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He was lucky he was the head of the Irish mafia, or else I’d give him a piece of my mind.
Hell, the only reason I wasn’t was because my ass was still sore from earlier.
“Have you given any thought to what I said?” Dashkov asked me from across the table. “The gala would be an easy place to trade the information we are looking for, and from there, we could come up with a strategy for the next auction.”
“What auction?” I asked curiously.
“The one we believe your friend Lina to be at,” Matthias told me. “Where she will be sold.”
“I already told you she isn’t doing it,” Kiernan growled next to me.
“It is our best chance,” Dashkov prodded dangerously. “If we don’t act now, we will lose the edge. We need that information to take down Ward and the rest of them. If we don’t act soon, that opportunity will be lost.”
“Fuck the opportunity,” Kiernan hissed. “Do you honestly think that Crowe won’t sniff out a rat? He didn’t get where he is today by being stupid. He knows how to read people, and Bailey is shit at hiding her thoughts.”
I let out a weak protest, but he ignored it.
“She’ll be a sitting duck.”
“He’ll be blind to her,” Matthias assured him. “She’s his daughter.” There was something in the way he saiddaughterthat felt off. As if he didn’t believe it. I wondered if he’d been filled in already about me not being adopted.
“It isn’t just him she’s worried about,” Seamus piped up. “If any of the men backing him get wind of her spying, they’ll find a way to get rid of her to keep everything shut down. He’s making a bid for president this year. Do you honestly think that the men pushing his career to the top will let her live if they find her spying on him? She’ll be a loose end.”
“She already is,” Matthias growled. “She’s been digging into her friend’s disappearance. Do you honestly believe that has gone unnoticed? This could give her an opportunity to help find her with us watching her back.”
“Wait,” I interrupted. “What does—”
“Enough,” Liam roared from the head of the table, his fist banging on the worn wood. “This is something for Bailey to decide, not all of you. She’s the one taking the risk.”
All eyes were on me.
Fuck my life. This wasn’t what I needed right now.
17
Iwas fuming.
The blood in my veins edged closer to its boiling point the more the conversation kept on. I couldn’t believe my father was on board with subjecting Bailey to the sick depravity of her father and his men. Even my own fucking brother had hopped on the train to fucking looney town.
Who the hell did Dashkov think he was bringing something like that up in front of her? Spying on her own kin? There were so many ways that could go wrong. He knew Bailey was desperate to find her friend, and he was using it to his advantage. I may not have known the raven-haired vixen for long, but there was one thing I knew for sure. Bailey was selfless when it came to those she called friends because she had so few.
“I’m not even sure what it is you think I could do,” Bailey admitted, her blue eyes sweeping around the table. She was holding her coffee cup in both hands, close to her chest, letting the warmth of the liquid comfort her as she tried to process what everyone was saying. “I’m not going to spy on my father for you. He isn’t the man you think he is.”
“Maybe we should give her the evidence we brought,” Ava whispered to her husband. “The ones my brothers asked for.”
A derisive snort escaped me, my scowl turning dark at her words. “Why not?” I fluttered my hand toward her. “Get it all out.”
“Kiernan,” my father hissed. “Show your sister some respect.”
His words were sharp and had the intended effect. Softening my tone, I murmured an apology. Ava gave me a soft smile before turning her gaze to Bailey, who sat back in her chair, awkwardly watching us all interact.
I knew I’d said that we would show her the evidence we had against her father. Bailey had said that if it were true, if we could prove it, she would side with us and tell us what she could. But that was different from putting her in harm’s way. If we told her the truth and then sent her back to her father, it would be harder for her to keep up the charade of innocence and naivety she had lived with for so long.
Crowe was smart.
Ava reached down and dug around in her bag, drawing out a large manilla folder. She handed it across the table. Bailey took it from her with shaky hands. She didn’t make a move to open it, just held it, her eyes on the bold print lettering that spelled out her father’s name.
“Before you dig into that,” Ava bit her lip, “there are some things you should know.”
