empting The Mafia Twins
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Kiefer was sitting with Tadgh and Jerren in the living room after Genesis excused herself saying she wanted to take a hot bath and relax before bed. Monica also loved the idea of a hot bath, and she’d raced up to the bedroom she was sharing with Jerren excited once she found out there were jets.
Her question about how many bubbles she could fit in the tub made the three men exchange nervous glances while Genesis. encouraged her by telling her she would loan her some of her favorite bubble bath..
He was glad Monica was around. She was giving Genesis something to focus on other than death, destruction and the mayhem of being associated to the Sokolov family. He shot another look at his watch. His father still hadn’t checked in, but the security team were still providing updates to say he was safe and well but in deep conversations with Nazar Sokolov.
“You look annoyed,” Tadgh said to him.
“I wish Dad would check in. I don’t like feeling like a sitting
duck.”
Jerren looked up from his phone, “I don’t have an update on your father, but do you want one on your mother and sister?”
Kiefer lifted an eyebrow, “only if it’s good news.”
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“Aoife shot your mother in the head.”
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“No!” Tadgh covered his mouth in surprise. “I didn’t think she had it in her.”
“She then offered,” Jerren was reading from his phone, “to blow the guards if they let her out.”
“Tell me they refused.”
“No.” Jerren gave a grin. “They each let her blow them.”
“For fuck sakes, why?”
“She begged. Then they let her take three steps out of the room, as they promised and then shot her. Not in the head either,” Jerren was chuckling. “They stood over her and let her know her death was at yours and your father’s command, Kiefer and it was for Genesis. They also told Aoife Genesis was getting fucked by the three of you.”
Kiefer groaned and rubbed his eyes frustratedly. “Nice,” he drawled sarcastically.
“It was only meant to upset Aoife, and it did. She asked why Lorcan didn’t go for her if he was so interested in younger
women.”
“She was his daughter,” Tadgh grunted.
“Not biologically.”
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“She’s gross.” Tadgh shook his head. “She’s really dead?”
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“Yes. My father personally verified the kill of both women. They will not be buried in the family cemetery.”
“Good.” Kiefer shrugged and then a thought occurred to him, “I hope they don’t show up in my son’s dreams.”
Jerren and Tadgh both sat straight up in horror.
“You don’t think it’s possible, do you?” Tadgh asked his eyes flicking upstairs to where the boy was sleeping soundly after such an emotional day.
“He said his grandfather keeps people out, so I hope not.” Kiefer rubbed his head nervously.
“Check on him before we head to bed and make sure he’s not having nightmares or thrashing in his sleep or something.” Tadgh said with a frown marring his forehead.
“Where is Gen sleeping tonight?” Jerren asked curiously. “I find the dynamic of the four of you very interesting.”
“She asked Dad to stay with her tonight. She’s feeling vulnerable and scared. It makes sense since he’s the size of a house.”
“True,” Jerren nodded. “Monica asked me earlier how Genesis can handle the three of you because she sure as hell couldn’t. She said,” Jerren’s grin was wicked, “every time Lorcan comes to the offices, she’s intimidated as hell. She said between the three of you, there’s a lot of big dick energy and she’d probably be
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walking bull legged, if she could walk at all.”
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Kiefer’s smirk was arrogance at it’s finest, “she’s not wrong. There is a lot of big dick energy. The only reason Genesis is not walking crooked is because she’s grieving.”
“She let you sleep with her last night. It must have felt good to hold her.” Tadgh said quietly. “It’s a big step in the right direction.”
“It was. It felt amazing to hold her again. I think I was awake most of the night watching her sleep in my arms.”
“Sap,” Jerren mocked him.
“Are you telling me the woman upstairs doesn’t keep you awake most nights wondering if she’s okay or how you could fix what is wrong?”
“There’s nothing wrong,” Jerren glowered at him.
“No? She stood in our dining room earlier and said she feels she’s an embarrassment to you and it’s why you keep her away from us.” Kiefer met his gaze bluntly. “Doesn’t sound to me like things are perfect.”
“I don’t even know where the hell she gets her information.” Jerren griped with annoyance. “I’ve never done anything to make her think she is embarrassing. I take her out on dates. I even took her dancing in a club. Why would I take her out if she thinks I’m ashamed of her? She was talking shit to get a rise out
of me.”
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“Yet, she specifically mentioned how you never formally
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introduced her as your girlfriend to us or any of the crew or your family. She’s feeling like a secret,” Tadgh gave a shrug. “You messed up somewhere in the last two years banging her and making it seem like it was just a fuck and not a relationship.”
Jerren rose from his seat and tucked his phone into his pocket and started walking away.
“Where are you going?” Tadgh called after him.
“To take a bath with my girl and let her know I’m not ashamed of her, I’m ashamed of you.” Jerren paused and looked over his shoulder. “You all are the ones I’m embarrassed to be around.”
“Why? What did we do?” Kiefer glared at him.
“It’s not my wife upstairs taking a bath alone on the day she buried her only friend when your father, her other partner by the way, specifically gave you instructions to stick to her like glue. I’d bet all the money in my billfold right now, of which there is easily a grand, that she’s crying in her bathwater.”
“Fuck,” Kiefer groaned as Jerren walked away whistling.
“She said she wanted a hot bath,” Tadgh was confused by Jerren’s words.
“She didn’t say alone, Tadgh. The pair of us are idiots.”
“But she’s in her own bathroom.”
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“She isn’t looking to have sex, Tadgh. She’s literally looking for comfort. She’s in the tub for comfort.” He was on his feet with Tadgh close at his heels. Taking the stairs two at a time to get to her bedroom, he paused, his hand prepped to knock on the door when Tadgh walked right up on him. “Back up.”
“No. We fucked up. Get in there.” Tadgh was reaching for the door.
“We should knock.” Kiefer shook his head. “She might want to be alone.” He was rethinking his words.
“No. She’s in there crying. You can’t convince me otherwise.” Tadgh was ripping his shirt over his head.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking a bath which isn’t sexual with my partner because she’s endured a shit day. Are you joining?” Tadgh pushed the door open and ducked under Kiefer’s raised arm.
The sound of Genesis’s crying in the other room had Kiefer kicking his clothes off while Tadgh shut the door behind them. They made their way to the bathroom, both naked before they even reached the tub. His heart slammed to a stop at the sight of her in the middle of the oversized tub, her arms wrapped. around her knees and her body racked with sobs
He slipped into the tub behind her as Tadgh dropped in front of her. They both wound their arms around her.
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“Shh, baby, shh,” he rubbed her shoulders as he pressed kissed to them. “It will be okay. I promise. It will be.”
“She’s gone and she’s never co
and she’s never coming back, and I miss her so
much,” Genesis words were muffled and garbled as she sobbed into her kneecaps.
Tadgh smoothed her hair and lifted her hands to his lips, “it’s okay. Cry as much as you want to. We’re here. We’re here and you need to let it all out.”
They sat in the tub until the water ran cold and then they carried her out of the bath and sat her on the edge of the tub in a thick robe. Tadgh rifled through her closet to find pajamas for her to sleep in while Kiefer brushed her hair out of the messy bun, she’d piled it in for her bath.
She was still sniffling when she finally spoke again, “is there any word from Daddy?”
“Nothing yet as far as I know.” Kiefer looked at Tadgh, “check our phones. Mine is in the pocket of my jeans.”
Tadgh lifted the phone and then nodded. “Dad message five minutes ago he is on his way home. He’ll have information for us. when he gets here.” He passed the phone to Kiefer, “Gen, do you want a hot cup of tea? I’ll run downstairs and make you one.”
She nodded and blinked swollen, red–rimmed eyes at him. “How did you guys know I needed you?”
“We didn’t.” Kiefer didn’t lie. “We’re both stupid men who
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thought you wanted time alone until Jerren pointed out we were fools.”
She shrugged, “I should have told you I didn’t want to be alone. I felt shy asking you both to come upstairs with Monica in the house.”
“Monica will have to deal with it. This is your house, not herst and not Jerren’s. Jerren has always lived with us, but this house was bought for you, a ghrá,” Kiefer squeezed her hands. “If yout decide you want us to make love to you in the middle of the house and she walks in, she needs to deal with it, not you and not me. This is our home.”
“Granted, let’s not do those things with Egan around. When I was talking to him before bed, he asked me if all girls grew boobs. and why Monica’s were so much bigger than his mother’s.”
Her laugh was pitiful, “mine were good enough to feed the little shit but sure, they’re subpar.”
Kiefer laughed at her comment. “Tadgh, go make some tea. I’ll help Gen get changed and into bed. We’ll sit with her until Dad gets here. He can give us the debrief of what happened with Sokolov and then we’ll let him stay with Genesis tonight so she can feel safe while she sleeps.”
“I love you,” Genesis blurted the words out.
Kiefer froze in the half–rising position. “Genesis, you’re emotional tonight.”
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“No. Before it’s too late. If something happens to me because
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this family of crazy Russian bratva, as you called them, is out to kill me, I want you both to know,” she looked at Kiefer and Tadgh, “I love you both. I love Lorcan too. I love how you make me feel and if something happens, I don’t want to die not telling you how I feel.”
Kiefer rose completely and pressed a kiss to her head. “You’re not going to die, Genesis.”
“We didn’t think Astra would die and yet here we are.”
“We didn’t know what we were dealing with. We’re going to sort this out. You’re going to be safe.”
“I keep thinking my father was a strong, deadly and fierce man and they got to him and killed him. It could happen to me too.”
Kiefer met Tadgh’s eyes, and a silent unspoken vow immediately passed between the men. Come hell or high water, the Sokolov family issues were not going to impact their wife. They’d take the whole fucking lot of them down, one by one.
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