“And yet you manage it.”
“I understand the stakes here.” Erin’s jaw tightened. She glanced at me then back to Kaspar. “I gave you what you want. I’m helping you with Maeve. I expect to get what I need in return.”
“I can’t make Darren step down and I won’t kill him.”
“I don’t care about that. I want power. I want men.”
I let out a sharp laugh. I couldn’t believe this. “You want to start your own family.”
Erin sneered at me. “You’ve never had any ambitions, Penny. You sit around feeling sorry for everyone and worrying about their feelings. Ever since Livvie died—”
“Don’t talk about Livvie,” I said angrily, taking a step closer, but Erin didn’t react.
“You’ve been weak and pathetic. When you lost Livvie, you lost something.”
“So did you. Livvie was the only one that could keep you under control.”
Erin laughed lightly. “Livvie was the only one that understood I couldn’t be kept under control. She supported my decisions.”
“This is insane.” I turned to Kaspar. “You can’t help her with this. The others won’t allow it.”
But Kaspar seemed thoughtful. “There hasn’t been another family in a long time.”
“She has nothing. No money, no support. If you give her men, they’ll be mercenaries. The others will tear her to pieces.”
“That’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Erin said calmly, glaring at Kaspar. “I want money and manpower. I’ll handle the rest.”
Kaspar touched his chin. I wanted to scream. My sister was leaving my family and she was going to get herself killed. Kaspar had to stop this. He had to do something.
He only nodded. “If you can keep Darren from getting involved any further, I’ll provide what you need to get started. But beyond that, you will be on your own. Don’t come to me when any of the others burn you to the ground.”
“We have a deal then.”
Kaspar stood. He looked at me and I didn’t move. I wanted to flip the table and bash my sister’s face against the wall—
But Erin didn’t glance in my direction.
Kaspar touched my wrist. Gently, tentatively. It was right then I decided.
Erin didn’t care about me. Darren, Mom, none of the others paid any attention to me at all.
For all these years, it’s only been Kaspar.
Let Erin start her new Oligarch family. She’ll fail and die. It won’t matter.
I turned away and followed Kaspar back outside.
“You look pale,” he said and helped me into the car. “Are you okay?”
“Just drive.” I leaned my head back against the seat. “I don’t have anyone anymore.”
“You have me.” He climbed in and sat close. “That won’t ever change.”
I nodded as the car pulled into traffic.
25
Penny
Present Day
Chicago
I paced around the hotel room, trying to get my head straight.
I knew Erin lusted after power. Ever since Darren took over the family, she’d been resentful and angry. She chafed against being the second oldest, against being a woman, against anything that held her back. She wanted more and always had, even when we were kids.
But back then, she hadn’t been ruthless. I remembered a nice girl that smiled and laughed and played with me even though she was significantly older. Sometimes she could be cruel in the way sisters were, but Livvie always said Erin cared more than she wanted to admit, that Erin was full of emotion and struggled to keep it at bay.
The Erin of today wasn’t the same girl. If there were feelings inside of her, they were hidden—pushed down as deep as they could go.
She might as well be a robot programmed to rip my life to pieces.
First, she sells me to Kaspar. Then she threatens to leave the family and start her own Oligarch clan.
I had no idea if that was even possible or what that would mean for the whole group. Darren would never let it happen, and Roman would back him up.
The others, though? Redmond, Kaspar? I didn’t understand why they’d allow their power to be diluted by another new Oligarch.
Kaspar hung around the hotel. He sat near the windows with a fire crackling in the gas fireplace. His feet were up on an ottoman and he held a whiskey in his hand. Chicago was like a thousand jeweled skyscrapers as the sun turned red. It sank low, beams long like spun sugar.
I stood a few feet behind him, hands on my hips. We both stared at the sunset. Dusk fell, shimmered, began to fade.
“You’re going to kill her, aren’t you?”
Kaspar looked over his shoulder. He didn’t seem surprise. “I’m considering it.”
“I want you to.”
His eyes widened. He put his drink down and turned the chair toward me.
“Why?”
What a simple question. So much was packed inside. Why did I want him to kill my sister? Why would I ask him something like that? Why did any of this happen? Why, why, why?
I could scream the question off the roof for all the good it did me. I could let it drop—like Livvie.