“I think you like to make shit complicated.”
My lips quirked. “Maybe. I’d prefer things to be simpler though.”
“Declan, you and simple ain’t never been friends.”
I heaved a sigh. “I hate to agree with you, but you’re not entirely wrong.”
“Was he mad about Deirdre?”
“What do you think?” I rumbled. “He’d told her everything so she could trap me, and I don’t think he did it because he thought we were Romeo and Juliet. He wanted her to surge through the ranks and so did she.”
Brennan whistled. “I knew you hated her, could never figure out why you were with her, but I have to give you credit, bro. There’s a reason why Da never realized what went down that day. You’re a fucking good actor.”
“Is that your idea of a compliment?”
“Better than calling you a good liar, no? Thought I was pulling my punches.”
“I’d stab another man for calling me a liar,” I grumbled.
“You can’t stab shit at the minute. I saw you in the parking garage. You looked like I could push you over with my pinkie.”
I flipped him the bird as we rolled to a halt outside my parents’ compound.
The house was completely unlike the old mansion where my folks had lived which, to be honest, had been a damn sight handier. Closer to the city, not so far away from my place, and bigger too, but they liked it here, and it was safer for them.
No matter what we did, the enemies came at us like rats out of a sinking ship. Da blamed Conor sometimes for his coding letting us down, but we were the ones at fault. If we didn’t make another enemy every time we took a dump, it wouldn’t be so hard to keep us goddamn safe.
They’d be better off at the top of a high rise. Sure, a sniper could get to them, but it was a lot fucking harder. Here, there were endless yards of perimeter walls to secure, two gardens, a pool area, never mind the driveway which was barricaded like my folks were living in Fort Knox. But Ma refused. She said she liked living in a house.
For Aela, I was contemplating moving into a brownstone I’d bought last year when Finn had brought it to my attention. He knew I liked the Upper East Side, had seen the rundown dump and had figured I might like a change of pace.
That he thought that said I’d been changing for a lot longer than I recognized. For a lot longer than Aela and Seamus had been in my life.
A man had to settle down at some point, I guessed. I was ready for that, but my brain, mybodywouldn’t allow me to do anything of the sort with a woman who wasn’t her.
It was why I forgave her so easily.
Why I was willing to move past things, to forget ancient history. I wanted her anyway I could get her, and I knew I wasn’t the best deal on the shelves. Not when she was as good a mom as she was.
“I’m going to need your help, Bren,” I rasped, as he pulled to a halt beside a massive fountain of a kid pissing into a pool.
“With what?”
“Seamus.” I blew out a breath. “He ain’t like us.”
“Didn’t need you to tell me that. I met the kid, you know?”
“Yeah. You did.” I cut him a look. “Surprised you guys have been giving me so much slack.”
“Not like we had a choice.”
“No?” Curiosity had me turning to him.
“Ma told us to back off. Sounds like she and Aela had a little confrontation. Apparently it resonated.”
Because I could easily see Aela giving Ma shit, and because I didn’t doubt Ma had deserved it if she was laying down the law, I decided not to get in her face over it. Quite clearly, they’d gone against my wishes, but Aela had held her own. If she hadn’t, we’d never have had as much peace and quiet as we’d had these last couple of weeks.
Oddly proud of her, and the fact she wasn’t scared of my tyrant mother who was wed to a man who made tyranny look friendly, I climbed out of the car with barely a wince as Brennan said, “Don’t worry. If he won’t let go of the topic, of bringing Seamus into things, then I’ll let him in on some news.”