Aidan reaches for my hand, but I brush past him with Aisling. I just can’t. If he touches me, I might shatter. He catches up with us and opens the door. For the second time, I stride past him and head straight upstairs to the boys’ rooms.

  “Where are you going?” Aidan’s voice stops me, and I pause on the second step, forcing myself to glance back at him. There’s confusion and worry written across his face, but I harden my heart against it.

  “We were all just in the middle of a building exploding around us and a gun battle,” my voice rises in pitch and I take a deep breath to calm down. “I’m taking my brothers to their rooms to make sure they’re okay and that they’re taken care of. They also need to get cleaned up. As does Aisling. Unlike you, we aren’t used to being almost killed.”

  Aidan flinches, but I’m not a single bit guilty. I turn and climb the rest of the steps still holding Aisling’s hand. Footsteps follow behind me after only a brief hesitation. All four of us enter Kellen’s room and I close the door behind us, effectively shutting Aidan out. Kellen and Carson sit on the edge of the bed with their hands in their laps and I carefully sit in the chair, pulling Aisling on my lap, taking care to avoid my leg wound. She leans against me and rests her head on my shoulder.

  I’d love nothing more than to crawl into bed and drag the blankets over my head, but for better or for worse, I’m their parent and their needs come before mine.

  “Are you all okay?” I ask for probably the hundredth time.

  The twins nod. Aisling does as well.

  Kellen fidgets. “Are you okay?”

  Not even close. “I will be.”

  “Who were those guys?” Kellen asks. Carson sits still and quiet at his side.

  “I don’t know.”

  There’s a long pause and then Kellen speaks up again. “Are you mad at Aidan?”

  My immediate reaction is to lie, but we’ve all been lied to enough. “Yes.”

  “Why?” Carson finally asks.

  “Because he put you three in danger. What if any of you had been hurt today? I’d be devastated if I lost one of you.” The tears I hadn’t managed to shed yet spill down my cheeks. “You’re my baby brothers and my baby sister. I love you all so much.”

  Kellen and Carson rise from the bed and come over to wrap their arms around Aisling and me. The four of us sit together for several minutes holding each other. Finally, the boys let loose of me. I nudge Aisling and she scoots off me and I slowly stand, gritting my teeth at the pain.

  “If you’re both all right for now, why don’t you get cleaned up. Take a shower and put on some clean clothes. Then how about later you come down to the common room and the four of us will watch a movie if you’re feeling up to it.”

  They both say “Okay.”

  I kiss them both on the tops of their heads, and then run my hand over Aisling’s hair. “Come on, little nightmare. Let’s go downstairs and get cleaned up as well.”

  Before I walk out the door, I turn to them. “If you need anything, just holler.”

  They nod and then Aisling and I walk out of their room. Aidan waits out in the hallway. I move right past him, but he claps my arm to stop me. I go rigid, but he doesn’t loosen his light grip.

  “Will you please talk to me?”

  I shake my head. “I can’t right now.”

  Whatever he sees on my face has him letting me go. Aisling and I move forward and down the stairs, not stopping until we get to her room. Should I be worried that she hasn’t spoken since we left the venue? I don’t want to push her to talk if she’s not feeling up to it.

  “Lets get you out of this dress and all cleaned up.” Maybe if I keep busy I won’t have a breakdown. If only my headache would go away.

  Aisling lets me tug it over her head. Her hair is dusty as is the rest of her body that hadn’t been covered. I turn on the water and adjust the temperature. When I’m satisfied, I guide her forward with a hand between her shoulder blades.

  “In you go.”

  Together we get her cleaned up including two washes of her hair and then I help her put on her pajamas. I comb out her hair and braid it to help it from tangling when she sleeps. Then I turn her to face me and kneel down in front of her. I brush the wisps of baby hair across her forehead.

  “I know today was really scary, and if you want to talk about it, I’m here to listen.”

  There’s a long enough pause that I worry Aisling won’t speak to me. But finally she answers. “Why did those bad men try to hurt us?” Her question is spoken in barely above a whisper.

  She adores Aidan, and while I may be furious and disappointment in him at the moment, I don’t want her to be. She won’t understand. Maybe when she gets older. “Some bad people don’t need a reason. They just hurt people because they can, and no one knows why.”

  Aisling’s eyes shimmer with tears. “Will the bad men try and hurt us again?”

  She asks the one question to which the answer is my greatest fear.

  “I’ll keep you safe, I promise.” Even as I say the words, they resonate through me. I swear I’ll keep her, Kellen, and Carson safe even if that means leaving here. No matter how much I love Aidan, the children have to come first. He should understand that.

  “Hey, why don’t you lay down for a little bit while I get cleaned up too. Then, I’ll crawl into bed with you and we’ll go back to working on our fairy forest sketch. What do you say?” I give her an encouraging smile, hoping it eases some of her fears.

  “Okay,” Aisling says quietly.

  I take her hand and we walk out of the bathroom and I help her climb into her bed. Once she’s settled I kiss her forehead. “Will you be okay while I run to my room to get my own pajamas?”

  She nods.

  “I’ll be right back.” I hurry out of the room and pray I don’t run into Aidan. I’m not sure I can even look at him yet.

  Thankfully both the common area and our bedroom are empty. I grab a clean pair of underwear, a pair of shorts, and shirt and hurry back to Aisling’s room. She’s still sitting upright in bed, but she jumps when I step into the room. I head for the bathroom and take the quickest shower I’ve probably ever taken. After I’m done, I hurriedly get dressed so I can get back into the bedroom.

  Before I reach the bed, I snag the stack of drawings we’ve been working on off the desk, along with the charcoal pencils, and her lapdesk, and I settle in beside her.

  “What do you think? Do we need more fairies this time?” I glance down at her.

  Aisling lays her head against my shoulder. “I like fairies.”

  “More fairies it is then.”

  I pick up the pencil and one of the drawings and get to work.

  CHAPTER 29

  Aidan

  It’s been hours since our wedding. I’ve checked on the boys several times. Neither have left Kellen’s room and they’d been subdued with each visit. I brought them something to eat earlier since we missed the reception. Same with Sorcha and Aisling, although I left it on a tray outside Aisling’s room, knocked on the door, and walked away. As much as it’s killing me, I’m giving Sorcha a little space. The expression on her face when she refused to talk to me will haunt me. I’m losing her. I feel it in my soul.

  Da, Cian, and Finn should be here any minute They spent this entire time dealing with the Gardaí and news reporters. It’s been on television half the day. The door to Da’s office opens and he strides in with my brothers trailing behind. They haven’t even had a chance to get cleaned up. Right behind them is Nathan and Roarke. It doesn’t surprise me that we’re having a meeting. What does surprise me is the fact Liam—whose arm is in a sling—brings up the rear. What the fuck is he doing here?

  “Everyone take a seat.” Behind his desk, Da gestures at the various chairs laid out around the room.

  I remain in mine near the bookshelf, while Cian takes his usual near Da’s desk, Finn and Roarke sit near the sliding glass door like always, and Nathan sits on the sofa. Campbell remains stiff and standing near the door. From the expression on his face he’d rather be anywhere but here. Da glares at him, but Liam only glares back almost daring Da to say something.

  Giving up arguing, Da sits in his own chair and glances at me. “Before we get started, how are the kids? Sorcha?”

  I’m not keen on airing my personal business in front of Campbell, but it’s clear he’s not going anywhere. “The boys have been pretty quiet, but they seem to be handling everything as well as can be expected. I haven’t seen Sorcha or Aisling since we returned home. My wife is avoiding me. She’s freaked out. Pissed. Terrified. Everything you’d expect from someone who nearly died or whose children could have.”

  Da grimaces and sympathy lines his face. “I’m sorry. Today’s attack took us all by surprise, even though it shouldn’t have. I take the blame for it. I knew Naji has been threatening revenge against us. We’ve been watching him, but apparently not close enough.”

  “You’re not entirely to blame.” I turn from him and pierce Liam with a hate-filled glare. “You’re the one who’s allowed the Moroccans to smuggle weapons in through the port. If you weren’t such a cunt, and cut off our own weapon supply, or at least not allowed our enemies to import them, then maybe this wouldn’t have happened. Even your Da didn’t deal with the Moroccans.”

  Campbell’s face reddens and his fist clenches at his side. If he had a gun in his hand, he’d shoot me without hesitation. Calling Dónal Sheehan his Da triggers Liam’s rage more than anything else. No one in the room contradicts my claim though. Everyone here, Liam included, knows I’m right.

  “Regardless of whose fault it is or isn’t, Ayman Naji has increased his weapon’s stores over the last few months and after today, we know that he will continue seeking his revenge,” Cian says. “His men confirmed it before they got away. This has been a declaration of war and we need all the soldiers we can get. Which is why Liam is here.”

  I stare at my brother. He can’t be serious. I glance around the room. No one’s surprised by this announcement. My gaze shifts to Da. “You’re fucking kidding, right? For the last two months, this bastard has done everything he can to undermine our organization. Before that, he was bent on destroying it. Now we’re suddenly supposed to trust him. Maybe he’s working with Naji. I wouldn’t put it past him. He can cast all the blame on them for killing us all so Imogen won’t discover what a piece of shite he is.”

  “I’ll kill you myself,” Liam charges me with a roar.

  I jump to my feet and surge forward to meet him head-on. Roarke and Cian burst from their seats to hold both of us back. I jab my finger in Campbell’s direction over Cian’s shoulder, not breaking eye contact with him.

  “If you would have just let me pay off Sorcha’s loan, she wouldn’t have been hurt today. You’re to fucking blame for this.” Spittle flies from my mouth.

  “I did you a favor,” Liam growls and then, one-handed, pushes Roarke away. “Get off me.”

  “A favor?” I lunge again, but Cian’s body weight restrains me. “My wife could have died because of you. Imogen, too. Or maybe you don’t care about that.”

  He goes rigid and for a second I’m sure he’s about to rush me for a second time. Instead, he remains where he is, his death glare searing into me as he straightens his suit jacket as best he can. He grimaces. “Fuck you.”

  The raging storm inside me calms by a fraction and I stop trying to barrel past Cian. He slowly loosens his hold on me.

  “Look at me,” he demands.

  I glare at Campbell another second and then move my gaze to my brother. He grabs both sides of my head and gets in my face. “He owes us a life debt.”

  How?

  Cian must see the question in my eyes. “I’m the one who shot the man holding Imogen. He was going to kill her.”

  A sick sense of glee rises up inside me. My lips twitch. God, it must be killing Campbell to know that he owes Cian—our family—a life debt. Serves the bastard right. It doesn’t mean I’ll ever forgive him for putting Sorcha and the kids in danger in the first place. But at least Liam’s getting what’s been coming to him. Cian’s grip on my head tightens and he gently shakes it bringing me back to him. I nod and he slowly releases me.

  He steps away and we both return to our seats. Roarke’s already seated. I don’t stop glaring at Liam though. Prick.

  Da clears his throat. “Now that we’ve all settled down, we need to get back to business. Liam will be buying up the other two small shipping companies that operate at the docks so we have complete control over every shipment that comes in or goes out. Nathan will be reaching out to our German suppliers and all imports will resume. For the time being, we also plan on taking a financial cut and purchasing our cargo at a slightly higher price than they’re selling to the Moroccans.”

  His gaze travels over us emphasizing his point. “Nathan is also going to reach out to both Emilio and Jack and arrange a…meeting with their contacts in the States to discuss an acquisitions deal with any of them. If the Moroccans want a war, then we will give them one.”

  “In the meantime,” Finn adds, “we’re going to borrow Imogen’s hacking skills to get all the information we can on Ayman Naji. Bank records. Real estate holdings. We’ll find all the Moroccan’s hideouts and take them out one by one, drilling away at their defenses until they have none left.”

  Da rises. “Everyone get some rest. We’ll meet at the casino tomorrow night at midnight.”

  He’s barely finished speaking when Liam whips around and marches out of the office. Moments later the front door slams shut.

  “Prick,” I spit.

  Everybody filters out of the room. I’m almost to the door when Da’s voice stops me. “You. Stay.”

  Slowly I pivot.

  “Have a seat.” He gestures to the chair Cian just vacated.

  With a sigh, I settle back in. I’m not in the mood for a goddamn lecture. I just want to find my wife and fix this thing between us. Da sits down as well and leans his forearms on the desk top.

  “I know I said this already, but I’m sorry I wasn’t vigilant enough in watching Naji and his people. The blame for that lies solely on my shoulders. It’s been a lot of years since we’ve been at war with our enemies. Not since before I was your age. I’ve forgotten what it’s like to always be watching my back. How we can never let our guards down. Not even for a second.” Fatigue mars Da’s face. He appears to have aged overnight.

  “As much as it pains me to admit, it was always going to happen, whether it was Naji or Campbell. At least we have Imogen to thank. By the way, is she okay? My main concern has been Sorcha and the kids.”

  He nods solemnly. “She’s shaken up, of course. But I think she’s more worried about Liam than herself. As much as I wish it weren’t so, he loves her. If they’d hurt her in any way, Campbell would have razed the entire city to the ground and tried to single-handedly destroy the Moroccans.”

  Psychopath. Wouldn’t you do the same if it were Sorcha? Perhaps I shouldn’t judge him too harshly when it comes to protecting my sister.

  “Being a part of our family—our organization—is dangerous. But we’ve grown up surrounded by this. We understand how it all works as well as the consequences. I taught you boys from birth. Sorcha has only been part of your real life for less than a month. It’s no wonder she’s scared and angry.” Da sits back and his posture softens. “Go find your wife. I’m sure she needs you.”

  “Thanks, Da. For everything.” I exit his office and head for our wing. She may need me, but I need her more.

  CHAPTER 30

  Sorcha

  There’s a faint knock on the door. Worried it might be either Kellen or Carson needing me, I quickly climb out of the bed, careful not to disturb Aisling. I crack it open only to find Aidan. My heart skips a beat and then races like it always does when I’m in his presence. But then I recall the way it raced in fear earlier.

  “Hi,” he greets me in a whisper.

  “Hi.”

  “Will you talk to me now?” There’s a hint of hope in the question.

  “I don’t want to leave Aisling, in case she wakes up scared.” While true, it’s also an excuse.

  “Please?”

  It’s that single word that weakens me. I can probably count on one hand the number of times Aidan has ever said please. I glance over my shoulder. Aisling is sound asleep. We’re just a hallway over. If she cries out, I’ll come rushing. God, I’m weak. I sigh and open the door wide enough to slide through and then pull it almost closed, but keep it cracked enough that I won’t miss any sounds that she might need me.

  Side-by-side, Aidan and I walk back to our room. I’m glad he doesn’t try and touch me. I’m not sure what I’ll do if he does. He gestures for me to enter first. I move past him, trying not to breathe in his fresh woodsy scent, and stand in the center of the room with my arms wrapped protectively around my waist.

  He closes the door, but doesn’t shut it all the way, and pivots to face me. “How’s your head and your leg feeling?”

  “They both fucking hurt.” Although my head isn’t pounding like it had been earlier, but I keep the fact to myself. I have a twinge of guilt for twisting the knife a little deeper, especially when Aidan’s face fills with worry.

  “I’m sorry. So fucking sorry,” he rasps out in another harsh whisper, taking a step forward like he’s going to reach for me but stops himself. “I’m sorry for everything. For lying to you all these years. For forcing you into this marriage. For not fully warning you about what this life entails. But most of all, I’m sorry I put not only you, but our children, in danger.”

  My heart nearly stops beating altogether. The one and only time Aidan has ever said he’s sorry was when he confessed his identity. He’s said please more times than he’s ever apologized. But I can’t let go of the fact he called Kellen, Carson, and Aisling our kids. It doesn’t matter that I’m their sister. I’m the only mom they have and I love them like they’re mine.