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She was mine. I wanted her to myself. I wanted to be the one to own her.
I knew now that she was who I wanted to be with, no doubts in my mind. Together, we would be a power couple, like Tam and Hallie, and, one day, I’d put a baby in her belly, and we’d become our own family—fuck the others. We didn’t need anyone else if we had each other. What the fuck could the Gilligans do about it? Would they attempt to hurt their own sister and daughter? If they came after me, they’d have the Cornells to deal with as well. I didn’t know them well, but I didn’t think they were that stupid.
If the Gilligans made her choose between me and them, I was determined to make sure they lost. Ivy just needed to come round to my way of thinking.
I arranged for a discreet courier to take over the items I’d promised her.
I had work I needed to concentrate on—including a meeting with Tam and a potential supplier, one I thought would be able to undercut anyone the Gilligans might be working with. Maybe it was against the rules to try to encroach on their territory, but now more than ever I wanted the Gilligans out of this fucking city. I still blamed them for my father’s death, and they were most likely responsible for killing Harvey Cornell on his wedding day, too. They were a poison in this city, and they needed to be gone.
My new plan was that they’d leave Ivy behind. With me.
How would Ivy feel about that? Did it even matter? She couldn’t possibly want to stay with a family who tried to control her like that.
Before Ivy came over, I had work to do.
I left to meet with Tam. The alliance between our two families now meant that anything to do with business had to be signed off on both sides. I preferred to do things myself. If Tam tried to overrule me on this, I’d be seriously pissed off, but I doubted he would. It made good business sense. A lower price meant we’d make more money off our current customers and could offer a better deal to anyone new we were bringing on board, such as people who were currently working with the Gilligans.
I walked into the Indian restaurant on Brick Lane but didn’t wait to be asked to be seated. Instead, I ignored everyone and crossed through to the back of the building, through the busy kitchen, the aroma of spices assaulting my senses, and out into a private dining room at the rear. Tam was already there, a drink on the table in front of him, and he got to his feet and shook my hand.
I took a seat across from him. A waitress hurried over, and I ordered.
“I’ll take whatever he’s having.”
As much as he pissed me off, Tam had good taste.
I checked my watch. We were both early, which was a good thing.
“Any news on the name I gave you?” I asked. I still hadn’t forgotten about my mission to track down whoever Doyle was.
Something crossed his face.
I leaned forwards. “You know something, don’t you?”
“I’m not sure yet. I want to keep digging before I say anything. It’s not heading in the direction either of us thought.”
“Spill it,” I said.
“Not yet. I know what you’re like. You’re still too impulsive, and I don’t want a trail of bodies left behind if I’m wrong.”
I considered arguing with him for a moment, then decided against it. Once Tam had made his mind up about something, it was near impossible to get him to change it. As long as he told me what he found out in the end, it would amount to the same thing. The thought surprised me. Since when had I learned patience? Or was it simply that I was distracted with Ivy?
I changed the subject. “How’s Hallie feeling?”
Tam twisted his lips. “She’s been having some twinges.”
“Does that mean the baby will come soon?” I knew absolutely nothing about labour except that it sounded painful and messy.
“It should. She’s due any day now.” He nodded down at his phone on the table. “That’s why I have to keep that near.”
I sat back and folded my arms. “How are you feeling about impending fatherhood?”
Tam smiled—an expression that didn’t normally appear on his features. “I can’t wait. Seeing that baby in Hallie’s arms will be the best moment of my life.”
Was I jealous of him? Yeah, maybe a bit. It all seemed so easy between the two of them, but it hadn’t always been that way. I should know—I was one of the people who’d made things harder. I regretted that now. But Hallie hadn’t acted as though she’d ever wanted to marry Tam—at least not at first—and I’d thought I was doing her a favour. Things had worked out between the two of them.
Tam took a sip of his drink. “What about you? Anyone on the scene?”
There was no way I was going to tell him about Ivy. I could imagine his reaction if I told him I was fucking her. He’d say I was mixing business with pleasure and that it would only lead to disaster. He was probably right, but I had no intention of stopping.
