Tempted by her Daddies: Chapter 4

“Alexei, you should eat more. You need lots of fuel. You too, Roman, you’re looking pale.”

Salem sighed as his mother fussed over his friends. They lapped it up and Alexei sent him a smug grin.

Bastard.

“You going to eat that bread roll?” David asked Salem, snatching it off his plate before he could answer.

Salem sighed.

“David!” Charlene snapped. “Salem might have wanted that.”

“Too late,” he told her.

“Sorry, Salem. He has no manners,” Charlene told him.

“Neither does this one,” Erica added, point at his brother, Con.

“HeywhatdidIdo?” Con asked, his mouth stuffed full.

“Swallow before you speak!” their mother snapped. “What will Alexei and Roman think of your terrible manners?”

Please let this end now.

As soon as the meal finished, Salem pushed his chair back. “We should go.”

“But you can’t go yet. Alina is calling soon,” his mother said.

“She is? I’m sure she doesn’t need us all here. It’s you she wants to talk to.”

“Actually, she requested that we all be here,” his father said.

Which meant that he was staying.

He’d never deny his sister something if he could give it to her.

They all gathered around his father’s ancient laptop as the call came in. He’d offered so many times to buy him a new laptop. But his father wouldn’t hear of it.

“Hi everyone!” Alina’s happy face appeared on the screen.

He loved that his sister was so happy now. That she’d found love with men who adored her.

“How are you?” he asked her.

“I’m so good. Look!” She waved her left hand in the air.

His mum, Erica, and Charlene let out cries of excitement.

“I’m engaged.”

All of her men appeared behind her, looking pleased with themselves.

“That is wonderful!” his mother said after everyone congratulated Alina. “Where do you want me to book for the ceremony? When do you want to get married? Next summer? You will have to fly over so we can go dress shopping.”

There was silence and Alina’s face dropped. “Um, Mum, we were actually thinking of getting married in three months.”

“Three months!” her mother exclaimed.

“We don’t want to wait any longer,” Trin said.

“Oh, that’s so romantic,” Erica said dreamily.

“I don’t know where we can find somewhere to hold the wedding at such short notice,” his mum said. “Although that’s the start of summer, so maybe a garden wedding?”

He had a feeling where this was going.

Alina looked at her men then back at them. “Actually, mum, we were planning to get married here. In Escana.”

Silence ensued and his mother grew pale.

“In Escana?”

“Yes.”

“Do not worry about getting here,” Derik said. “We’ll send our cousins’ plane to get you all.”

“And you will stay at the palace,” Jonan added.

Wow.

That was so generous.

“That’s amazing!” Charlene said.

Erica, Con and David all joined in with their thanks.

But his father and mother were silent.

“We can’t come to Escana,” his mother said before she abruptly left the room.

Alina’s face fell.

“I will talk to your mother,” his dad said. “We are very happy for you all. Really.” He left the room as well.

Poor Alina.

When she’d called, she’d been so happy and now she looked defeated and sad.

“I will talk to them, honey,” he told her. “Don’t worry. This is a really special time for you and your day will be spectacular.”

Alina smiled. “Thanks, Salem. Alexei and Roman, you guys are invited too, of course. You’re family now.”

Wonderful.

Salem walked toward the meeting room. Alexei and Roman were with him.

As they passed through an open office area, he caught sight of a television on the wall, broadcasting the news from Dublin.

“Shit. Another shooting incident,” Alexei said, coming to a stop beside him.

The reporter was talking about the growing unrest in Ireland and then it switched over to where Patrick O’Connor was being interviewed by a different reporter.

“He’s going to use this to his advantage,” Salem said quietly.

“Think he’ll become the next Prime Minister?” Roman asked.

“He will if he keeps going like this,” he replied. “He’s promising to clean up crime and he has the sympathy vote since his wife died after an armed robbery several years ago.”

“Did you know that he and Riordan are related?” Roman said.

“What? Really?” Shock filled him. “How?”

“They’re half-brothers. Different mothers. I think Riordan uses his mother’s last name. There’s about ten years between them. I’ve never heard him say anything about him. They might be estranged.”

Hmm. It was interesting, though.

“I’ve just seen someone I need to talk to,” Alexei said. “Go on without me.”

“We can’t be late,” he told the other man.

He just waved his hand and moved off.

Not a great start.

They walked into the meeting room. The rest of the team was already there, and all talk stopped as soon as he entered.

Fuck.

He’d led this team for the last three years as they’d tried to infiltrate Pinky’s circle to take him down.

And he had a feeling that meant nothing to most of them if they could instead gain the favor of the man standing at the front of the room.

Riordan Orr.

He was the darling of MI6. The guy they brought in to troubleshoot problem areas and get shit done.

Under other circumstances, Salem would have loved to work with him. But not when he’d been brought in to troubleshoot Salem.

“Please, take a seat,” Riordan said. He had a faint Irish accent.

Roman sat and Salem nodded, sitting next to him.

Alexei strolled in.

“Glad you could join us,” Riordan said sarcastically.

“You’re welcome. I know I always make your day brighter.” Alexei grinned, but the amusement didn’t reach his eyes.

“I’m sure you understand why you’re all here.”

“Because we can’t catch that bastard, Pinky,” Mark said. He hadn’t been on the team as long as the others, so Salem figured he thought he was safe from censure.

“I wouldn’t use profanity, but yes,” Riordan said stiffly.

“We were so close,” Genevieve said mournfully, from where she sat across the table.

The others nodded.

“What are your next steps?” Riordan asked.

Salem explained them. And then Riordan took them apart bit by bit.

It was fucking humiliating.

“He tried to get a hold in Escana by using one of the King’s nephews,” Riordan said. “Can we explore that angle?”

“How?” Alexei asked tightly. “By using someone as bait?”

There was silence.

Oh. That fucker was thinking of doing that?

“They will never agree to it,” Salem told him.

“Perhaps we can figure out a way to give him an opening. Someone could pretend to want to work with him, and lure him out into the open,” Riordan said to Salem. “You have ties to Escana and the royal family.”

“I won’t use it.”

“Then I think your usefulness on this team is coming to an end.”

He clenched his teeth together. “I am going to my sister’s wedding in a few months. I can speak to them then.”

“It’s too long to wait.”

He and Riordan locked stares. But neither backed down.

“Keep working on other angles. Speak to them before you leave for the wedding. Feel them out,” Riordan bossed as he left the room.

Genevieve let out a shaky breath as she stood. “Well, anyone else need a drink, now?”

Salem needed the whole top shelf.