“Feel better?” he asked, quirking his brow in a way that I wondered briefly if he’d seen her.
“You have no idea,” I said instead of asking. It didn’t matter one way or another, because I wouldn’t give Enzo up without a fight.
Not once I’d finally found my perfect balance.
22 Enzo
It would have seemed ballsy for Murphy to accept an invitation to a meeting at Liam’s estate, had he known we’d be crashing it. But since he thought it was just a meeting with his future father-in-law, I wouldn't deny how much I looked forward to seeing his face when we strolled in. Watching his world crumple around him would appease a little of the blood lust I felt for what he did to the women of our city on a daily basis.
As much as Ryker had wanted to get to the fun part where he could kill him, Tiernan had allies going beyond the scope of the city. From what we knew about, it would take time to understand what ramifications might come from his death when the day finally came, but having a strong force to make our stand was in our best interest.
That was why the allies coming to lend their support were so critical. With Rafe and Calix in the city and the remaining allies pouring into the limits in droves every day, there was no doubt that tensions would rise. We had men on damn near every street corner at this point. Men in all the clubs. Men at the bars. Men on campus.
We protected women in the most targeted areas of the city.
"Are you ready for this?" I asked Yavin, watching as he adjusted the piece in his holster. He wasn't foolish, and he knew that by accepting Aoife as his wife and signing Liam's contract, he'd put a huge price on his head where Tiernan was concerned. "Is she worth it?"
"I texted her to ask how classes were going yesterday," Yavin said, re-buttoning his suit jacket to keep the gun at his waist slightly more discreet. "She said that she was having a blast in her art classes drawing naked men, but her teacher didn't appreciate that she depicted them with a bloody stump where their dicks used to be." Trying to stifle my chuckle, I failed when I heard Ryker's hysterical laugh as he strolled by.
All amped up and ready to start the process of Murphy's destruction, he didn't bother trying to hide his weapons.
It was slightly more difficult to hide a hatchet than a handgun. I'd give him that. The holster strapped across his back on top of his suit jacket wasn't exactly even attempting to be discreet. Lino glanced our way, sighing when Yavin refused to make eye contact with his brother-in-law. "You ever gonna forgive him?" I asked, turning to fall into line. With Ryker and Georgio at the front of our group, Yavin and I took the rear.
"He's fucking my sister," Yavin said, grunting as if that settled things.
"Well, she is his wife. And they do have a son, so yes. I'd say it's a given that they have a sex life of some form, Yav. But from what I know, he was hers before he was your friend. Didn't she introduce the two of you, not vice versa?"
"What difference does that make?"
"None really," I rolled my eyes so hard they threatened to pop out of my fucking head. He was as stubborn as his sister. "Just that you need to realize that he loves her. He protects her, and he treats her like a fucking Queen. What more could you want for her?"
He sighed, stepping forward as the group in front of us moved to enter the foyer. "Not much."
"Right. So the time has come to pull your head out of your ass. You and Aoife will be married soon, and I think you'll understand a little better once she stops threatening to cut off your junk." Yavin didn't respond, his face turning serious and focused as we made our way down the hall that led to Liam's office. The door was closed as expected, but Liam's man knocked twice and shoved it open so we could file into the space.
Tiernan was on his feet, his second-in-command getting twitchy fingers that shifted for his gun. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Ryker warned, leveling the man with a glare. "Believe me, I'm just itching for you to give me a reason to paint the room with your blood, but I don't think Liam would appreciate the decor change."
"I wouldn't," the old man piped up. "Aoife is very fond of my blue-grey walls, and I like my girl to spend as much time in here with me as possible before she leaves the nest." His eyes went right for Yavin, a conspiratorial wink transforming his aging face.
Aoife stood from her place looking out the window, gliding on smooth footsteps until she stood next to her father. "Red clashes with my hair so terribly," she admitted with a shrug, turning her attention to her blue nail polish.
"What is this, Liam?" Tiernan asked, glancing at the man who he so cleverly pretended to respect while he made plans to stab him in the back.
Literally.
Yavin moved to stand behind the desk with Liam, taking his place next to Aoife. She didn't flinch away from him when he leaned in to kiss her cheek slowly, playing a dangerous game with Murphy. But Liam's guffaw of amusement was worth the risk as he clapped his hands together once in excitement. Aoife's cheeks flushed pink at the contact, her cerulean eyes looking up at Yavin as he drew away.
Her face hardened when she turned her attention back to Tiernan where he glowered at her, all the promise of a
