Page 26 of Scandalous Kingpin

“Just fucking call them,” he barked, then turned on his heel and disappeared with his wife, who threw a look over her shoulder and winked.

The moment they were out of sight, I let out a grunted, “Fuck.”

“You don’t have to call them,” Basilio reasoned. “Just take her and disappear for a while.”

I shook my head.

“No.” My morals might be skewed, but my uncle was right. Ivy’s brothers deserved to know she’d be safe with me. “If this were Emory, you know we’d raze the continent trying to find her.”

I bent my head to find Ivy knocked out in my arms, her lips slightly parted and looking so peaceful my chest tightened.

“Here, I’ll dial them,” my brother offered.

Despite the late—or I should say early morning—hour in Ireland, the call was answered on the second ring.

“Dante DiLustro. Do you have any idea what time it is?” Clearly Aemon Murphy wasn’t thrilled to be woken up.

“This is Priest,” I answered instead, getting straight to business. “I’m taking your sister with me for a while.”

The sound of a loud crash came through the line, so loud Dante had to reduce the volume on his phone.

“What?” he snarled. “What is my sister doing with you?”

“Don’t worry. She’s fine.”

“Then why isn’tshespeaking to me?” His voice was venomous.

“She’s asleep.” It was the truth at least.

“First Aiden fucking Callahan, and nowyou, a goddamned Italian,” he hissed. “If you touch a single hair on her head?—”

“Now that would be impossible,” I said flatly. “And technically, I have some Russian and Irish blood in me.”

“I’ll destroy you and every fucking member of your family, you son of a bitch. And there’ll be nothing technical about it!”

I smirked. “Good luck with that. Our family’s complicated—you might need a flow chart.”

“Motherfucker!” There was shuffling on the other line, then the unmistakable sound of a gun being loaded. “You are a dead man!” he yelled, followed by a deafening bang.

“I guess he’s done talking.” I shrugged, holding out my brother’s phone and confirming he hung up.

“Told you,” Emory murmured. “All those Irishmen are fucking crazy.”

“Did the lunatic really think that bullet was going to make it across the pond?” Dante muttered. “Jesus Christ, Priest. Better hope Ivy doesn’t have that temper or you’ll need more doses of whatever you just injected her with.”

Gripping the sleeping woman in my arms, I stared blankly at him. Had he forgotten the things she and her band of friends had done?

“Where is Ivy’s bodyguard?” Emory interjected.

“I don’t know, but keep him and Aiden Callahan off my trail.”

Then I walked away with the only thing that mattered tucked securely in my arms.

Chapter Twelve

IVY

Isighed and stretched out my toes, basking in the feel of the sun warming my face and the soft birdsong trickling through the window. There was a strange ringing in my head, and I reached up to rub at it.