Page 133 of Brutal Truths

“Some things are better left in the past. Nothing good comes from bringing this into the light.” I flip the page again and stop when I see Trent’s name. “Although… it might be worth keeping. There are a lot of names in here. A valuable bargaining chip. If this surfaced, lots of wealthy, powerful people would fall.”

“You want me to use it as blackmail?” Her tone drops, making it clear she thinks that’s risky.

“Not the way you’re thinking.” I close the book, keeping my hand on it. “Once this gets out, people will move on it. They’ll start making claims regarding your grandfather, assuming it’s safe and looking to profit.” My finger taps against the leather. “I’ve been around long enough to know how these people work.”

“I don’t know, Aiden. It sounds risky. Shady.” Her eyes wander around the room, carefully taking in every corner. “I’ll never look at these pieces the same way again. The sheer scale of the lies used to make each of these sales legal is… nauseating. I wish I could understand why she did it. Why my grandfather allowed it.”

“Those are details you will likely never understand.” I lean closer and bring my face in front of hers. “Can you live with that?”

“I don’t really have a choice.” She brushes her hand along my cheek. “One good thing came from all this, I suppose.”

“What’s that?”

“You.”

I wrap an arm under her and flip us over so I’m now on my back and she’s sitting on top of me. “I found you before all this. Our paths would’ve crossed again.”

“Maybe.” She adjusts until she’s almost resting fully on top of me. “But I wouldn’t have survived this without you. I can’t believe it’s only been two weeks since running into you at the club. If I hadn’t⁠—”

“Shhh.” I rest my fingers over her mouth, not about to let her finish that thought. “Fate was on our side. Right place, right time. Now you’re stuck with me.”

“Lucky me,” she says against my finger, her lips curling into a grin. “Do you think we’re moving too fast?”

“No.” I don’t have to think about it. “But we can slow it down if that’s what you need. I won’t hold you to the yes you gave me earlier. But that doesn’t mean I won’t remind you why you said it. Convince you in due time why you can’t live without my cock deep inside you at least once a day.”

“Will you, now?” The way her face lights up warms my heart. “You sound quite confident about that.”

I smack her arse and wink. “That’s because I am. And if you aren’t careful, princess, I’ll prove it.”

She grabs my face, her smile turning dangerous. “Your cock is my new favorite ride.”

Chapter 41

Aiden

It’s been two days since everything went sideways. This is the first time I’ve left Isabel, and I didn’t get much say about it. After what Drake pulled, everyone’s moving fast, trying to get ahead of the fallout before it spreads.

And by everyone, I mean the good guys, not the bad ones.

That’s how I ended up in Trent’s hospital room with Darius. Rico’s ledger on his lap, along with a stack of documents that will bury the Doyles, if handled correctly.

Trent’s heart attack, paired with Drake’s betrayal, left Soulcombe unprotected. That gave Darius exactly what he needed—an opening. When the people in charge are distracted, he strikes. Attacked from the inside and took control before anyone realized what’s happening.

I’m not the only Falcon Global operative planted in this family. My life before the military gave me the kind of background that let me climb the ranks faster than the others. That, combined with my skill set, kept suspicions low. Trent was too greedy for power and money to question why someone like me joined the military in the first place.

Darius has balls of steel. No question. He sits there, eyes locked on Trent, not the least bit intimidated by a man who, if he wasn’t so damn weak, would kill every one of us without blinking an eye.

But power doesn’t mean much when your body won’t cooperate. Even the captain of the most dangerous Irish family in London can’t fight genetics. And I bet that’s what’s really eating at him, not just what he’s learned, but the fact he can’t do anything about it. If he were strong enough, this would all go very differently.

Instead, he’s forced to sit there and take it.

“You can go to hell,” Trent tells him. “All of you.”

“Easy,” I step in as the monitor spikes. “Keep this up, you’ll have another heart attack. Is that what you want? To die here in this room, hooked up to these machines.”

“No.” Closing his eyes, he drags in a breath, forcing control. “How the hell am I supposed to stay calm when I’ve just learned three men I trusted are the filth.”

“We’re not fucking coppers,” Zander grumbles from his spot in the corner. “If we were you’d own us, wouldn’t you?”