Page 70 of Brutal Knight

Edward arrives just as we do. He looks like he has the world in his palm, like he has some grand plan up his sleeve.

His swagger is unearned. He made one stupid mistake, and that was crossing the O’Reilly family. We know how to handle our business. If he wants a fight, he’ll get it.

And he’ll lose.

“Let’s keep this civil,” Lachlan says. His tone is only barely polite.

Edward smiles, but it looks more like a smirk to me. He shrugs, uncaring. “Nothing more civil than a park.”

Lachlan doesn’t comment. I have to bite my tongue, holding my hands behind my back to stop myself from hitting Edward. God, if only we were somewhere else. I know everyone’s instinct is to draw weapons. Edward was counting on a public place to save his skin.

“Well, you called us here,” Lachlan replies evenly. “After your bullet grazed us. You must have a reason.”

Edward smirks. “The tip about your business. It was just one shot.”

“Is that so?” Aiden asks, his voice hard.

“A warning shot,” Edward clarifies.

Aiden exchanges a glance with me. I know what he’s thinking. Edward is trying to bait us. He’s playing with fire, testing how far he can go without us responding.

It takes all of my willpower not to respond. I want to more than anything. I’d love to.

Edward looks between all of us, and the glint in his eyes tells me he’s trying to figure out how to push us. He nods to himself as if he thinks he’s figured it all out and says, “But it was just one shot, after all.”

I try not to speak too harshly, but I can’t help the condescension that slips into my voice when I speak. “And there will be more?”

Edward’s gaze turns to me, a spark of anger burning in the depths of his eyes. It’s good to know he recognizes me as the problem, as the one that denied him.

“Did you think this would be it?”

Lachlan glances between us and tensely replies. “We’ve heard you. Surely a warning shot doesn’t need more. We’re here, speaking to you. This is what you wanted.”

“No. This is a formality.”

Aiden’s eyes narrow. His patience is definitely running fucking thin. “Then explain yourself, and maybe we’ll get somewhere.”

I interrupt, dropping every word like a stone. “What do you want?”

Edward turns to look at me. His jaw is tight, pure anger distilled in his expression. I know he wants to lunge at me just as much as I want to lunge at him.

If he wasn’t a coward, I’d agree to meet him somewhere and end this the easy way. But I know he’ll never agree. He’s spineless. So instead, he’ll just make his demands here.

“If you don’t give back what is mine, there will be more than one shot. And the next one won’t graze just you.”

It takes all of my control not to attack him. I slip just a little, taking a lunging step forward, but Aiden’s arm shoots out and his hand presses against my chest. I can feel Finn’s hand on my back, gripping my jacket just in case.

I know they have the interests of the family in their minds—and my own interests too. I should trust them to be more clear-headed than me, to know what to do.

But in this moment, all I want to do is rush forward and slam my fist into Edward’s face until he isn’t a problem anymore.

“We are not going to fucking back down,” Lachlan says, each word patiently metered. The only indication of his fury is the one curse nestled in between.

“No amount of threatening will change that,” Jamie adds quietly.

They aren’t wrong. It’s good to hear those words, good to hear a reassurance that Edward won’t get away with this. With anything.

Still, I can’t help wanting more. Wanting to do more.

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