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Leaving the coffee behind, I stalk out the door and towards the town car. The driver starts the engine as soon as I’m in, and I snarl for him to get me the fuck out of there. It feels like only moments before we’re pulling up in front of the colonial two-story house.
I take the steps two at a time, my knuckles knocking on the front door before the butler could even get to it. Anger and irritation fuel me as I brush past the poor man, barely nodding a hello before I head upstairs to their home office. I can hear my niece with her nanny down the hall crying, but I can’t stop to check in on her no matter how much I want to.
Dante and Sienna are in their office. My brother sits across from where she’s perched behind the desk. They look to be in a serious conversation, but that’ll have to wait. The door slams shut behind me, and they glance up in surprise.
“Killian,” Sienna shoots me a smile, but I can’t return one. I’m too pissed off. She immediately takes in the look on my face, her smile fading. “What happened?”
“What happened?!” I’m spitting mad. “What happened is that I had a nice little chat with one brute of a fucking Russian at my coffee shop.”
Dante shot to his feet. I didn’t realize I’d been pacing until his hand latches onto my arm, stopping me. “The Russians? Are you sure?”
I glance between them, trying to figure out if they know about the Irish possibly having other motivations for this little alliance or not. There’s nothing on their faces that tells me they know, and I’m confident Dante wouldn’t have kept this from me, especially since I’m the one who is being forced to tie the knot.
It strikes me then what an opportunity this is. If my brother and sister-in-law find out the Irish had kept something from them, then maybe I could avoid getting married. I catch my brother’s eye, my lip curling.
“We need to talk.”
19
CARA
The last person I expect to see at my door is Sienna Rosania, but that’s exactly who I find knocking the next afternoon. The lobby had called about two minutes ago asking if they should send her up, and I’d been so surprised that it’d taken me a few minutes to respond. And now here she is. Even with the alliance, coming here alone and unarmed was ballsy.
She stands in the foyer, looking around curiously. It isn’t like it’s her first time coming here, but I’m sure she’d been a bit more focused on securing an alliance with my father than taking in our decor. We stand there awkwardly for a few seconds as I try to wrap my head around why she’d be here. Had Killian told her about me stalking him?
I shifted on my feet. “Would you like something to drink?”
She glances over at me, smiling. “No, I’m alright. I just thought I’d come by and see how you were doing.”
Alrighty then.
I lead her from the foyer to the living room. My father is out for the day and, after last night, I’d been taking the morning to relax. Hell, I’m still in my pajamas with only a t-shirt and shorts, while Sienna looks like she just stepped out of a damn Forbes photoshoot. Her black pantsuit somehow accentuates her curves rather than hides them. I eye her red-bottom Louboutins with slight envy. Her dark hair pulled back into a loose bun at the nape of her neck, with small tendrils curling around her face.
Folding up on the couch, I tuck my feet beneath me as Sienna takes a seat in one of the black leather armchairs across from me. “So,” I say, not exactly knowing what I’m supposed to say, “did you need my father?”
“No, I came to check on you.” Her eyes glitter with amusement.
Right.She’d said that.
“Well, I’m doing fine. Thank you.”
“Are you?” Sienna’s head tilts slightly as she studies me, and I have a feeling she can easily see right through my bullshit. “I know how it can be. My own engagement wasn’t exactly smooth sailing.”
“To Mr. Scarano.”
She laughs lightly. “We’re about to be family Cara; you can call him Dante.”
I cringe inwardly at the thought. “Of course, if that’s what you’d like.”
Sienna sighs, crossing one leg over the other, making herself comfortable. “Cara, you really don’t have to be so formal. I really did come to see how you were doing with this whole thing. I know we sort of sprung it on you with no warning. I apologize for that.”
“You don’t have to apologize.” I relax slightly, my teeth dragging across my bottom lip as I try to figure out what to say to her. It’s not like I can reveal my true feelings towards Killian. She is his sister-in-law, after all. “It was a surprise. There’s no doubt about that. I guess I just feel…overwhelmed.”
“I get that. I was too.”
I take it a step further. “I’m not really sure if Killian and I are…compatible.”
Sienna snorts, startling me a bit. “It’s not always about compatibility in our world, is it, though?” Leaning forward, she rests her elbows on her knees, giving me a sharp look. “For us, it’s more about partnership. Filling in the blind spots to help keep each other—and our family—safe. We don’t always get to choose who we end up with, but we can choose to work together as a team. And that’s what this is. Killian’s just your new teammate.”
