Page 1 of Royal Bargain (Royals of the Underworld #3)

LIAM

S wirling the clear liquid in my glass, I watch the way it clings to the sides before settling back into place.

The ballroom is packed, and I tug at my collar, the air thick and just a little too warm. Men in expensive suits, women in glittering ballgowns—the upper crust of Thornville is all here, pretending they don’t have a knife ready to slip between someone else’s ribs the second a back is turned.

Politics isn’t much different from our world—just fewer bullets, more handshakes.

Lucky stands beside me, posture straight, exuding an air of confidence that isn’t as effortless as he’s making it seem. With Kellan balancing work and family and Rory off on his honeymoon with Clary, the responsibility of leading the family has fallen to Lucky and me.

I glance at my brother, catching the tension in his jaw, the bead of sweat trickling down his neck. He badly wants to prove himself, to have everyone see him as more than the youngest Brannagan brother.

I, on the other hand, couldn’t care less. This isn’t my scene. I’m much more at home knocking heads or throwing punches than schmoozing with politicians.

A waiter passes with a tray of champagne, and Lucky grabs one, downing it in one go, clutching the stem like a lifeline. We have an inkling of why we’re here, but Senator Burns was cagey with the details, inviting us under the pretense of simply wanting our presence.

I scan the room, shifting slightly as I locate all the exits. It’s a habit, but it soothes me. Just as I start counting them, Burns steps up to the podium at the center of the dais.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he begins, tone smooth and polished, all smiles and easy charm. “I’d like to thank you for attending this fundraising event today.”

He’s got the crowd in the palm of his hand as he thanks the donors before launching into his speech.

“Thornville deserves better.” His voice is practiced, the perfect balance of authority and warmth. “After years of corruption, we need leadership that serves the people—not special interests, not criminals hiding behind respectable facades. That’s why I’m running for governor.”

I glance over at Lucky, and we both raise our brows.

We figured this was about his political ambitions, but the governorship? That’s bigger than we expected.

A gleam of excitement appears in Lucky’s eyes as he leans in, voice low.

“This is it, Liam. This is our shot. We get everyone behind Burns’s campaign and we prove to Rory and Kellan that we can handle this shit without them.

That we don’t need them hovering over our shoulders like we’re still kids. ”

He wants this win as badly as I do. Maybe more. I shrug, but my mind is a million miles away, on something else. Someone else.

It might have been a few days since Rory’s wedding, but I can’t shake off the unease in my gut at seeing her again.

Ana.

Annika Volkov.

My ex-girlfriend. The daughter of our enemy.

Only now, she is also the mother of my child.

She ended things between us and for six months, she was nothing but a ghost. It hurt, to be honest. I tried to tell myself it was for the best. I tried to move on.

And then, out of nowhere, she showed up, standing there in front of me like some cruel trick of fate.

My gut tightens as I think back to our conversation.

She’d come to beg me to help her, said she needed my protection, insulted me by offering me a huge wad of cash.

I told her I wasn’t doing that shit anymore. Ever since Kellan had married Darcy, I’d had to step up and put that kind of work behind me. But then she dropped the bombshell.

“We have a daughter, Liam.”

Lucky says something else, but I don’t catch it. My mind is too far away, stuck on Ana’s wide, desperate eyes as she laid those words at my feet.

Swallowing hard, I force myself to focus on Burns and the questions he’s fielding from the reporters in the crowd.

But inside, my pulse is pounding, my thoughts still looping back to her.

That wasn’t even the worst of it, finding out I had a kid I didn’t know about.

No, that came later on when Rory stormed up to me and demanded to know why I was talking to Annika Volkov.

The truth came spilling out, the entire sordid affair. We started seeing each other a year and a half prior, shortly after we’d met at the meeting between our family and Volkov’s men.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the tall, curvy redhead who walked into the diner that day.

She had on a white dress, sort of old-fashioned looking, but it suited her full figure.

She moved with a confident grace, all curves and poise, slipping into the seat beside Anatoly like she belonged on a stage instead of at a war table. I was done for the second I saw her.

We dated in secret for ten months, a tumultuous, whirlwind affair, until the flame burned too hot and too bright and Ana dumped me unceremoniously.

Rory had stared at me, stone-faced, while I told him the story. It wasn’t until I was done that his expression changed, hardening into something harsher.

“Tell me you’re not that fucking stupid, Liam,” he’d said, mouth curled into a disapproving sneer.

I didn’t answer. What the hell was I supposed to say?

That I had been stupid? That I knew it was reckless to date the daughter of a man who would rather see our entire family buried six feet under?

That I ignored every single warning, every instinct that told me to stay away, just because I wanted her?

Rory let out a harsh laugh, shaking his head. "Unbelievable. All this time, I thought you were just slacking off, skipping out on responsibilities because you’re lazy, but no—turns out you were sneaking around with Volkov’s daughter like a goddamn idiot."

Fuck. That stung. More than I wanted to admit.

“You think this family can afford your bullshit, Liam? Kellan’s busy keeping his own house in order, I’m running the show, and you—what, you decide your job is what? Chasing tail and playing Romeo with our enemy’s daughter?”

I clenched my jaw, refusing to rise to the bait, but Rory wasn’t done. He took a step closer, lowering his voice, every word razor-sharp.

"You are the family screw-up, Liam. You always have been. Every time we need you to step up, you let us down. And now? Now you’ve made things worse for all of us."

I wanted to hit something. Maybe even Rory. But the worst part was, deep down, I knew he wasn’t wrong.

Even though I wanted to deny it, to throw his words right back in his face, I couldn’t shake the sinking feeling in my gut that told me, yeah, maybe I really have screwed up here. I’d been selfish and I’d been thoughtless. I let things go too far with Annika, and now I was dealing with the fallout.

As the middle child, I’d always metaphorically hidden behind Rory and Kellan or run to our father when things went topsy-turvy for me, but now I had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. It was just me, facing up to the consequences of my own reckless actions.

My fingers curl into the glass harder as I glance at Lucky, wearing a wide, oblivious smile as he reaches out to shake Senator Burns’s hand.

It’s not like I hadn’t tried to step up, but at the end of the day, I was brushed aside. Even now, Lucky has been put in charge ahead of me, despite being the youngest.

Kellan and Rory always had it much easier.

They were the ones expected to lead, the ones our father handed over the reins to on a silver platter.

Kellan always had his plans, his responsibilities lined up neatly like dominoes, and Rory—Rory was born to run things.

He took charge and people followed. He made it look effortless.

But I was the one everyone expected to screw up.

So yeah, maybe I had been reckless. Maybe I had let my heart lead me into a situation I should’ve avoided. But for once, for one goddamn moment, I hadn’t been just Liam Brannagan, the family screw-up. I’d been something more.

I exhale sharply, forcing my grip to loosen around the glass in my hand before I shatter it.

Resentment burns under my skin, hot and unwelcome.

Maybe Rory was right. Maybe I had let everyone down.

But I couldn’t change the past, and I sure as hell wasn’t about to let him keep treating me like I was some idiot kid who didn’t know what he was doing.

I glance at Lucky, who’s still watching Burns, eyes sharp with determination. He’s hungry to prove himself, desperate to show that he’s more than just the youngest.

I get it. More than he realizes. Because I need to prove something too.

Burns steps up, reaching for my hand. I don’t even realize what I’m doing until the words are already out of my mouth. “I’d like to be your campaign manager, sir.”

Burns’s hand freezes in mine and he smiles, though his eyes look puzzled. “Are you sure you can handle that kind of responsibility, Son?” he asks, tilting his head as he studies me.

“Of course I can,” I say, scoffing at the idea that I couldn’t. “Keeping things running smoothly and cleaning up messes? That’s what I do best.”

I lean in, a smirk on my face as I lower my voice. “And I’ve always been good at getting people to do what I want them to do. Call it a natural talent, or a skill, but I know just how to persuade people to see things my way.”

Burns pulls back, and I watch as he stares me down for a few lingering seconds before his lips curl into a smile. “Sounds good. Let’s have a meeting tomorrow, then, you and me. We’ll iron out the details.”

He hands me his phone, and I type in my number with shaking hands, even as Lucky gives me a quizzical look, eyebrows raised.

I don’t know what the hell just came over me. But as I meet Burns’s gaze, I tell myself it’s the right thing. It has to be.

This is my chance to prove myself to Rory and my brothers, to show them I’m more than the family screw-up.

I ride that high for the rest of the evening—right up until I get home, when reality comes crashing down on me.

What the fuck was I thinking?

Sleep is impossible. I toss and turn, my mind running a hundred miles an hour, every scenario playing out in my head. What the hell did I just get myself into?

I can’t back down now.

Throwing the covers off, I stretch and roll my shoulders, figuring this is the best time to start getting to work.

By the time the sun starts creeping through my window, I’ve already hit the ground running. If I’m doing this, I’m doing it right.

When Senator Burns and I meet later that morning over coffee, I’m buzzing with adrenaline as I slide a folder across the table—a list of people we can bring on to help, along with another, shorter list of potential HQ locations.

Burns scans over my notes, his brows lifting, nodding to himself. “This is great work, Liam. I never knew you were interested in politics.”

“It’s a recent interest,” I say smoothly, skipping over just how recent it actually is. “I want to make sure you succeed. If anyone deserves to be running things around here, it’s you. I believe in you, and I want to help.”

Burns smiles, reaching out to shake my hand, his grip firm. “I think the two of us will make an excellent team, then, kid. You just keep bringing in those good ideas, and you’ll go far.”

The whole thing has been a good distraction—one I needed—but as Burns and I travel to the locations on my list, checking them out for HQ, my mind drifts back to the other pressing problem.

Specifically, Ana’s request.

I asked for a few days to think it over, and that deadline is closing in fast. I can’t just keep ignoring her.

And just at that moment, as Burns and I step out of the taxi, my phone vibrates.

It’s a message from Annika.

My heart thumps as I glance down at the screen.

Liam, I need you. Please get back to me soon or something bad might happen to us.