Page 6 of A Temptation Too Great (Knights of Purgatory Syndicate #3)

Just like our father, each of us has a long fuse, but when we blow, it’s nuclear.

My youngest brother, Rory, is the calmest of us all.

He runs the clubs and the entertainment sector of the syndicate.

Aidan stepped back from that scene after marrying Fiona.

Now that they’re expecting, I figure he’ll rely on Lex more to handle the business side.

Shane is Aidan’s bodyguard and right-hand man.

Seamus and Grady are the true muscle. Grady can clean up anything left behind, and Seamus is the avenging angel.

Lex is our computer guru, but a couple of weeks ago, I saw a hacker who put him to shame.

When the girls were kidnapped, she tore through Lex’s system to track the microchips embedded in Fiona’s jewelry so fast it was shocking.

The driver pulls up to a restaurant close to the hotel where Moira works.

I can’t stop myself from glancing over at it.

I know she’s not there tonight. We head to the hostess station, and even though I’m not dressed like my father in a suit, they don’t think twice about seating us.

I’m in worn jeans, a black pullover long-sleeve shirt, and a leather jacket.

My cut’s on over the top. My dark, curly hair is a bit wild from wearing a cap most of the day, and I could use a shave, but as usual, I don’t give a feck.

I’m more worried about Moira and keeping my secret from my father right now.

Just being with me is already going to be hard on her because of her family and life choices.

But my father is a well-known man who’s been linked to murders and all kinds of criminal activity, even if he’s never been prosecuted.

The courts can’t ever make anything stick.

I don’t know how she’ll react to that. The one time they were in the same place, at Fiona and Aidan’s wedding, she avoided him.

We’re seated in a booth my father likes, near the kitchen but not too close. He sits on one side of the circular booth, and I slide into the other.

“Your usual drink, Mr. Tiernan?” the hostess asks, and my father chuckles.

“You know me so well. I’ll have one. Get him the same too.” He points to me, and I wait. It’s going to be Bushmills or a Guinness. When she returns with two tumblers of amber liquid, neat, I nod. I take a sip of the whiskey and set it down.

“Why don’t you tell me what you really asked me to dinner for.” I fold my hands on the table and wait for him to answer. He’s looking over the menu like he doesn’t come here several times a week.

My father has a house northwest of town, in Antrim, yet he’s always visiting. He’s retired but still likes to insert himself into our daily lives. It’s not that he doesn’t trust us to run the syndicate. It’s more like he’s bored and doesn’t know what to do with himself.

“Come on, you old gaffer, tell me what’s on your mind.” I scowl at him and raise my voice a touch.

“I’m not deaf yet, Brody, but you will be when I clap your ears for yelling at me.” He sets his menu down and crosses his arms before leaning back against the booth. “When are you going to admit you want to kill the wanker?” He smirks, and I shake my head.

I play dumb. “What wanker are you talking about?”

We quiet when the server arrives to take our order. Once we’re alone again, he watches me carefully. His eyebrow raises, and I wait him out. He taught us this. I learned the lesson well and use it all the time. Patience pays off, and eventually, he’ll show his hand.

“Moira is a peeler’s daughter and sister.” He finally gives.

“Yeah, so what?” I lift my glass and take another swallow, letting the whiskey calm my nerves. I won’t give her up, not for anything, not even the syndicate.

“She’s in danger, and you aren’t helping the situation.”

I lean forward, bracing my crossed arms on the table. “Are you telling me I can’t see her?”

“Not exactly. I like her.” He cocks his head, and I see him relax. “She’s good for you. She’ll keep you on your toes. And you’ll teach her to have fun once in a while.” He pauses, and I wait him out, knowing he’s going to say more. “But you need to walk away for a bit.”

“Not happening.” I lean back and smirk. “And you can’t make me.”

He nods and chuckles. “Fecking should have beat you boys more often. You’re right, I can’t.” He pauses and waves his hand behind me. “But he can.”

I turn to see Aidan standing there.

“What the feck? You told me to take care of her. Protect her.”

Aidan slides into the booth next to our father. The waitress walks over with a cup of Irish coffee, just the way he likes it. He takes a sip before answering me.

“I did. This is how it’s going to happen. You and your men are stepping back. I’m putting Grady on her. She will be protected just like Fiona was in the beginning, before I brought her in. I swear, I will protect her for you.”

“Why?” I growl at them. “Why should I listen to you? Why can’t my men and I protect her the way we should?”

“Because you’re making it worse. Her brother attacked her because of you. We can’t prove it, but there’s some fecked-up shit going on with him. Lex is pulling as much information as he can. Also, she asked you to step back.”

I explode out of the booth and lean over my brother, who just sits there sipping his coffee as if I’m no threat. I sense movement behind me. I know it’s Shane. “Are you monitoring my phone?” I snap at him through gritted teeth.

“Sit down, little brother, before Shane shows you how. Or I will,” he says calmly but firmly.

I listen to him and sit. “No. Lex is monitoring her phone after what you and Fiona told me. It’s only for her protection.

He told me about the text. She’ll think you’re giving her space, but it’s really you stepping back to protect her.

You need to do this, or I’m afraid her body will be the next the peelers find. ”

He's referencing the serial killer who has been stalking the nights in Belfast. I take a deep breath, reach for my whiskey, and down the rest before holding up the glass for a refill.

“If something happens to her, I will never forgive you, and I’ll kill Grady myself.”

“On that note, I have a wife to get home to.” Aidan stands, finishes his coffee, and then leaves.

Small talk is all Father and I manage for the rest of dinner, but inside, I’m stewing.

I feel like they’re more worried about her brother being a peeler than about her protection.

But I can’t go against Aidan without sending a message to all the men, and I won’t do that when we’re already on thin ice after the Sir attack a few weeks ago, when the girls were kidnapped.

The KOPS MC clubhouse was destroyed, along with Aidan’s office next door to his home.

Sir didn’t know Aidan had a house behind it, or that our personal homes were there.

If he had, I’m sure he would have tried to destroy those too.

Sir is upset because Aidan told him he wouldn’t bow down to anyone.

He leads the Knights, not some bloody American businessman and his corrupt fascist organization.