I catch a few eyes lingering my way, as well, but it’s my sister’s wedding. I’m not fucking one of her bridesmaids in the coat closet.
Harping on the Stasia situation, I say, “Are we sure Koslov didn’t promise Stasia to anyone? In a backroom deal?”
Lachlan wipes his hands on a napkin. “If that were true, my brother would beat the piss out of Balor for not knowing this.”
And by extension, me, since I technically work for Balor, the O’Rourke hacker. “Then who will Kieran—”
“Iwill find a woman for my brother to marry.” The coldness in Lachlan’s voice puts a vision into my head of him dragging some unsuspecting girl from her bed in the middle of the night. Another Russian princess or an Italian one.
Where that leaves my family worries me. “If his goal is a strategic match, that’s up to me and my investigation firm to sort through the viable candidates. Balor trusts me to crawl up everyone’s asses.”
“And yetyoudon’t know where Stasia is.” Lachlan has a point. “How can you be so sure Alexei didn’t go to Kieran?”
It takes everything I have not to punch Lachlan in the mouth for insulting my intelligence gathering. “Yes, I’m sure. I don’t know what you think my brothers and I do for your family, but if you dare—”
“Problem?” my sister’s voice sails over my shoulder.
Wicked protectiveness surges through me that Sabine is so close to a monster like Lachlan O’Rourke. Even though my other sister Norah was supposed to marry his brother. But Kieran would never let anyone hurt his wife.
I think.
Not my problem anymore.
Although, perhaps it is still an opportunity for me.
It’s too dangerous right now for Kieran to make a cross-cultural match. It’s best if he shores up his Irish alliances. That’s the advice I’ll give him. He was my best friend at one time. This hiccup with Sabine strained our friendship in the last couple of years, but it’s not irreparable.
“No problem.” It’s still difficult for me to call her Sabine, a reminder that she rejects her heritage.
Her husband, Grayson, looms behind her. The man is no fool and knows we run in dangerous circles. He never lets Sabine visit Ma and Da alone in Astoria, fearful we’ll snatch her like we did that day in a New Jersey airport.
“Congratulations.” I kiss her for the umpteenth time. “Again.”
“Da’s not feeling up to the first dance.” Dressed in a plain, silk high-neck gown, her red hair swept in a bun, she’s the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen, and my throat goes tight.
I grasp her hand. “I’ll dance with ya.”
Facing Lachlan to tell him to fuck off and leave, I see he’s already gone. How a man that tall moves with such stealth is a mystery I don’t care to solve on my baby sister’s wedding day.
CHAPTER TWO
Ewan
Mybrothers,ConnorandGriffin, meet me in my father’s office at our house in Astoria right before the sun comes up. The three-story compound where each of us has a spread of rooms offers lots of privacy. Still, I don’t bang women under my ma’s roof.
They’re both still in their tuxes, like me, but Connor strolls in with messed-up hair and stinks of cheap perfume.
Someone banged a bridesmaid.
“I can’t believe Lachlan showed up at Siobhan’s wedding,” Connor says, sitting down and puts his big feet on the coffee table.
“Sabine.Sabine,” I correct him. “You better start calling her by the name she wants if you expect a relationship with our sister.” We spend a few minutes deconstructing other possible breaches at the wedding.
Which there were none.
Our other brother, Shane, Sabine’s twin, now works for the hotel the Hart brothers own. He handled all the security for the wedding magnificently. We taught him everything he knows. To doubt him means we failed.
“Either Kieran sent Lachlan, or he just wanted to see for himself. Bring the news to his big brother to gain favor,” I say, still fired up from him spying on me.