Darragh nods once with quiet fury.
Ana’s gaze slices to me, hard. “And I’m sorry I was further ammunition against you, Cormac.”
Scarlett clears her throat. “And I’m sorry I brought all of this to your doorstep.”
Her voice is low with shame, and Ana recognizes that immediately.
“No!” She pounds a fist. “That pathetic man-child who could not accept no is responsible. That performance last night was his final mistake.”
Sergei nods. “Bullets or blades, boss?”
Scarlett goes completely still.
“Wait, no.” I shoot from the chair. “You can’t kill Pierce Langston. Especially right after he humiliated us.”
“I am untouchable, no law enforcement?—”
“I know that, Ana,” I scoff, looking around this office, knowing what goes on in here. “That’s fucking apparent. But I still have a career I’m trying to resurrect, and Scarlett will get dragged through it, too. Dar, you know the wall between what our family does and the medical community. We lived behind that wall.”
“Cormac is right,moya koroleva,” Darragh says, low and respectful to her authority.
The endearment is subtle. Darragh using Russian phrases and possibly leaning more Bratva than Irish Mob these days isn’t exactly the headline. It’s what he called her. Koroleva. Queen. Is Ana’s father stepping down?
Something to sweat over another day…
Ana’s eyes flash up at her husband. “What do you propose? I can’t let this go unaddressed.”
Scarlett blurts before I can speak, “I’ll talk to Pierce. With you, Ana. And your…forces.” She glances at Sergei. “Just talk. Death is too easy for him. We order him to publicly apologize and admit that the photos and the narrative were all fabricated. Being branded a liar will hurt him more. I promise. I know this man.”
My wife’s voice is righteous fire, and I squeeze her hand, wanting to feel that heat. Darragh and I chose medicine over mafia. Darragh’s love for Ana brought him back, but to the Bratva. That means, I’m headed for that side of the aisle, too.
With my own koroleva.
“Sergei, ready the troops,” Ana says. “We make a statement. I want every enforcer in a car out front in twenty minutes.”
Scarlett turns a little white, and for a moment, I’m not so sure about this plan.
“Wait.” I stand up. “Scarlett isn’t?—”
Scarlett cuts me off. “I’m an O’Rourke now.”
Her tone leaves no room for debate. For better or worse, she is a part of this world.
“Okay,” I back off, and with a plan in place, the meeting breaks up.
We return to the main part of the house, and I see the nanny standing in the spacious living room with my son, awake and cooing in a tiny dinosaur onesie.
“Ma’am, your son is awake from his nap.”
Then something shocking happens.
Scarlett steps forward, hands out. “MayIhold him?”
The nanny looks to Darragh, but it’s Ana who immediately nods.
Girdie places my son in Scarlett’s arms. She carefully settles him and presses J.P. to her cheek. “Hi, fella. I’m so happy to meet you.”
J.P. giggles, chin full of drool, and pats her face, grabbing a strand of her hair, fascinated.