Page 78 of Thorns of Deceit

“Unless you did something wrong and are worried about the repercussions of your actions,” Kyran piped in.

I decided that after Athena’s birthday, I’d have to disappear. The Callahans were definitely up to something, and I wasn’t going to stick around to find out what.

“Since you want to help, maybe you can make yourselves useful and figure out a way for us to enter a bookstore without attracting unwanted attention,” I said instead.

“When?” Tyran demanded.

“Next week.” I recited the date and address, and he nodded.

“Always a pleasure, Raven,” they announced just as it was my turn to pay. “Go after your friends, we got this.”

I didn’t have to be told twice, bolting out of there like the devil was at my heel.

When I got to the apartment, I didn’t say anything to the girls. Because really, how would I explain my secret marriage toAiden Callahan? Or the fact that he’d thought me dead for the past five years?

No, I’d keep that to myself. They had enough on their plates.

TWENTY-NINE

AIDEN

The Callahan empire was built on blood, drugs, and alliances of the arranged marriage kind. My wedding to Raven was the exception, and due to that particular betrothal, our empire was falling apart.

I couldn’t help but blame my uncle.

The minute we learned that Raven was Duncan’s daughter, we should have negotiated a deal that didn’t end in my marrying the woman. I had ignored my intuition and now it was costing us a shipment every few days. However, amidst the forced arrangement and days spent together, we found each other.

So my wife she would remain.

Ever since Uncle Jack’s retirement five years ago, I’d made calculated moves to ensure the Callahan empire didn’t collapse due to the Lyonses’ constant shipment seizes. Aligning with the Omertà last year—although it was to help my sister and brother-in-law—was one of them. Working with the Ashfords, Kian Cortes, and the Kingpins of the Syndicate was another.

It flabbergasted me that Raven had managed to escape my notice. All of the underworld’s notice. Granted, none of themknew about her or our marriage, and I wasn’t exactly looking for her because I thought she was dead.

But now that I knew she was alive, I would get leverage over her and use it mercilessly.

Now, sitting in the office of my Parisian penthouse, report in hand courtesy of Kingston, I’d finally found it.

“You’re sure about this?” I questioned Kingston, although judging by his expression, he was positive. After all, he’d spent the past month digging up anything and everything on Raven. “Do you have evidence?”

“Yes and yes.”

Tyran whistled, reading the document over my shoulder. If I didn’t trust him with my life, I would have had to kill him.

Kingston moved to the little bar in the corner of my office and fixed himself a drink, then strode back to the desk and handed me a glass of scotch. I shook my head, so he put it on the coaster in front of me before downing his in one go.

I read through the file, discovering the details of a murder that my wife and her friends had gotten away with.

“I cannot believe they killed Angelo Leone,” Tyran muttered.

“Ditto,” I hissed. I wanted to hold something over her head, but this… this was explosive.

“It’s what you were after, isn’t that right?” Kingston remarked. “You wanted leverage, and you got it. I’m also sending you video footage in case you need additional evidence.”

My phone beeped and I slid the message open. The grainy images showed Raven and her friends cutting up a body and smuggling it out of an apartment. But it wasn’t just any body. It was the body of the old Leone, Dante and Amon’s father.

Fuck!

“That’s just… sick.” Tyran gagged before he swallowed and asked, “Although brilliant. It leaves me to question how they got away with it.”