Like a predator about to devour its prey.
I chewed on the bacon, the oil turning into salt and blood in my mouth. “I was with her last night.”
“You finally slept with her.”
I rubbed the back of my neck.
He sighed, his head tilting. “Stop that,” he said. “I don’t care, but that’s a tell. Someone else will use it against you some day.”
“Thanks, big brother. You’re all heart.” I shook my head. “I didn’t sleep with her. Not the way you think.”
“I never knew there was more than one way.”
I looked into his eyes. Hadn’t Tristan helped me? Hadn’t he kept me alive? When Malachy got in his whiskey and he beat the shit out of me, Tristan would get in the way. When I wasalmost killed by Nick Rossi, by Bellamy Callahan, Tristan saved me, repeatedly putting himself in danger even when his wife was pregnant with their twins.
What kind of brother was I, keeping this from him? What kind of man?
But I had to protect Rosie. I had to protect Ruby.
My brother could be a scary motherfucker, and the last thing I wanted was for the two of them to be in danger.
“Someone broke into Ruby’s house last night,” I said. “Not one of ours. Someone she had put away a long time ago. I killed him.”
Tristan furrowed his brow and studied me, as if he couldn’t make sense of what I had just said. “Someone almost got rid of our problem for us and you killed him.”
“You wanted me to ruin her? You can pin a murder on her. There you go. Ruined. You’re welcome,” I replied. I hoped he didn’t hear how much it hurt to say those words as soon as they came out of my mouth.
Tristan’s brow furrowed further, but his lips twisted into what looked like satisfaction. “And you’re absolutely sure it wasn’t one of ours?”
“Some woman-beating creep who got out of jail on parole and wanted to get her back,” I said. “Just a lone actor.”
“Informative,” he replied. “So if this doesn’t work, we have a lot of people to pin her…destiny on.”
I had to fight back the urge to flinch.
“Don’t give me that look,” he said, almost laughing. Then he exhaled, the steam curling around him like smoke. “Alright, Kieran. I think you’re doing some things right, even if they’re unconventional.”
My stomach twisted as I locked my gaze on him. I loved him, but if he came after Ruby, I would kill him.
“But I’m going to need her to be too preoccupied with that to worry about Callahan business. Can you make that happen or do I need to handle it?”
“I can do it,” I said. And eventually, I hoped it became true.
“Good.” His eyes held mine again, and for a moment, they almost looked warm. “Nice work.”
We ate in silence for the next few minutes. They were the longest of my life. If I stayed there any longer, he was going to see right through me; I knew it. He always did.
“The husband will complicate things for you,” Tristan said finally, setting his coffee cup down and rubbing his chin. “The sooner you can deal with him, the better.”
“They’re not together,” I said. “Only on paper. For the optics.”
“Shit, lad. That might have well been enough. Why didn’t you lead with that? Why do we always go to murder?”
I shot him a look. “Seems to be where your head’s always at.”
“Not exclusively.” He grinned, all teeth and menace, that trace of humor edged with the same cold calculation I’d grown up watching at kitchen tables and funerals alike. I’d seen it on hisface more than a few times these past years…and far more than that on our father’s. “Maybe there’s hope for you in this family after all.”
“Try not to sound too proud.” I polished off the last bit of bacon, washing down the taste with lukewarm coffee.
