Page 76 of Ruthless Dream

“Just remember,” he says. “One word.”

“And you’ll piss on his grave, got it.” I finish my latte, throwing it in the trash. “I have to go study now.”

“I love you, my darling daughter.”

The clear autumn sky is a bit brighter now. “Love you too, Dad.”

CHAPTER 18

Ciaran

“Wallen wants a meeting.” Uncle Cormac tells me over the phone.

I shut my fridge, peeling the phone away from my ear. The flat is so tiny it’s easy to hear the shower running. Adeline just got back from studying, later than normal. It’s aggravating how driven she is, something I’d never thought I’d say about a quality I usually admire. But Adeline’s demand for perfection means she’s in the library as often as possible. When she’s not studying, she’s at her internship.

She’s already planned out her next semester, and I know she’s only going to add more to her schedule.

“Ciaran?” Cormac prods over the phone.

I think of Adeline’s naked body in the shower, water sliding over her. It’d be a delightful little thought if I wasn’t thinking about it because I don’t want her to overhear me.

“Why?” I ask.

“Wants to do a bit of business. Why do you sound like that’s a bad idea?”

I haven’t turned my nose up at any meeting we’ve managed to schedule. Well, other than the one my da invited me to with Walsh. Wallen’s operation is niche but nets a hefty profit.

“He rarely asks for meetings,” I point out, allowing Cormac to think this is my source of caution.

Almost three months ago, I killed Jack. One of Wallen’s men. There’s not been a fucking word of it. No chatter or whisper. Da had heard Wallen was making some ill-advised remarks about Boris, but there hadn’t been anything specifically about Adeline’s bodyguard.

Cormac doesn’t hide his excitement, something he rarely allows to happen. “He wants a new distributor in Dublin. Thinks we can help.”

“Why us?”

“He knows we can manage it.” Smugness lines the words. “And he hates the Stuarts with a passion only rivaled by us.”

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

Uncle Cormac’s laugh barks down the line.

His effusion doesn’t rub off on me. “We should really think about it before we agree to anything.”

“I’d thought you’d be pissing yourself for a chance like this.”

“Wallen is a nasty fuck.”

Cormac is quiet, then, “So am I.”

“You always cautioned against measuring dicks.”

Cormac sighs, a hint of laughter in his breath. “You’re right, son. I haven’t lost my head completely. We’ll take a look at things, hear him out.”

The shower turns off, my voice dropping slightly when I ask, “When?”

“He’s in Bulgaria right now but wants to meet in person, so it’ll be a few weeks away.”

That gives me time to look into any gossip I hear. To make sure my name and Adeline’s aren’t on Wallen’s shitlist.