“Of course it is,” my mother says. “Hannah was telling me about her marriage. Of course, there are some things a father doesn’t need to know.”
Oh, God, is she really suggesting that we were talking about my sex life?
“Ash is being good to you?” Dad says, sitting down at the table with us.
“As good as any other husband in our world.”
My father’s eyes narrow.
“He does seem frustrated that you’re not fulfilling your end of the deal.”
“Hannah!” my mother snaps.
My father’s eyes narrow at me. “Our business isn’t for you to?—”
“When you forced me into a marriage, you made me a part of it. Ash and his brothers made the deal in good faith. Why aren’t you doing your part?”
“It’s complicated.”
"Then explain it to me.”
My mom puts her hand on mine. "We're trying to protect you?—”
"By making my husband think we can't be trusted?" I set my cup down with a sharp clink. "The Keans are already targeting us. At least with Ash, we have a fighting chance. He's smart, capable, and he has a plan. But he needs our support."
My father’s expression hardens. “I’m not explaining myself to a girl?—”
“I’m a woman. A married woman. I did what I said I’d do. Ash did what he said he’d do. Are you really telling me you can’t be trusted?”
Incensed, my father bolts up from his chair. “How dare you talk to me like that.”
It is a bold, perhaps unwise move on my part. At the same time, I don’t feel like his daughter anymore. I feel like my own woman. Or at least a woman who belongs to someone else. Someone else who has a lot of baggage but who has a better sense of loyalty.
"The Keans aren't going to stop. They're already picking off small business owners. How long before they come for the bigger fish? For you?"
Dad's jaw tightens. "We've managed them before?—”
"By paying protection money? By agreeing to marry me off to Ronan? The Ifrinns killed him. In his own home. That should tell you how brave and committed they are.”
Mom reaches for my hand, but I pull back. "The Ifrinns aren't just some upstart family looking to grab territory. Their family ran this city before, and they ran it well. I’ve heard you say so.”
"Times were different then?—”
"Because the Keans hadn't murdered their way to the top yet." I stand, looking my father in the eyes. "Ash and his brothers have proven they can hurt the Keans. They killed Ronan. Theykilled that corrupt police captain. They have the skills and the determination."
"And what happens if we back them and they fail?" Dad challenges. “We’re all dead, little girl.”
“What happens to you if they succeed and you don't fulfill your part of the deal? You’re trying to have it both ways, Dad, and you can’t. The Keans and Ifrinns will see through it, and whoever wins will decide they don’t need you.”
“I hope you don’t talk to Ash this way,” my mother says, horrified. “We raised you to be a good wife?—”
“I am a good wife. I keep my promises.”
I see the flicker in Dad's eyes. “This is a dangerous game, Hannah, one you know nothing about. The Ifrinns have balls, I’ll give ’em that, but it’s all they have. It’s been ten years. They don’t have the experience or the respect.”
I roll my eyes. “You don’t know that. How did they pay your debt? They have money. Lots of it. That suggests experience in business. And as far as respect, that’s partly what this marriage, your support, is supposed to help garner. They have resources we don't even know about yet. Plans. But they need numbers. They need your men and influence." I soften my voice. "This is you chance to get out from under the Keans?—”
“And be under the Ifrinns?” He arches a brow.
