Page 28 of Black Wedding
“I figured that since you haven’t handed control over to me yet, I am not in charge yet, nor did we have a meeting booked. So why did you break into my house and threaten my guest?” I sneer, taking a less than impressed glance at the gun resting on his knee and the two attached to the shoulder holsters he is wearing. I know Jimmy will be packing, just a bit more discreetly.
“Given that this house still belongs to me, I think you will find you are the guest in my home, and that idiot is a stranger.” At his words, I, of course, aim my gun at him; he’s lucky I don’t shoot him and his smart mouth. My father scoffs at my actions.
That threat is all it takes for Liam to take a step in my father’s direction, but before he can say anything, I make sure to cut him off. Of course, no good can come from him shouting at my dad in anger, but that doesn’t stop me. “Are you fucking serious? He is here, alone, with a baby, and you threatened him!” I shout, feeling my rage starting to boil under the surface.
“My enemies still have children, Brianna. Don’t be so naive. Until I could be sure he wasn’t a threat, I approached him as the enemy. If you do not start acting like that, you will quickly get yourself killed in this business. This is a prime example of why women shouldn’t be given any power. They’re too trusting.” He throws the last part out there, waiting for the men in the room to agree with him. Mouth does instantly, but Jimmy and Liam stay quiet. I can feel the rage vibrating off of Liam from here, and the cold mask on Jimmy’s face annoys me. I know in front of my father, he has to remain silent or just agree with him. But I want him to, for once, stand up for not only me but my gender as well.
“As much as I would love to stand here and get life lessons off you, it is a bit too late, don’t you think?” I sneer, my disgust at his actions dripping off every word.
“Obviously not, Brianna, or you wouldn’t be here whoring yourself out with two men. Please tell me that baby is not yours?” my father asks, and all I can do is laugh at the absurdity of that comment.
“When the hell do you think I had time to not only have a baby in secret but also to hide it from you for nine months?”
“I have no idea, Brianna. I feel like I don’t know this version of you. Some slut so desperate for a power she can’t handle that she is willing to whore herself out to two men. But not just any men, rivals.” His words hit me like a truck. My dad has never talked to me like this before. I have never seen him look at me with such hatred or disgust. Tears start to fill my eyes, and I do everything in my power to push them back.
“How fucking dare you? You do not get to come into the house that Patrick offered to us as a safe space, waving a fucking gun around and insulting Bree. Now, say what you came to say and then get the fuck out. You are not welcome here with that attitude.” Liam is firm and strong, his disgust at my fathers comment evident on his face. I am not used to having someone stand up on my behalf, and even though I definitley don’t need anyone to fight my battles for me, I am fucking glad he is on my side.
“So you are the trigger happy assassin that thinks he can marry my daughter. Tell that asshole Desmond that he will have to try a lot harder if he wants my turf,” my dad hisses, staring hard at Liam like he is something off the bottom of his shoe.
“I am not being dragged into a war of words with you. Everyone knows Patrick is the one who makes the decisions, and you will be made to go along with them. Of course, I will prove to him that I have no allegiance to my father or family, but I don’t need to prove shit to you. As it happens, I really do like your daughter and not that you seem to give a shit, but I can promise her a good life,” Liam explains. I think my heart may actually burst from excitement. I can’t believe he is standing in front of my father, telling him that our marriage has the potential to be real.
“You are not marrying my daughter, and that is the end of that discussion. But since your grandfather seems to want to indulge your every whim, I am supposed to hand over some key responsibilities to you. So, you can start by finding out who jumped and stole our shipment. We lost thirty AK47s, and they are now in the hands of one of our enemies. My money is on the Doughty clan, and it does appear you have an in with those thieving scumbag twats. I want you to interrogate whoever you need to, but most importantly...find me those damn guns. You have one week, and then I will get involved. Understand?” he asks as Liam and I cast glances at one another, stunned into silence.
Unable to form actual words, I nod my confirmation as my father stands up to leave. As he reaches the door, he turns around with his usual smug face staring straight at me. “Oh, I forgot. If even just one member of my Family gets taken out by an AK47 slug, I will wipe out the entire Doughty clan, whether they are guilty or not. And don’t think I will miss those pretty little beauties you have stashed up North. Freya and Ryleigh, right? So you better solve this before there are any casualties,” he threatens, but he has pushed Liam over a line he should have known better than to cross.
Liam lets go of my hand and charges my father, pushing him out of the door until my father is on the ground outside the house. Liam jumps after him like a caged animal who has finally found freedom. As he pounces, Mouth and Jimmy draw their weapons and firmly aim them at Liam. All I have on me is a knife, and nobody wants to bring a knife to a gunfight.
Pulling Liam back, I quickly push him behind me and stand between Liam and the bullets. Don’t get me wrong, I am short enough for them to go over my head and still hit his, but neither of them will risk my life.
“We get your fucking warning, Father. Now get the fuck off my property!” I shout before turning my back on the guns. Of course, some would say that was a stupid move, and under normal circumstances, I knew my father or his men wouldn’t kill me, but I couldn’t say the same for Liam. So getting him back into the house was my number one priority.
By the time I manage to push Liam back inside, which in itself is not an easy feat given the muscular advantage he has over me, I could hear their car speeding off. Taking his hand, I lead him into the living room. Whilst we were outside, Kellan had come downstairs, carrying a very awake but surprisingly quiet-looking Hallie. There are three beer bottles fresh from the fridge sitting on the coffee table. He leans over and grabs one before taking a very long swig.
Liam seems to deflate and calm down just at the sight of Hallie, and as he sits down next to Kellan, he instantly starts stroking Hallie’s bare foot. I can hear her coo from all the way across the room. I flop down onto the empty lounge chair that Jimmy had occupied not even ten minutes before. I feel as though all of the fight oozes out of me, and the pressure mounts. I know I can deal with it and take on all my enemies, but that doesn’t mean I can’t allow myself just one minute to feel the fear and let it overcome me. I need to feel it so that I can move on and use it.
“I’m sorry, Kellan,” I whisper. It’s barely audible, but all eyes find me, so I know they heard. Liam tries to tell me it isn’t my fault, but Kellan remains silent. The silence says it all.
After a few minutes go by, he finally speaks. “Don’t be. But things are really heating up around here. Is your friend still interested in babysitting? I have a lot of work to do, and I need someone to help with Hallie…and before you two offer, this shit is getting real. You need to take these threats seriously. You know what you need to do, right?” The last part is addressed to Liam, and his responding groan speaks volumes.
“Of course, I will give Mia a ring in the morning,” I say.
“Please text me her details so I can check her out beforehand,” Kellan asks, and I can’t help but roll my eyes.
“Kellan, we have been friends for years, but fine, if that will make you feel better. So what is this thing you need to do that has you oh so very annoyed, Liam?” I can’t help but ask; not knowing is making me anxious. My leg is bobbing up and down faster than a kid on a pogo stick right now.
“I need to go back and see my family,” Liam mumbles, and I know a mask of confusion is evident across my face.
“I thought your family banished you. You can’t go back, can you?” I ask, genuinely curious as to how he can get around that. Banishment sounds pretty final.
“That is why he looks like someone just pissed in his cornflakes. The only reason he would be allowed back is to introduce his family to his new bride-to-be,” Kellan explains. His face is wrinkled with annoyance and intense concentration. They both seem to be trying to find a way out of this, but I don’t understand why. There’s no better way to scope out the competition than from the inside. I choose to ignore the part that says I only want to do this to learn more about Liam and his childhood. That’s just a happy bonus.
“So, what’s the problem?” I ask, not entirely sure why they hate the idea so much.
“The idea of you in the same room as my father makes my blood boil, Bree. He is dangerous, and I would really prefer if we came up with another plan,” he explains as he continues to stroke and play with Hallie’s tiny feet.
“That’s bullshit. I was raised around danger; I can handle myself. Besides, I need your father to meet the next leader of the O’Keenan Family’s London firm. He needs to know that I do not see him as a threat, and if he wants to continue and avoid a war between the two clans, he will respect my leadership. I can’t show him that if I am hiding behind you, Liam,” I point out, speaking with passion and confidence. If I am honest, I’m trying to avoid allowing the fear to seep into my voice. Fear is a weakness I cannot afford.
“Girl has got some balls. Looks like I am booking two tickets to Ireland,” sings Kellan as he raises his beer bottle. “Here’s to us trying not to go to war,” he toasts with a laugh, but Liam and I say cheers anyway. We need all the luck and good fortune we can get if we are going to escape this mess unscathed so I can actually get to walk down the aisle.
