“You and I both know that it’s going to take more than your brother marrying my sister to make us family.”
“If that’s true, then why bring her here?”
“Because just like Tiernan, I’m a man of my word.”
“Careful there, Alejandro. That remark could almost be misconstrued as a compliment.”
He scoffs in disdain and hurries his step to get into the backseat of the car with his sister and away from me. I chuckle, pleased that I’ve rattled his cage a bit, and take my seat beside an impatient Colin.
“Knock it off and stop acting the maggot,” Colin mutters under his breath, side-eyeing me as he drives the car away from the airport and back to Boston.
“Where’s the fun in that?” I smile widely.
“Feckin’ eejit,” he groans low enough for the two Hernandez siblings sitting in the back not to overhear.
My smile only widens, content that not only have I irked Alejandro to no end, but I’ve pissed off my cousin, too. Still, the one I don’t seem to be making any impression on is the tight-lipped woman in the backseat that is currently staring out the window, watching the scenery pass by.
I’m not sure what I was expecting when Tiernan ordered me to pick up his bride this morning, but this wasn’t it. I’ve never envied my brother. Not once have I ever coveted his life in any way. While Tiernan is ruled by all the restrictions of duty, I’ve been allowed to live free from such chains.
But one look at Rosa has me second-guessing if Tiernan isn’t the one who lucked out.
“Cabrón,” Alejandro mutters. “The asshole will hear from me. He should have been here to greet you, not send his dogs to do it,” he adds in Spanish to his sister.
“It’s quite alright, brother. I’m not bothered. The less contact I have with him, the better,” she retorts in the same dialect, thinking that stating her musings in her native tongue will keep her secrets safe from us.
“You’ll have to have contact with him sooner or later. Successful marriages aren’t exactly born from absence,” her brother nags.
“Is that your hope for me? That I have a successful marriage?”
“Men like me don’t hope.”
I scoff loudly, interrupting their private tête-à-tête.
“Is there something you wish to say, Kelly?” Alejandro asks with a bite to his words.
“No. Just admiring your accent. Mi acento no es tan bonito.”
Alejandro’s face grows red with fury when he realizes I must have understood his every word, but it’s the little tug of amusement playing on Rosa’s lips that really has me smiling.
“I’m not just a pretty face, Alejandro. Scommetto ce l’hai piccolo. Or if Italian isn’t to your liking, maybe Russian is. Nyet? Togda potseluy menya v zadnitsu, mudak.”
“Are those the only languages you know?” Rosa asks curiously before her brother has a chance to talk, completely unaware I just told Alejandro he has a small dick in one language and to kiss my ass in another.
“Depends on the enemy. Pays me well to know what people are saying about us.”
“I’ll take that into account in the future,” Alejandro spews, unimpressed.
When Colin clears his throat, his nonverbal way of telling me to knock it off, Rosa’s undivided attention falls from me to my cousin in the driver’s seat instead.
“Does every member in the Kelly clan have such linguistic versatility?” She directs the question at my cousin.
“Hell no. Colin barely speaks English. Isn’t that right?”
“Briseadh agus brú ar do chnámha,” he curses me in Gaelic.
Rosa’s gaze remains fixed on the rearview mirror, taking inventory of my cousin’s irate demeanor.
It’s only when she takes longer than considered dignified, staring at another man that isn’t her fiancé, that I realize it’s Colin’s marred, burnt features on the left side of his face and neck that have caught her interest.
Sometimes I forget that my cousin isn’t the prettiest thing to look at. Some women have too much of a frail stomach to even utter a dia dhuit when in his presence, while others like to add a bit of scary to their bedroom escapades and are all too eager to pull him by the hand into a dark corner just so they can jump on his face.
I wonder which end of the stick Rosa falls onto.
When she sees that I’ve caught her in the act, she instantly turns her face to the window once more, but not before I catch a glimpse of her crimson cheeks, almost as red as Colin’s hair. I’m not sure if it’s my overprotectiveness of my cousin that has me sitting up straighter in my seat and nipping our conversation in the bud, or if I don’t want to add further to her embarrassment by calling her out.
Whatever the reason, all I know is that Colin was right after all.
This wasn’t just your ordinary pickup.
Something tells me that after today, life as we know it will never be the same again.
Chapter 4
Colin
I keep my back flush against a pillar, vigilantly watching both entryways into the strip club. Even with my earpiece in and the men outside giving me the all-clear, I remain in my highly alert state.
Uncle Niall is keen on reminding me that I should relax more now that Tiernan is about to tie the knot, but old habits die hard. If one of our enemies decides to pull out of the treaty at the last minute, then this fucking bachelor party is the perfect opportunity to take us all out in one fell swoop.
Shay was thinking with his dick when he decided to throw his brother this fucking party on the night before his wedding. Not that it surprises me that Shay would pull this sort of stunt. What shocks the hell out of me is that Tiernan went for it.