Page 4 of Lovely Venom

Those big brown eyes do me in. She’s been asking me for months to see her new club. As a federal agent for the DEA, I don’t think it bodes well to be seen in a strip joint.

My eyes land on Mom’s ashes, taunting me from the bookshelf. Her letter reminded me that life is short.

Time to take some risks.

“Give me ten minutes to change.”

CHAPTER TWO

Connor Quinlan – Astoria, New York – August

My father’s nameiscarved in stone.

It’s been eighteen months since we laid him to rest, and now his legacy is forever chiseled into the family plot.

Aiden Quinlan

Husband. Father. Leader.

Da was a loyal capo to former mob boss Fergus O’Rourke for decades. He had a sharp mind, ruthless hands, and a vision forourfamily’s future. But a future he never could have imagined found us when Ma’s family ties through her cousin led my brothers and me to rise to power on our own.

We are no longer just the Quinlansons of Astoria. Today, we stand as Manhattan kings.

Griffin, Shane, and I took over after Troi Keller died, and we swallowed his empire. Now, our word is law. The Greeks hold the deeds to the real estate, but we own the streets.

And the streets are mine.

My domain to keep order.

But with all our power, we couldn’t have this damn memorial service sooner. It only took a few months to get the headstone engraved. But it’s taken over a year to get Da’s brother Finn here from Waterford to do the unveiling. Da’s other brother Uncle Patrick insisted we wait. Not bothering to tell us Uncle Finn was in fucking prison.

I shift my weight as the speeches drag on. One by one, my brothers and sister Sabine climb to the podium, reciting heartfelt words, each of them mentioningtheirfamilies. And how Ma and Da’s marriage and parenting served as an inspiration.

I seem to recall a lot of yelling and beatings. But a lot of love, too.

I stare down at the empty index card in my hand, its blankness taunting me because I have nothing to say. Not about family and kids. Not about love. Not about building a future with another person. My world has been stripped down to war and vengeance.

I’m the steely spine of Quinlan Empire. With our cousins Trace and Rhys, I enforce order on the streets. Today is a rare day that I look civilized dressed in a sharp suit.

My older brother Griffin, who leads our clan, sits with his wife Ava, the Greek princess he married to ascend to the throne. Their twin toddler sons sit up sharply between them like little soldiers. Makes sense, Ava was military before her deadly brother, Ares Zervas, forced themarriage with Griffin.

Ewan, our oldest brother who hadn’t been part of Quinlan Empire initially because of his political obligations, didn’t run for re-election and now serves as Griffin’s most trusted advisor. His wife Darcy manages their three daughters like a doting mother. They recently revealed they have yetanotherwee one on the way. Ewan is going for a son, even if he doesn’t admit it.

Shane, the youngest Quinlan and brooding bastard, sits with his hand splayed protectively over his wife Lennox’s pregnant belly.

Sabine, Shane’s twin, settled down before any of us. Her billionaire husband keeps her steady as she steps up to speak next.

As far as Da’s kids, that leaves me.

Alone. At thirty-seven.

And for the first time in a long time, I know why. I can’t getherout of my head.

The woman I’ve been obsessed with since she waltzed into Shane’s trailer looking for a drug dealer named Havok months ago. The one who burns in my memory like a branding iron.

I’ve kept tabs on her and tried to stay away. But I couldn’t.

I didn’t buy that she was a junkie. She acted more like a PI. One late night two months ago, I found her in a dive bar getting drunk. The kind of reckless drinking you do when you’reveryangry from a tough day. But she didn’t drop any hints about her real day job. She needed an outlet, and I was it.