Page 22 of Scandalous Kingpin
I ran my tongue across my teeth, a sardonic breath escaping me. “You let them in already?”
He hesitated. “Yes, sir. You said to always allow your family in.”
He was right; I did say that, but I wasn’t in the goddamn mood for them today.
“Where did you send them?” I asked, my gaze coasting down the hallway that led to my office. I fucking hated how every fucking hallway reminded me of Ivy. I was almost tempted to tear them down and enforce open-concept clubs, but I suspected that would be damn difficult to explain.
“The conference room.”
I nodded and headed inside, weaving through the packed club, lights flashing across the ceiling and illuminating the sea of bodies grinding on the dance floor, the thunder of music vibrating the walls. I took a detour down a dark hall and up to an imposing iron door. A breath of cool air hit my skin as I traveled down the hallway, doing a decent enough job of shaking my thoughts of Ivy free.
I took in a steadying breath before entering the conference room and finding the whole entourage here—Dante, Basilio, and Emory.Fuck.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of yourunexpectedvisit?” I asked as I took a seat at the head of the table.
They knew I fucking hated surprises.
“We need to talk,” Emory said, chewing on her bottom lip. This nervous tic was further warning—she’d learned to don a hell of a mask while running Las Vegas. This couldn’t be good.
“What about?”
“We want to know what’s going on between you and Ivy Murphy,” Dante said, casually rocking on his chair’s fragile legs. It was something he’d done since we were kids, unable to sit still. He’d been a lot less tense since he got married, and despite initial challenges, my brother and Juliette found whatever it was that kept people happy and in love.
“What makes you think there’s anything going on?’ I challenged, my face impassive.
“It could be the way you’ve pulled men from their posts and assigned them to her tail?” my cousin Basilio chimed in wryly, standing and pacing the room.
“Maybe I don’t trust her. Maybe I want to make sure the Murphys are keeping their baby sister in line. Ever consider that?”
They weren’t buying it, and I was only making myself look more unhinged.
“Cousin, don’t bury your head in the sand,” Emory stated. “It will land youandthe woman you love in a dangerous situation.”
I snorted. “Love drowns people.” Then, because I knew they had me, I said, “I wouldn’t call whatever I’m feeling toward her love.”
“But you’re admitting to feeling something,” Dante pointed out as Emory stood up and slowly made her way past Basilio over to the window, her slim body pressed against the wall and her attention clearly elsewhere. She and I were the mostdamaged in our little group, her wounds courtesy of her father, and mine… well, I never went there.
The four of us had been raised as siblings, and we’d stayed close all our lives. It was only natural that we became kingpins, surpassing our fathers’ power and wealth, as well as taking over their seats at the table. Basilio ran the New York Syndicate, Dante ran Chicago, and I ruled Philadelphia, but it was Emory who was unique among us. She was the only female at the Syndicate table, ruling over Las Vegas and pulling the strings, and nobody even knew it aside from us and our fathers.
“Well, you’ll have to work on your covert techniques,” Basilio drawled. “Especially now that she’s about to marry.” Alert shot through me, but I remained still. Impassive.
“We all know Aiden Callahan is a possessive asshole,” Dante muttered. “If he notices you even glancing her way, he’ll start a war.”
For a moment, I was too stunned to speak. Furious, even, as something green burned through my veins like a lit wick.
“If war is what Aiden wants,” I finally said, running my hand across my jaw, “then war is what he’ll get.”
Chapter Ten
IVY
Ilifted a double shot of whiskey to my lips and downed it in one go, thanking my Irish blood for the tolerance that’d been passed down to me. The bitter taste coated my mouth as fire burned down my throat, but I ignored it. Anything to relieve the pressure in my chest.
After the events of the last few days—reading Athair’s will, a round of fists between my brothers and Aiden Callahan who, it turned out, was myfiancé—I was glad to be back in the States and closer to my friends.
Although, I had to wonder why Aiden had brought me to Philadelphia and not New York, considering his family was mainly based out of there. Furthermore, he insisted this club was the only suitable club for me to visit. It was odd, considering it belonged to the Italians, Priest DiLustro specifically. And then, to make matters even weirder, he let me come alone with a bodyguard he assigned me the minute we touched down in the States.
But I knew better than to complain.
