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Opening up about the traumatic aspects of my childhood only brought the rest of the group closer as well. Ames and Bex shared their history of tragically losing their parents and the strained relationship they’d had for years after, as they both handled their grief by becoming caricatures of themselves. Ames and Wren shared their experiences being attacked, the nightmares that still haunted them occasionally, even though they knew they were safe with their partners.
It also brought me a sense of peace, and while it didn’t cure my anxiety, it felt more manageable. I found myself able to stay under John and Cian’s watch for longer periods of time without feeling that same scrutiny as I had my whole life. As a result, Dev could work for longer stretches, picking back up some of the jobs that had been left to the wayside these past couple months.
It also meant he was able to run down some leads in relation to my most recent attack. That’s where he was today, John hanging out with me at home while Alex and Dev interrogated their special prisoner. I didn’t want to imagine what exactly he was doing to the man locked in one of my father’s discreet dungeons throughout the city, so after finishing up edits on another manuscript, I went ahead and had John drive me over to Ames’s house.
Dev’s car was already in the driveway by the time we got there, and I couldn’t help the excited skip in my step as I made my way in the front door. Only the group of them weren’t hanging out in the living room or the kitchen, as usual.
Instead, I gestured for John to stay on the main floor while I followed the voices upstairs to Alex’s office, pushing open the door when I heard the deep timbre of Dev’s voice.
The three of them sat in a cluster around Alex’s desk, Dev slumped in the same armchair he’d sat in the first day we met. His knee was already bouncing, and I gathered the news wasn’t good.
Dev’s arms wrapped around me as I crawled into his lap, his face burrowing into my shoulder.
“You didn’t get anything good out of the guy who attacked me?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
Dev shook his head, the frustration in his voice clear even though it was muffled as he spoke into my sweater. “He’s just muscle for hire. He got a call from a burner phone, and spoke with a man who didn’t share any identifying information. A courier dropped your picture and information in his mailbox, along with the money for the job. We’ve already tracked down the courier, and he, too, was hired over the phone. All the information and money were picked up from a dead drop in the middle of nowhere, with no cameras Xan could hack into. It’s like this guy is a ghost.”
“Or he knows who you guys are.”
Alex jerked his chin in my direction, eyes narrowing as he barked, “Continue.”
“I just meant…” I hedged, trying to organize my thoughts. “This person knows who I am, which a rare few should. But not only that, they’re going about everything so old school, making sure they can’t be tracked through their technology. Seems like they not only know who I am, but they’ve somehow figured out you guys are working my case, and now they’re avoiding leaving any sort of trail you guys could follow.”
Bex and Dev made eye contact, seeming to mull over my reasoning. But Alex was already on his feet, phone in his hand as he waited for someone to pick up.
“Cillian,” he said in a tone that brooked no argument, “We’re coming over. Rory has come up with some new ideas as to whomight be after her, and we need to go back over the list you made us.”
“What list?” I whispered to Dev as Alex continued to talk over the phone with my father.
“Cillian made us a list of all his enemies, but we haven’t had any success looking into any of those leads. If you’re right, Red, what we might need to start doing is making a list of those who knew about the wedding.”
The list wouldn’t be large; my father and Dev’s team had decided to wait to officially share the news of our families combining until after the threat against me had been neutralized. Dad was worried we’d have some slight pushback over such a strong mafia family joining with the most well-known cybersecurity freelancers on the east coast.
They all agreed it would be easier to deal with any repercussions after my issues were dealt with, allowing their focus to be aimed toward another set of threats. It was yet another hint I’d overlooked as I attempted to convince myself that Dev only married me to guarantee his family’s safety. Unsurprisingly, two powerful forces joining together could garner some enemies along with allies.
Which meant that the only people who knew about the wedding were my father’s closest associates and everyone who attended the wedding. Someone we trusted.
Chapter 25
Dev
I leftRory with the girls before meeting Alex and Bex at Cillian’s, the compound rising out of the trees as I wound past the security gate and up toward the mansion Rory had grown up in. I hadn’t been here since before Rory and I were married, and I had a newfound appreciation for the personal touches Cillian had implemented. The soft rugs, the warm colors, the homey quality that was so often lacking in the houses we were invited into.
I imagined Rory growing up here, how she’d have to skip past the third stair - which creaked with my body weight - when she went to spy on her father’s affairs. How it would’ve been easy to listen to the meetings, the sizable gap between the door and the floor defeating the purpose of the door’s thick wood.
I was idly wondering if I could sneak out to find Rory’s bedroom when Cillian walked into his office, flanked by Cormac. The two men settled across from our trio, faces serious despite our newfound alliance, so I took it upon myself to break the ice.
“How goes it, father-in-law?”
Cillian rolled his eyes, the curve at the corner of his mouth a success even as he muttered something about how Xander would’ve given him less grief as an in-law.
I couldn’t help the snarl that rolled out of my mouth at even a joking mention of Rory being married to anyone else, and both Cillian and Cormac gave me assessing looks at my possessiveness.
“Let’s get down to business,” Alex cut in, always even-keeled when it came to other people’s emotions.
It didn’t take long to come up with a list of those who knew about the wedding and, subsequently, the alliance between the three of us and Cillian’s organization. The wedding had been relatively small, just over a hundred people, and Cillian could only name a dozen or so outside of that group who’d known about our alliance.
Within an hour, Bex and Alex were already antsy, ready to start delving into internet histories and phone logs to discover any skeletons Cillian’s closest associates might be hiding. We wrapped up with Cillian before making our way back to our cars, splitting up with promises to call with updates.
