in his leg.
All the other O'Donnelly brothers, myself included, were here though, as well as the three men Aidan considered advisors, but I thought Tony, Mark, and Paul spoke bullshit. Aidan only kept them around because they’d come up together from school. They were dipshits, but they knew to keep their mouth shut unless Aidan asked them anything, so I could handle having their dumbasses around.
“Aoife’s certain he’s Russian?”
“She said he was. Why would she lie?” I countered, frowning at him and the question he’d posed. “She was fucking shitting herself, Aidan.”
“You should have seen her, Da,” Eoghan rasped. “Shaking like a leaf, looked like a kitten could push her over.”
Aidan slammed his hand against the table. “No one should be able to get into our homes. What the fuck went wrong?”
Conor scrubbed a hand over his face. “They hacked our systems.”
“And I thought you were our resident boy genius?” he sneered, making fury flash in Conor’s eyes.
“I developed that code myself. It’s good. But someone beat it. I need to develop something else. Evidently,” he bit off. “I’ll be putting in extra safe guards too.”
“It’s because of Conor that we knew to get back there ASAP,” I told Aidan, who was on his feet now, pacing back and forth like a pissed off lion in a cage. “When the guy broke into the system, I got an alert on my phone.”
“We all did,” Brennan added.
Aidan sniffed, but didn’t apologize.
“I think retina scans might be the next step,” Conor inserted on a heavy sigh. “It’s hardcore to get into your fucking home, but with the threat level this high?”
“Do it,” I insisted. “I have a wife to protect.”
“She’s in lockdown now, son. She’s safe,” Aidan tried to comfort, but it wasn’t much help.
“She should be at home. She’s sick. She doesn’t need to be in an unfamiliar environment.”
“Lena will look after her the best she can.”
I wanted to snap that it wasn’t good enough, but I didn’t. Aidan was trying to help even if he was only succeeding in pissing me off even more.
I ran a hand through my hair as I slouched over the table. “Why target her? Why me?”
“You’re the money man,” Declan pointed out softly.
Aidan whistled. “I said it to Vasov myself. You’re my Sovietnik.”
Sovietnik in the Bratva brotherhood was a leadership role—the Pakhan’s accountant. And at our meeting, when we’d asked the Brighton Beach brotherhood for their help in containing the situation with the Colombians, they’d agreed after I’d pulled the favor card.
I rubbed my chin. “It still doesn’t make sense to target me.”
“Not to kill, but to pressure?” Aidan tilted his head to the side. “You’re a husband now. You have a weakness. You know what they’re like.”
“You think they want to kidnap Aoife?”
“I think when she hid in that closet, she did a smart thing.”
“Why didn’t he check the wardrobe?” Brennan asked, his tone worried. “Isn’t that Kidnapping 101?”
Because I wanted to beat something up, I reached around and massaged the back of my neck.
I didn’t want to be here. I wanted to be with Aoife.
She needed me.
For the first time in my life, someone needed me with no ulterior motive in mind, and instead of being with her, I was discussing the events that had led to her getting shot and now, almost kidnapped.
“Think outside the box,” Conor urged after a second. Leaning forward, he added, “The Russians owed us, guys. Big time.”
“For doing them a favor. That’s no leverage in the here and now,” Aidan said with a sigh. “No honor among those cunts.”
“What did Vasov say when you called him?”
Aidan frowned at me, the bridge of his nose scored with wrinkles at my question. “Why would I call him?”
I stared at him, dumbfounded. “You haven’t called to ask if he was involved?”
“He’s going to lie about it.”
“Maybe. But maybe not.” Seriously, did I have to do everything around here? “Aidan, please, call him. Let him gloat or let him deny it—we need to know the lay of the land.”
His lips firmed. “Look, Finn, I know you’re upset—”
“You’re goddamn right I’m upset. My wife’s been shot and might have been kidnapped today!” I roared, uncaring Aidan Sr. was a lunatic and that he might cut off a finger if I back talked him much more.
The older man narrowed his eyes at me. “Watch your tongue, Finn.”
It was a warning I should heed, but rage made me reckless. “No, Aidan, you watch your fucking tongue. I’ve been married for a month and my