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“He’s the type that will never be satisfied with what he has. He has a seat at the table, but he wants to run drugs. I am an obstacle to him and once he finds a way to remove me, it won’t be long before he starts gunning for your position,” I said as I stared at the painting on the wall above the trolley without really seeing it. I couldn’t let a threat like Sean remain, but I couldn’t outright slit his throat, either. It might piss some people off in the family. I’d have to make sure it was justified, at least to criminal standards.
“Many want the power my position holds,” Stefan said.
I turned back around. “I don’t.”
Stefan’s brows rose. “It didn’t look that way at today’s meeting.”
“That wasn’t me being eager to learn everything because I’m excited to be the big bad boss one day,” I said and took another big gulp of whiskey. “That was me doing what I can so when my ass has no choice but to plant itself in your chair, I am prepared.” The alcohol was starting to make me warm. “Honestly, I’d be happy running drugs for the rest of my miserable life. Jamie should be your heir.”
“You’re meant to lead this family, Maura,” Jamie insisted.
I gave him an incredulous look. “Are you sure about that? I fucked up with Dylan, which resulted in our people getting killed, guns stolen, and there was one more. What was it?” I snapped my fingers. “Oh, yeah. Because I let Dylan live, our daughter never got to take her first breath.”
Jamie looked away from me. My words might as well have been a slap to the face if his expression was anything to go by.
I glanced at Stefan. “Still think I should be your heir?” My words tasted as bitter as they sounded. I grabbed the bottle of whiskey off the trolley and went to go sit on the couch.
“You’re chasing the rabbit,” Stefan said.
I poured myself another drink. “I outran that fucking rabbit months ago.” I set the whiskey bottle on the coffee table in front of the couch and settled back against the comfy leather upholstery.
Jamie stormed over to me, took my glass from my hand before I could take another sip, and tossed it across the room. The crystal tumbler shattered when it hit the floor.
I crossed my legs and laid an arm across the back of the couch. I stared up at Jamie, taking in his clenched jaw and his intense gaze that was bearing down on me. “Did that make you feel better?”
“Are you done having a pity party?” he asked.
My eyes dropped from his. He was right. I leaned forward, put my elbows on my knees, and cradled my head with my fingers snaked into my hair.
Fuck. I’m going to cry.
“I did this,” I strained to say.
Jamie sat on the coffee table in front of me and his legs framed mine. He grabbed my wrists and pulled my hands from my hair. “Maura.”
“I’m so fucking sorry, Jamie.” My voice wobbled as I fought to hold my tears back.
His hands cupped the sides of my face and he made me look at him. “Don’t you say that to me.”
A tear fell down my cheek and his thumb wiped it away.
“Losing her isn’t your fault. It’s his,” he said vehemently. “He’s a dead man walking, baby. We’re going to find him. We’re going to kill him, and we’ll do it together.”
I nodded and he pulled me to him by the back of my neck. I laid the side of my face over his heart and let the sound of it calm me. Letting him hold me, feeling the warmth of him around me, made me realize how achingly cold I had become.
After I calmed down, Jamie and I pulled apart and we noticed that Stefan wasn’t in the room. Neither of us had noticed when he had left.
I went to the bathroom to make sure I didn’t look like I’d been crying and once I returned to Stefan’s study, everyone was back in the room. Vincent was sitting on the couch, Dean was standing up against the wall near the liquor trolley, Jamie was sitting in one of the leather armchairs next to the couch, and Stefan was back behind his desk. I could feel all their eyes on me as I took a seat on the couch next to Vincent. Just as my butt touched the cushions, there was a knock on the door. Brody walked in. By the tight expression he held, I could tell he was irritated. Brody stopped walking just past the door and gestured for someone in the hall to come in.
“Thanks for the escort,” Aiden said to Brody with a wink as he swaggered in. Smirking, Aiden walked straight toward Stefan’s desk.
I glanced back at Brody and saw that he was glaring at the back of Aiden’s head. “Where’s Kieran?” I asked, because Brody was supposed to be watching him for me.
As Brody’s attention moved to me, his expression instantly softened. He pulled a small, screened device out of his pocket, which took me a second to recognize as a baby monitor. “He’s napping.” He glared one last time at Aiden before he left and closed the door behind him with a little more force than necessary.
It had been many years since I had last seen Aiden. He and Jamie were the same height and build and they had the same eyes. The similarities ended there. Aiden had blond hair with a little bit of gray. He also wasn’t as stoic as Jamie could be. Aiden was more personable, but every time I’d interacted with him in the past, it had felt like a facade.
“You called?” Aiden said to Stefan with a smile that came off as flirtatious.
