I stop on the front stoop as that reality sets in. Will Ash leave me then? Go back to wallowing in grief, finding physical relief in nameless women? As I force myself to open the door and walk into my home, I tell myself it wouldn’t be so bad to be single again. I could finally go to college. Maybe travel to study art.
But my heart squeezes tight at the idea of losing Ash, of giving up on helping him overcome his grief and find a way to live and love again.
18
ASH
Idrag myself through the front door well after midnight, exhausted from hours of strategizing with my brothers. The house is dark and quiet. Dropping onto the couch in my study, I rub my tired eyes. Phoenix wants to move faster, take more aggressive action against the Keans. Blaise counsels patience, saying we need to solidify O’Donnell’s commitment and gain more allies first. But after ten years of waiting, of watching Hampton Kean prosper while our family's legacy crumbled, I'm done being patient.
The memory of seeing my house go up in flames, of it burning to ash, including the lives of my parents and Meghan and several staff, burns in my head. The Keans took everything from us that night. They know we’re here. They’re scared. But like a trapped feral animal, they’re lashing out. John O’Donnell is right to be fearful. But if he lets it control him, then he’s worthless as a leader. And this marriage I entered into is worthless too.
And now I’m pissed at him for putting Hannah through the trauma of having to be married to me. Of all the O’Donnells, she is definitely the stronger and braver. I’ve treated her like shit,and yet she continues to be the dutiful wife. She’s gone back to avoiding me, and although it makes me an asshole, I’m glad for it. I’ve even started helping her out by staying out of her way. She must despise me. She probably hates the sight of me. But it’s for the best. The sparring session with Flint helped me see that I’m too broken to fix, much to his annoyance and disappointment, I’m sure.
Since that night, I’ve become hyper focused on the mission. With or without O’Donnell’s men, we're taking back what's ours. The Ifrinn name used to mean something in this city. Under our father's leadership, business flourished and families prospered. Hampton Kean destroyed all that when he murdered our parents and seized control. Whether we succeed in taking back our business or not, one thing is for sure. Hampton Kean will be dead by the time we’re finished. My brothers and I may not have the manpower of the old days, but we have something just as valuable. We have nothing to lose. Well, almost nothing…
My thoughts drift upstairs to where Hannah sleeps. I push away the guilt that surfaces whenever I think of her. For the rest of my life, I’ll now have to carry guilt for two women, both of whom I’ve failed.
A knock at the study door breaks through my brooding. One of my men enters, delivering his nightly report on Kean estate surveillance. With Flint and Blaise both married now, keeping an eye on the estate during the night has fallen to me. Okay, so I’m married too, but they’re living in wedded bliss. My marriage is just business.
"They've doubled the guard rotation again," he says. "Four teams of six, rotating every four hours."
I nod. Hampton's paranoia grows by the day.
“They’ve also boarded up the wall’s doors, and rumor is the tunnels are now rubble, but we don’t believe it. Blowing the tunnels would cause the house to fall, wouldn’t it?”
“They just want to make us think we can’t use our past entrance and escape routes.” It grates on me that Ronan Kean used that tunnel to torch my house and my life. Flint used it to save Lucy when Ronan kidnapped her. If Blaise hadn’t fallen for his mark, Jenna, he’d have used it to escape after killing Ronan. Luckily, he was still able to kill Ronan and escape with Jenna through a side door along the exterior wall of the property.
Since Ronan's death, the Keans have transformed their estate into a fortress. Security cameras cover every angle. Armed men patrol the grounds. They've even installed military-grade motion sensors along the perimeter. It won’t matter. I’ll walk into the front door and put a bullet in his brain if it’s the last thing I do.
"Any sign of Hampton himself?"
"None. He hasn't left the property in three weeks. Even canceled his weekly dinner at Saint Marco's."
“What about the wife?”
“She’s canceled all outings. So have the daughter and the girl.”
I look at my man. “Who is the girl again?”
He shrugs. “Some kid Hampton and his wife took in as a baby about nine years ago. Don’t know why. All intel suggests they don’t spend time with her. The daughter, Keira, is the one who seems the most invested in her.”
I think of Keira, the young woman I’d known when our families got along. My brother Phoenix had a hard on for her, although I don’t know whatever came of it, if anything.
“The girl is being homeschooled. The family is entrenched.”
“Good. This makes them look weak.” I don’t know why O’Donnell is so skittish. Ronan's death at Blaise’s hand exposed cracks in their operation that Hampton can't patch fast enough. Their puppet police superintendent is dead thanks to Flint. Their reputation lies in tatters after Lucy's exposé. And nowpotential allies eye them with suspicion, wondering if the mighty Keans are finally vulnerable.
But a cornered animal is the most dangerous kind. Hampton may be hiding, but he's not idle. He's gathering intel, plotting his next move.
"Keep watching," I tell my man. "I want to know every delivery, every visitor, every guard change. If Hampton so much as sticks his head out a window, I want to hear about it."
“Yes sir.”
“If John O’Donnell shows up there, I want to know right away.” I need to know if he’s just being a pussy or if he’s double-crossing me. I hope to hell it’s the former. I’d hate to have to add more pain to Hannah by having to kill her father.
He nods and withdraws, leaving me alone. The Keans' self-imposed isolation is both an advantage and an obstacle. Their withdrawal makes them appear weak, but it also makes them harder to reach. We need to draw them out somehow, force them to engage before they can rebuild their strength. It’s one of the many topics I covered tonight with my brothers.
I head to the kitchen, drawn by hunger after the long night. A covered plate sits waiting on the counter, still slightly warm. Hannah must have asked Antonio to keep it heated.
