Page 53 of Ruined Wrath
Ronan’s gaze hardens just a fraction. “That’s not what I asked.”
Of course it isn’t.
“Cormac.”
“She gave her word. And so did I.”
Ronan exhales slowly. “Just remember whose side she’s actually on.”
I glare at him as he pushes off the wall and walks away.
I was going to go and check on Scout, but I’m too on edge to be around him.
He’s a smart kid and will immediately pick up on the tension radiating off me, and that’s the last thing he needs.
I want him to believe that the danger is gone, so until I can get a hold of myself, I slip back upstairs and into the office.
I’m immediately hit with the scent of Fiona’s perfume, which still lingers in the air from the other day.
I screw my eyes shut and swallow a groan as I try to ignore the way my blood instantly heats, as if I didn’t just have her coming on my cock minutes ago.
I need a distraction before I storm out of this room and do something stupid like seek her out again.
I take a seat behind the desk and pull out my phone.
Something has been weighing on my mind ever since the call between Lorcan and Fiona the other day. I can’t shake the image of it, the way she sat there with the phone pressed to her ear, her shoulders tight like she was bracing for impact.
The way her eyes flicked to me, just once, like she was checking whether I was still there. Whether I was listening. Whether I was judging her.
And I was.
Christ, Istillam.
But seeing it, actually seeing it, was different. Hearing Lorcan’s voice filter through the speaker, smug and assured,talking to her like she was something he owned… It made my skin crawl. It made everything real in a way it hadn’t been when it was just words, a confession dragged out of her under pressure.
I drag a hand down my face and stare at the ceiling, my jaw tightening.
Lorcan doesn’t need to threaten Fiona directly anymore. He doesn’t need to raise his voice or remind her of what he is capable of. He’s already done the damage. His mere existence is a constant reminder that if Fiona were to step out of line, someone innocent would pay for it.
Her nieces.
The thought of it makes my throat burn.
If only there were a way to kill Lorcan’s threat. To cut him off at the knees by taking away the one thing he has over Fiona.
If she no longer believes her silence is the price of her nieces’ safety, then his hold weakens, and he loses his edge. And nothing would piss him off more than that.
I pull out my phone and, without thinking, dial Aiden, who answers on the second ring.
“Oh, how I’ve missed our little chats,” he drawls.
“I need dirt. On Joe. Everything you can find. Bank statements, tax returns, the lot. I don’t care how old it is or how insignificant. If it can bury him, I want it.”
There’s a pause. “The brother-in-law?”
“Yes.”
“I thought I already looked into him?”
