Page 121 of Brutal Knight

He slides his hands along my body, burying his face against my neck and kissing my skin. When he speaks, his voice is muffled, but I hear every word as clear as day.

“You gave me something to fight for,” he murmurs. “And I can’t fucking wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Epilogue Two

LACHLAN

I make my way across the club floor, surveying the patrons and dancers with a practiced eye. It’s a busy night tonight. Business has been good—both at Tír na Nóg and in our less legal dealings—and despite the tragedies that have plagued my family over the past several years, I feel like our luck is finally beginning to turn.

No.

It’s not just luck.

My brothers and I have worked for what we have. We’ve fought for every scrap of power and influence we have in Boston, fought to secure our place in the Assembly. And now that Aiden’s and Connor’s marriages have aligned us closely with two other Assembly organizations, making us a true force to be reckoned with, I feel…

I don’t know what I feel.

I would’ve expected to feel happy as I consider where we stand now, but as I make my way toward the back office of the club, I can’t find that emotion anywhere inside myself.

Ambition, I can find. It’s what drives me every day, what gives me purpose. The determination to take care of my brothers, to build our legacy up to something our father and mother would’ve been proud of.

There’s even some sense of satisfaction that sits deep in my bones as I consider the possibilities that will open for us now that we’ve secured such strong alliances within the Boston underground.

But happiness? No.

It’s not an emotion I’ve felt often, and it’s not one I expect to feel. Not one Iwantto feel.

Because it can be a dangerous distraction.

Both Connor and Aiden have changed since they got married. Since they fell in love with the women who became their brides. Neither of them have lost their edge—they’re each still willing and able to do whatever needs to be done as we build our criminal empire. But they soften around their wives, adoration shining in their eyes.

I know they would burn the world for the women they’ve fallen for, and I don’t begrudge them that kind of love. It’s what our father and mother had, after all, and something I know my mother wanted for all of us.

But it’s something I never plan to have.

As I step into the back office and close the door behind me, the sound of the music grows more muffled and distant. Finn is sitting at the desk, and he looks up, giving me a nod.

I nod back. The two of us had a serious talk several days ago, and although he hasn’t stopped drinking entirely, he’s been more sober and put together since then. I’m hopeful that whatever shit he was going through has been sorted, at least for now.

He’s got so much fucking potential, and as his older brother, I can’t let him waste it. I won’t let him fuck his life up.

“How are things out there?” he asks, jerking his chin toward the main part of the strip club.

“Good.” I nod, striding over to the desk and picking up the bottle of whiskey before grabbing a glass from the shelving unit set into the wall. “Busy. I think we’re going to need to hire some new dancers soon.”

“Yeah?” Finn’s eyes light up at that, and I shoot him a hard look.

“Don’t get too excited,” I remind him. “Remember the rule.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He snorts. “I figured since Connor broke it once, we’d all get a turn to fuck around with a dancer just one time.”

I know he’s fucking with me, pushing my buttons, but I can’t stop myself from taking the bait.

“Connor made a mistake, and he knows it,” I remind Finn. “I had to let that dancer go. Don’t fuck where you work, you know that.”

He grimaces but nods. “Right. I get it.”

“What are you doing here, anyway?” I ask, cocking a brow as I pour myself a drink. “Isn’t Connor supposed to be in tonight?”

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