“My darling, he’s not going to give you the option of running.”
The chill that runs down my spine has me visibly shaking. Never in my life have I feared my brother before. But suddenly, I can see it. His unrelenting anger aimed directly at me. Caging me like a bird in his warehouse.
