Page 109 of Brutal Knight

I don’t like the dimness of his eyes or the way he’s coiled tight in his seat. He looks cagey and on edge. When he notices all of us looking at him, he gets up and steps around the couch, and all I hear is his mumbled explanation as he heads for the door.

“Call me if there’s anything you need me to do. Headache.”

Headache, my ass.

The room is silent as he leaves. Once he’s gone, Aiden runs a hand over his face.

“What the fuck was that about?”

“You know what he’s like,” Tristan says dismissively.

“No. This is new,” Lachlan says quietly, worry glinting in his eyes. “Different.”

“Different than what? His usual level of drunk?”

Aiden shakes his head and gets up from the couch. Despite his annoyance, I know he’s worried too. He’s just frustrated.

“He’s always been a piss-about,” Jamie says, but he sounds uneasy. “You know. Youngest child stuff.”

“Being irresponsible sometimes and drinking too much is ‘youngest child stuff,’” Aiden snaps. He drags his hands through his hair. “This is not that.”

“He’s right,” Lachlan adds. “It's gotten worse lately. He used to have periods where he’d get his shit back together.”

It’s something we’ve always known about Finn. He has cycles. He swings between being drunk and partying, being drunk and melancholy, and brief bursts of sobriety. I’ve always been afraid that one day, he’s going to fall too far down the hill he’s been sliding down. One day, we won’t be there in time to catch him before he falls.

“He’s spiraling,” Aiden finally says. “He needs to pull himself out of it.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Lachlan says quietly. “Knock some sense into him if I have to.”

We all nod somberly before returning to the original subject of the meeting, although the conversation is a little more strained now.

“We sent word to the Assembly about Edward, but we’re going to have to explain ourselves in person soon,” Jamie says.

“Great. Not looking forward to that.” Aiden groans. “How much do you want to bet they react badly?”

“Can’t be helped,” Lachlan mutters. “We knew that when we got into this. Edward pushed us from the beginning. We reacted defensively. In any case, you won’t be the one breaking the news.”

I can’t help the tiny prick of guilt in my chest. Edward may have come after the family, but he did it because of what I did. I don’t regret marrying Willow or protecting her, but I know it made things difficult for my family.

“I can tell them, if it helps,” I say. “If they’re going to get angry, might as well be with me.”

I mean it. I know the Assembly won’t see me as a threat. They see me as an adopted son. In their minds, I’d probably be disowned by the O’Reilly family if things got to that point. They probably think my family would cut me loose if they had to, if it came to their place in the Assembly and my actions.

I don’t say as much, but I know Lachlan knows what I mean. All of them do. They know as well as anyone how much blood means to the Assembly.

“No. This is my responsibility. And they’ll have to deal with it. Edward was a loose cannon and a threat we couldn’t ignore,” Lachlan adds. “It was a risk to them as well. I’ll make sure they understand that, and that they understand our reasons for taking him out.”

Aiden nods in agreement. I know they’re right, but I also know it would be easy to put me in front of this problem. They won’t, though, and that makes me proud to be an O’Reilly. We have each other’s backs.

“The next Assembly meeting is coming up soon,” Lachlan says. “Connor, is your wife ready to attend?”

I think about Willow back home now, going over papers for the Ravens, her feet tucked up and her entire body relaxed as she handles business.

“Yes,” I tell him, pride echoing in my voice. “She is.”

CHAPTER42

Willow

---