Chapter 48

Chapter Forty-Eight

Oliver

" M an, you couldn't make this shit up," I thought.

I've always known Fiona is crazy, but I never imagined her capable of trying to kill someone. It takes some serious balls to try. Shortly after we arrived, I took Fiona downstairs. It wasn't pleasant, but I wouldn't expect anything less from her. I didn't even bother questioning her. All she does is spill lies. Instead, I had one of the men take her anywhere but here. I told them to take her to Cillian if she didn't give him an address. Now I'm walking downstairs to have an uncomfortable conversation with Viktor. I open the door to his office and head straight to the couch.

"What is so important that you dragged me in here?" He goes to his minibar.

"You have to let Ava go."

"Are you giving me fucking orders now?"

"I'm stating facts, and the fact is, if you don't, you'll lose her for good."

"Again, who the fuck do you think you are?"

"Your brother. The one person who doesn't want any harm to come to your family. She'll disappear, and I'm not sure I'll be able to find her a second time."

"How about you stay out of my business."

"I can't and won't. They're my family too. She doesn't feel safe here. Give her what she wants within your control."

He pours a drink and drains it. Pours another and walks to the couch to sit opposite me.

"I can't do that," he finally says.

"You can. You just don't want to. Keeping Ava here is like keeping her prisoner. She loves you, but if you push her too far, you'll lose her." I see the wheels turning.

"How am I supposed to deal with her not being under this roof? She isn't safe."

"Find her an apartment and make it safe for her. Move her to your penthouse in the city with the proper modifications. She won't be the wiser. Anywhere but this house." He looks at me, contemplating my plan.

"There's a leak somewhere," he says.

"I know." His change of subject means he has accepted that Ava should move out. Now I need to get Ava to cooperate too. Not exactly an easy task. She might just be harder than him.

"Who could it be? Who would dare betray me?" he says, looking into the distance, lost in thought.

"I don't know. What we can do now is separate Ava from the clan. This will give us time and space to find the leak."

"You were right in keeping Marco," he adds absently.

"I thought it wise at the time. I'll have him formally hire a dozen of his marine buddies. Outsiders might be what we need. We won't have to worry about them being in our father's pocket."

"How did it come to this?" He drains his drink. I know he isn't really asking. I would like to tell him this isn't his fault, but I can't. Instead, I stay quiet. "Let's get the penthouse in the city ready for her." He stands and leaves.

I sit, thinking of this last year. It's been filled with a never-ending battle. Viktor's question of how it got to this lingers in my mind. Where did it all start? People might say it started the moment Viktor brought Ava into his life, but it didn't. To understand, you have to go all the way to the beginning.

"Viktor is just a boy, Dougal. He's your son." I hear Mom tell my father.

No one ever notices me.

"He's useless to me. For him to run this empire, he needs to become ruthless and cold." I'm hiding behind a staircase, wondering what they're talking about.

"He needs your love, not your punishment."

"I would rather kill him myself."

I swore that day that I would always protect Viktor, even though he's my big brother. I swore to be his right hand and fight beside him. He always says he's the one doing the protecting, but if you take a step back, you'll see it's always been me. I've always done what I believe is right. In many ways, I became his conscience. But now, I find myself doing the same for Ava. I'm not her conscience, but I want to keep her safe. Life is hard as it is. Throw in the Manarch Clan, and it's a battle that will never end. I know what it feels like to be the bastard son. I don't want that life for Niko. Not if I can help it.

We've spent the past few hours at Eros, developing a plan to give Ava the freedom she's demanding.

"How many men do you think you'll need?" I ask Marco.

"Two in the apartment next door, two outside and Jimmy. That will be six, including me. We can do twelve-hour shifts. I say a dozen men to start with."

"And you're able to put a team together?"

"Yes. You've already met most of the men. I can have files on the others in a few hours."

"That works. You will continue to report to me."

"Sir?" he looks at me, confused.

"Let's just say I'm always clear-headed when it comes to Ava. Viktor won't intervene, but if he does, call me."

"Yes, sir."

"Call me Oliver. I'm not sure how many times I have to tell you."

"It's out of habit."

"Lose it. You're about a decade older than me. I should be calling you sir." We laugh.

"Ok. Anything else, Oliver?"

"Have cameras installed everywhere in the apartment except the master bedroom. There are already cameras outside the building and in the hallways. Viktor had them installed earlier this year. The apartment next door is fully functional. It will serve as the command station. Viktor owns the entire floor, so you're more than welcome to choose an apartment and make it sleeping quarters if you need to."

He nods.

"I received floor plans for the building and apartment. We should have everything completed in a few hours."

"Great. Call me if you need anything."

I walk over to the bar where Angus and Ray are having a drink together. It reminds me of the good old days when we were younger and didn't have any worries.

"Care for a drink?" Ray asks as I approach.

"Sure."

"You look like shit," he observes.

"Aye," Angus says.

"Long day," I say.

"Understatement. I would say a long couple of years," Angus says.

"What's new?" I ask.

"Thinking about the old days and how fucked up things are now," Ray says.

"I find myself thinking the same." He hands me a drink, and I drain it. "I'm afraid those days are gone and never coming back," I add.

"Aye, but we don't have to sit here and let it all burn to hell. We've all been through enough. This is the Manarch name. We must protect it."

"I never imagined we would be in this situation. I never expected my father to take it this far," I say to no one in particular.

"We'll fix it," Ray says.

"I hope so. Because all of our lives depend on it. My father and the Irish are at our backdoor and won't leave without a fight."

"That can be arranged," Angus adds drily.

Another drink is poured, and I take a sip. The tides have turned, and they've made a move. We must go on the defense and strike while they think we are down. To win this war, we have to stop it before it starts.