Page 81 of Velvet Betrayal

“You didn’t check him?” I asked, voice low.

“I did,” Liam snapped. “But not enough. We were stretched thin, and I was trying to prove I could handle it without you two breathing down my neck.”

I sat back, hands clenched. “So you fucked up.”

Liam didn’t blink. “Yeah. I fucked up.”

“And now Ruby’s paying for it.”

He flinched like I’d slapped him.

Tristan’s voice, when it came, was clinical. “He was in her house. That close. And you brought him in.”

“I didn’t know he was going to hurt her.”

“You didn’t know anything, Liam,” I snapped, standing up, looming over him. He didn’t back down. “That’s the problem.”

Liam met my gaze. “I trusted him.”

“That’s worse,” I said. “You trusted him and he almost killed my daughter’s mother. Don’t you fucking get that? I should break your fucking nose right here and now.”

Liam went quiet.

“You gave a man with a sealed domestic violence conviction keys to the damn pipeline,” I said. “He scouted Ruby from inside our own operations, and you fucking let him.”

“Kieran, I—”

My fist was in his face before I could think it through.

I hit him once, hard enough to send a wet splatter of blood across the table and halfway up Tristan’s sleeve. Liam didn’t raise a hand to block. He just took it, head snapping sideways, eyes closing for a heartbeat before he straightened, wiped the blood, and stared at me, silent.

Nobody at the bar moved. They all knew better.

Tristan didn’t interfere. He waited for the violence to land, then pulled his own handkerchief from the inside of his jacket, slow and ceremonial, as if even this had to be on the record. He tossed it to Liam, then fixed me with a gaze cold enough to slow my pulse.

“You got your shot,” Tristan said. “But if you do it again, I’ll knock out your teeth myself. He’s family. And we don’t change family.”

“I’ll fix this,” Liam murmured.

“You’re right,” Tristan said. “You’re going to fix it. Get every name tied to that hire—Yarrow’s people, your backups, anyone who signed off on Russell or his fake paperwork. I want a full chain. And if it leads where I think it does, we’re going to need bodies.”

Liam stood slowly, like the weight had finally landed. “I’ll get it done.”

He looked at me, then, regret written all over his face.

“I didn’t mean for her to get hurt,” he said.

“Intent doesn’t matter,” I replied. “Ruby doesn’t need your guilt. She just needs to stay alive. She’s Rosie’s mother, Liam.”

“Well, I didn’t fucking know that,” Liam said, reaching up to delicately stem the blood in his nose.

Tristan glared at me. “He’s right. You could’ve just told us. But Kieran is also right, Liam. This is more than just a little fuck up; you not only let in a violent criminal, but a DOJ plant. You’re going to need to go through every single fucking hire you’ve made lately.Again.Make sure they’re not using aliases. Kieran, you’re on Ruby. Convince her. Get Ivanov on your side. Both of you, get to work.”

“You have a mean right hook,” Liam said.

“Do you want more?” I snapped. “Because I don’t want to see you right now.”

“Liam. Shut up,” Tristan said, already tired. “Go.”