Shielded Wrongs (Bellandi Crime Syndicate # 4) - Adelaide Forrest Page 0,97

her like a fucking Queen. What more could you want for her?"

He sighed, stepping forward as the group in front of us moved to enter the foyer. "Not much."

"Right. So the time has come to pull your head out of your ass. You and Aoife will be married soon, and I think you'll understand a little better once she stops threatening to cut off your junk." Yavin didn't respond, his face turning serious and focused as we made our way down the hall that led to Liam's office. The door was closed as expected, but Liam's man knocked twice and shoved it open so we could file into the space.

Tiernan was on his feet, his second-in-command getting twitchy fingers that shifted for his gun. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Ryker warned, leveling the man with a glare. "Believe me, I'm just itching for you to give me a reason to paint the room with your blood, but I don't think Liam would appreciate the decor change."

"I wouldn't," the old man piped up. "Aoife is very fond of my blue-grey walls, and I like my girl to spend as much time in here with me as possible before she leaves the nest." His eyes went right for Yavin, a conspiratorial wink transforming his aging face.

Aoife stood from her place looking out the window, gliding on smooth footsteps until she stood next to her father. "Red clashes with my hair so terribly," she admitted with a shrug, turning her attention to her blue nail polish.

"What is this, Liam?" Tiernan asked, glancing at the man who he so cleverly pretended to respect while he made plans to stab him in the back.

Literally.

Yavin moved to stand behind the desk with Liam, taking his place next to Aoife. She didn't flinch away from him when he leaned in to kiss her cheek slowly, playing a dangerous game with Murphy. But Liam's guffaw of amusement was worth the risk as he clapped his hands together once in excitement. Aoife's cheeks flushed pink at the contact, her cerulean eyes looking up at Yavin as he drew away.

Her face hardened when she turned her attention back to Tiernan where he glowered at her, all the promise of a caged snake ready to strike her the moment she left her father's protection and became his. Aoife might have fought against the requirement that she marry a man of her father's choosing, but the undeniable reality was that she was far better off with Yavin than she'd have been with Tiernan.

"I do not appreciate you allowing him to touch my fiancé," Tiernan warned, his voice deepening as he glared at Yavin. Matteo stepped further into the room, flanked by Simon and me as we lined up to the side of the desk.

"Then I suppose it is fortunate for me that I am no longer your fiancé," Aoife said, holding her chin high as she glared at him. "Thank God for that."

Tiernan glowered, his brow furrowing with his confusion as he turned to Liam. "What's she talking about? Aoife has been contracted to me for years."

"That was before you conspired behind my back to see me dead and went against my alliance with Bellandi. There is to be no sex trafficking in the city, Tiernan. Surely it cannot be that difficult to obey what is essentially the only rule we have," Liam said, leaning forward in his chair to flip open the manila folder sitting there so that the photos we'd provided him with were plain for Tiernan to see.

"This is just another Bellandi game to turn us against one another. Bellandi has always desired my business."

"I'd rather see your pathetic loan shark enterprise burn to the ground than touch it with a ten-foot-pole," Matteo laughed. "I tend to believe I'm as dirty as they come, but even I wouldn't touch that unless I wanted to contract an STD from the money you've touched. Dirty is as dirty does, Tiernan, and you are dog shit stuck to my shoe."

"Fucking Italians and their dramatics," Tiernan rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to Liam. "It isn't too late to go back to the way things were. We can discuss what you think you know like men as we always have."

"Aoife and Yavin are to be married on May 9th. Unlike your marriage contract where she refused, Aoife has signed, and the ink is dried. I've booked the Church, and the wedding will happen, Tiernan. You've disappointed me, and