Page 114 of The Mafia Enforcer's Temptation

“Of course,” I continue, staring Ivan down, “you won’t be alive to see any of that. If those who decide my bratva’s there for the taking, then heads will roll. I’ll see yours on a spike.”

Seamus nods. “That is if the other parties don’t find their heads on spikes first.”

“There’s been interest coming in from some of the nastiest cartels.” I smile up at Seamus, my blood percolating, almost like it does when his heat touches mine.

“Don’t forget the hardline Irish.” His mouth twists a little and the ground seems to shift beneath me. Then he settles his gaze back on Ivan. “We do know them.”

“I’d have thought you’d be looking to head back to my uncle’s gambling business,” I say. “It could be a new wing of Volkov, considering you’re, in a way, family.”

“Up to you,” Seamus adds.

And Callahan smiles. “We can be discreet, Ivan. Whatever you think you’re tied to, we can look the other way.”

“Because it’ll be my family running things,” Seamus says. “And Ava is now family.”

I turn and stalk toward the bathroom, mainly because I’m not as good an actor as Seamus. I can’t pretend to be enamored when I’m not, at least not to the point where those touches and looks feel believable.

He still wants my bratva. He just told me he’d take it. I heard it. Me being family is just show for Ivan and anyone else.

Someone taps on the door and my heart clenches. I fix my makeup because fuck Seamus. He can wait.

When I’m ready to bring him to his knees, I open the door.

“Hello, Ava.”

It’s not Seamus.

I lift an eyebrow at Iosif. “Loitering outside the bathrooms now?”

“Tonight, I think I’ll skip the main show.” He hands me something in a small envelope, and it feels like a key. “Be very careful.”

He turns and walks away, not even stopping to speak to Seamus, who appears just as he leaves.

“Ready?”

I nod, hiding the small folded-up envelope in my hand. His gaze flickers back to Romanov.

“What did he want?” Seamus asks.

“I don’t know,” I say. “He just told me to be careful.”

Seamus brushes my hair away from my face. “It’s down to the wire, Ava. You need to trust me.”

“I’ll try.”

He drops his head to mine. “You never need to be careful if you’re with me. I’ll always protect you.”

Seamus doesn’t kiss me, he just leads me out to the car, and in my head, those words, if I were a stupid woman, sounded a lot like something someone in love would say.

The little gathering is bigger than I thought. I recognize faces from a long time ago, and everyone shakes my hand. It’s mostly a different group from that fancy club where we had dinner. These are the people who pay to use my bratva’s routes. Oh,there are some who were at the club, some who are clearly powerful, rich, and play in dark and dirty waters, but they want to pay to use the routes, and it takes Seamus to extract me from some of the conversations.

He takes me by the hand and slips us out of the main room. His brothers take over the mingling, their wives distracting anyone looking for me. I hear Lucie laugh and talk to one man who mentions my name. She’s mafia. I know that, I just forget because in the Murphy residence, they all make up a chaotic family with no strict hierarchy, just a lot of love.

“You’re gonna have to lead the way.”

I give him a glance, but being back in this house, away from the great room, is like stepping back in time.

It’s smaller, different, and exactly the same. I lead him up to the second floor and ease open the door.