"Just him?"
He nodded within the constraints Brennan gave him.
I thought about his reaction. "Was Jonesy the ringleader behind this?"
"Mark was," he squeaked as I dragged my blade over the raw flesh on his jaw.
"Was this an ECD ploy or purely a Five Pointer coup?"
"Five Pointer."
I processed that, then I jabbed him in his bad eye with my fist. Brennan let go at the point of collision, so when Hal fell back, and his head hit the concrete floor, it was lights out for him.
"Tie him up," I ordered.
"Forrest," Brennan barked at one of his men.
"Coming, Bren," Forrest muttered, studying me warily as he dragged Hal away from us.
"What are you thinking?"
I allowed my mind to roam as I stared at him.
"We need a fall guy."
Brennan jolted at that. "What?"
"The Alphabets aren't going to stop until the First Lady's assassin is taken out."
Brennan frowned. "What does that have to do with this? Shouldn’t we be focusing on what’s happening here and now? Did that fucker rattle your brain or something?"
Grunting under my breath, I shoved a hand into my pocket while the other rubbed along my tender nose. "How many daughters does Jonesy have? Two, ain't it?"
"Yeah, but he let Samantha go because she was a lesbian."
I scowled at that. "’Let her go.’ Like she's fucking trash. This goddamn toxicity has to end, Bren. Da treated Declan like he was a lesser son because he liked the ballet. He ain't even gay!"
Brennan slapped a hand to my shoulder. "One problem at a time, Aidan. Tell me what you want to happen."
My jaw worked as I stared at him. "I'm not used to saying this shit out loud."
"What shit?"
"My ideas. My opinions. Da wasn't interested in them."
"Da’s dead. You ain't."
"Doesn't mean I don't feel the same way as when he was around." I slapped a hand to my throat. The side of it butted up against my Adam’s apple. "Like he's got my vocal cords in a chokehold. He never trusted me, Bren. If he did, we wouldn't be in the state we are."
His eyes flared wide at that. "Because of the dyslexia? Is that where you're going with this?"
I dipped my chin. "He never said it, but I always knew I was a disappointment. Couldn't read, couldn't shoot in a straight line... I never fucking wanted this, Bren, but now I got it, I ain't about to throw it away."
His gaze narrowed as he stared right into mine. "You think you were alone in feeling like a useless piece of crap of a son, Aidan? I was the spare heir; Declan was the pansy because he liked art.
"The only ones he ever approved of were Eoghan and Conor. And why? Because they did what they wanted. They listened to their own heart and rebelled against him.
"He wanted our obedience, but he didn't respect us for giving it to him. Eoghan fucked off to the army because he didn't want to become a Five Pointer, and we all know Conor does as he's told but only because he wants to. Con can bitch about his workload, but you can't tell me that he don't get off on it too. As for Eoghan, he's the same.