Vicious Minds (Children of Vice #4)(70)

“Well change that, at least this once…leave to take care of business and make it clear you aren’t going to be reachable. Let Dona run the family for a little.”

“That’s dangerous. Once my sister tastes that power—”

“Will your sister betray you for power?” I hated to even think of the answer to that question.

“She will be tempted to.”

“Temptation is not a sin, it is the thought of committing sin. She’ll think about it until her face turns blue, but will she do it? Will she betray you?”

I shook my head. “No matter how badly she wants to, she’s a Callahan. She’s my sister. Her ambitions give way to our family. Always.”

“Then trust her with this.”

I could see how it might work, but I was going to need one hell of an excuse to leave her in charge when I would normally never do so.

“What could be big enough to draw you away though?” she asked, and I was convinced she could read my mind but was not telling me. “The Finnegan brothers?”

I snorted at that. “You yourself said without Grams they’ll crumble within weeks,” I reminded her.

“They don’t know it was Grams,” she observed, and I automatically knew where her mind was going.

Grinning, I followed her logic. “I should support them in her place, just like with Rocha. Let them grow thinking they are getting stronger to fight me.”

I could use them in more ways than one; this could be exactly what I needed to bring all of this to an end.

“Exactly. Then when the situation gets serious, you’ll go to Boston. What?” she asked, her eyes roaming my face as she tried to figure out what I was thinking. The thought hadn’t even finished forming in my mind and she was already onto me.

“How did you know I was thinking of something else?”

“You weren’t following my eyes anymore. Now what is more captivating than me helping you think of a plan while naked?” She sounded almost insulted.

I leaned forward and kissed her lips quickly before saying. “You aren’t going to like it.”

“Go on.”

“The Finnegan brothers have a cousin in Chicago.”

“And I won’t like this because…” She waited for me to fill in the blanks.

“She’s in prison.”

“Still not following. Bring her out and use her against them. Why would this displease me?”

“Because of how I’ll need to use her,” I said, and her eyes narrowed as she exhaled through her nose. I could tell she wanted to strangle me.

“I want to strangle you,” she snapped and turned her back to me.

Well, it’s good to know I can read her mind too.

“You haven’t even finished off Klarissa and you’re already adding another woman to your harem.”

“You’re cute when your jealous—ahh…Calliope,” I hissed through clenched teeth as she reached behind her and squeezed my balls, her nails digging into my skin.

“You couldn’t even handle the thought of me going on a date with another man and you’re about to screw yet another woman. Are you really suffering here? Because you seem to be having a grand ol’ time.”

“Are you done?” I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer.

“The moment you sleep with her, I’m going to have an orgy,” she muttered, and I hugged her tighter, trying to forget she said that. I kept silent, waiting for her to collect herself and look past her jealousy and anger. “I’m done. Why do you need this cousin?”

“Wyatt. I need him to come back home too,” I said gently in her ear.

“What makes you think this woman will make him come back?”

“I know the Finnegan brothers have a cousin have a cousin in Chicago because I remember her. When I was young, sometime after you left for Italy, I met a little girl in the O.S. center during our weekly volunteer time. She was there, we had some argument over cake which caught my father’s attention and he later told the whole family about it. My father lived for teasing both my brother and I.”

“How could an argument over cake be worth any attention?”

“My reaction. I was shocked and didn’t know how to reply to her. So the Great Ethan lost a verbal spat with some silly girl. My uncle Neal, after hearing the story, said that’s the type of woman I should marry. Wyatt will remember who she is, or I’ll make sure he knows. We’ll go Boston and have it out with the Finnegan brothers. She’ll magically die, I’ll get hurt, he’ll come to his fucking senses and remember who he is and kill them with his own hands for daring to mess with our family. The guilt of it will humble him a bit. I rid myself of her and the idiot brothers and gain my brother back.”

“First, your uncle Neal isn’t my favorite,” she grumbled. “What is this girl in prison for?”

“Her sister, or step-sister, framed her in a drunk driving accident which left someone crippled, so aggravated assault. And assault with a deadly weapon.”

“How long has she been in prison?”

I thought back to the article I read back then. “She should be six years into a 12-year sentence by now.”

“Six fucking years? So not only is she fool, she’s weak.” She snickered and shook her head. “Is she just going to rot in prison for a crime she didn’t commit? I won’t even stay in prison for crimes I did commit.”