29. Cian

The phone buzzesin my hand, the screen lighting up with Victoria's name. I pick up, half-expecting this call. "What did she want?"

"Long story short, she wants Quinn's network."

I feel my jaw tighten in confusion. "He had one…?"

"Apparently, he was building one to make moves into the big seven of organised crime families."

I lean back in my chair, processing the implications. Sorcha is a wild card, but she could be useful if played right. "And what has that got to do with you or us?"

"Just the ability to name-drop, for now," she replies.

I let out a bitter laugh. "Sounds simple enough. But do you trust her?"

"Yeah. Uhm. She is the one who pulled the trigger."

That catches me off guard. Victoria doesn't need to say anything else. "Did she now?"

"She claims it was to set you up where you are now."

I rub my temples, feeling a headache coming on. If Sorcha's move was to put me here intentionally, it proves how dangerous she really is. But there are benefits to having someone like her on our side—for now. "Did she say anything else?"

"She's headed up north to Dunsany," Victoria adds, "Transferring in and setting herself up there for whatever she's planning next. This was Quinn's stronghold. Also, the Quinn sons were working with her but went off the rails, and the bathroom tosser was part of a faction group who want the Red Reapers for themselves."

"Lovely," I mutter, the weight of responsibility for this half-sister of mine growing heavier by the second. "We need to keep tabs on her. I don't want any surprises."

Victoria sighs on the other end. "Of course. But we need to talk more about Oisin's murder. Robert will flip his shit when he finds out it was Sorcha."

"That's another conversation for another time. For now, let's focus on stabilising our position, and Gianluca has managed to get an appointment today at the Town Hall for the marriage license. We can't seal the deal officially for another couple of weeks."

"Fine. At least we can get the ball rolling for his family to take this seriously. And Luke's, I guess."

"Are you worried about that?" I ask lightly.

"Not really. I can hold my own with a King and Queen. A Duke and Duchess are nothing," she scoffs.

"Even ones with heavy ties to the mafia?"

"Even more so with them. Common ground."

"Common being the operative word there," I snort, unable to help the joke. But she gets my sick humour and laughs.

"Common, my ass. Purebred mafia royalty, fuckface."

I grin at her words, but the tension in my shoulders doesn't ease. We need every ounce of leverage we can grab before we make any big moves.

"I'll see you in a bit, then?" I say, changing the subject.

"Yeah."

"Good. We'll be there in ten minutes." I hang up and toss the phone onto my bed, leaning back again and staring at the ceiling. Sorcha, in charge of a growing network, could be a game-changer. But it's also an added fucking complication we don't need right now. I fire off a quick text, being lazy as fuck, but I don't want to move right now.

Luke and Gianluca join me moments later. "You rang?" Luke asks sardonically.

Ignoring him, I motion for them to sit and fill them in on Sorcha's move and Victoria's update. They listen intently, their faces betraying nothing.

"This could either be an opportunity or a massive fuck-up waiting to happen," Gianluca says finally.

"My thoughts exactly," I mutter.

"If Robert finds out she was behind Oisin's death…" Luke trails off.

"He will find out," I interrupt. "It's just a matter of when."

Luke nods slowly. "True. We need to control the narrative when that happens."

"And we need to keep Sorcha on a tight leash," I add.

He raises an eyebrow. "And how do you propose we do that from here? She'll be up north."

I smile. "She and Tory seem to have hit it off. She can keep eyes on her."

"So, is this all over for now?" Gianluca butts in anxiously.

"For now. Yeah, I guess so."

"Good. Can we get moving? I don't want to miss this appointment."

"How is this even going to work?" I ask as we file out of my room and down the stairs.

"Basically, it's just going to be me and Victoria on the license. My family needs it to be official," Gianluca mutters.

"What about you, Luke?"

He sighs. "At this point, I don't even care. They either accept this, or they don't, and I walk. It's simple."

G and I exchange a surprised look.

"You'd cut ties with your family for her?"

"Wouldn't you?" he asks defiantly.

"Obviously."

"Then shut the fuck up, and can we just do this?"

"Sure," I murmur, and with G smirking at his attitude, we follow him outside and pile into his car.

He drives around to pick Victoria up, who is ready and waiting, and then we make our way to the Town Hall.

I lean my head back against the headrest and close my eyes for a moment, letting everything wash over me. My mind drifts to Sorcha and what kind of shit she might stir up next. Keeping her reined in while we handle our own business won't be easy, but maybe she doesn't need to be reined in. Maybe we should let her fly and see what shit she gets up to. As responsible as I feel for her, she hasn't asked me to look out for her. She clearly doesn't need it.

My thoughts are still with my half-sister when we arrive at the Town Hall, and I go through the motions while Victoria and Gianluca get their affairs in order. I don't give a shit about the legalities. I just want her in my life now and always. It's all I've ever wanted, and now that we are on that path, everything else is insignificant. Even the life. That just… is. It will always be there, and it's something I want, but I need Victoria.

The clerk hands over the forms with a bored look, and Gianluca signs first, then Victoria. The act feels ceremonious but hollow—a means to an end rather than something romantic. When they finish, we step outside into the brisk air. The weight of what's coming next hangs over us, unspoken but heavy.

Luke breaks the silence first. "So, what's next? We're not exactly conventional, are we?"

Victoria smirks. "Nope. Never have been. But it's done now. In a couple of weeks, Gianluca and I will make it official, but for now, I want a handfast in the forest, barefoot in a flowing gown, before you ravage me as my husbands."

Gianluca wraps an arm around her waist, pulling her close. "That can be arranged."

"I'll do it. I know what I want," she says.

I take her hand and pull her closer, away from G. Gripping her chin, I gaze into her blue eyes and fall even deeper in love with her. "Our goddess," I murmur before I brush my lips over hers. She grins and everything else just melts away. There's just us and our plans and everything else can wait.

At least for a little bit.