Page 160 of Bad Bishop

“That list…” Sam tapped his chin. “We sure managed to cross a hell of a lot of names from it. Anyone outside it isn’t possible—it was a private event, on a private island. People can’t just sneak inside. We narrowed it down to just a few potential attackers. And Blackthorn’s off the list. So.”

He hung his expectant gaze on Tiernan.

“Don’t look at me. I told you from the get-go I think it’s Angelo. He had a motive—Chiara was nasty to him. He was seen asking Lila to dance earlier that night. She made him feel like he was not good enough for her daughter. And at our wedding, he was acting suspicious. Disappearing for big chunks of time from the room and coming back looking like he fought a bear.”

Luca and Achilles exchanged glances. Something unspoken passed between them. Luca nodded.

“Weren’t you supposed to come back with some proof about Angelo?” Luca asked.

“Couldn’t find any,” Tiernan said.

“So you just dropped it?” Achilles cocked his head, frowning. “Doesn’t sound like you.”

“Unless you didn’t really want to find the fucker,” Luca mused. “Why’d you stop looking?”

“I didn’t,” Tiernan hissed through gritted teeth. “I checked all the other fuckers on the list. But, now that you mentioned it, the fact your mother wanted to marry my wife off to Angelo if herapedher wasn’t a great incentive.”

Was this why there were no new developments regarding the identity of my attacker for months?

Because all this time, Tiernan wanted to keep me?

“Yeah, well, no one’s trying to take her away from you anymore,” Luca assured him.

“I’m well aware no one’s stupid enough to try.” Tiernan’s arms tightened around me.

“Riddle me this, though.” Achilles turned to Tiernan. “Why would Angelo, who is rich and successful, poke around in this swarming beehive and send Lila a letter? He doesn’t need the money.”

“He has a point.” Sam shrugged. “If Angelo did it, he’d try to put as much distance between you and him as possible.”

“Unless we have the angle all wrong.” Fintan cocked an eyebrow.

“Meaning?” Tiernan asked.

“Maybe the two incidents aren’t connected, and he has nothing to do with the car crash. Maybe he wants to meet Lila to straighten things out. Make sure she doesn’t talk. I mean,weknow she doesn’t remember his face. He doesn’t. He wants to get her alone so he can scare her into silence. He has too much to lose.”

“And the accident?” Achilles asked.

Fintan shrugged. “Could be any of our enemies, and there are too many to choose from. Maybe they thought it was Tiernan in the car, saw the two women inside, freaked out, and fled.”

“Either way.” Sam twisted his wedding band. “All roads lead to Angelo Bandini.”

Luca sucked his teeth. “Fintan’s math is mathing.”

Achilles shrugged. “Fuck it. We have no other leads.”

“Whoever it is, he wants her to come alone, judging by the letter. I say either you beat Angelo to it and kill him,” Fintan said. “Or trust the process, let her go, and see what he wants.”

“That’s a no,” Tiernan drawled, and though I couldn’t hear him, even I knew his tone was deadly. “She’s not going anywhere unprotected.”

Sam’s gaze skated between my husband and my brothers. “Didn’t know you had such a hard-on for Tiernan to get Harlem.”

“It’s not about Harlem anymore.” Tiernan tightened his hold on me. “This entire city can burn to the ground and I wouldn’t even blink. It’s about my wife, and about justice, and about making sure she is safe. I’d tear the world to shreds for her, and they know it.”

Luca snapped his fingers. “Bring in my brother-in-law. We have a bone to pick with him.”

_______

Tiernan was restless for the rest of the evening.