“We have no mutual funds or possessions.”

“Precisely.”

Asking him how he planned to grant me a speedy divorce was futile.

Cillian Fitzpatrick was a resourceful man and only worked with the cream of the crop. With people like Devon Whitehall and Sam Brennan on retainer, he could do just about anything, short of plucking the moon from the sky just so he could enjoy a bit more darkness.

I clutched the papers to my rib cage, excitement and dread swirling in my gut.

“Thank you, Devon. That’s—”

“Bugger, don’t thank me, you silly little thing.” He lifted a hand, indicating for me to stop.

“I didn’t do this out of the goodness of my heart. I did it because your future husband needs a baby-maker, preferably the kind that would bring positive press to his doorstep. Which is why you will also find in this load of legal documents a nondisclosure agreement and a prenup, both of which I advise you to read carefully in the company of a proper solicitor.” He plucked a few notes from his wallet, tucking them between my fingers. “Here’s some cash in case you can’t afford one. Consider this my wedding gift to you. There’s a sheet of dos and don’ts attached, some stipulations you verbally agreed to yesterday. No house-sharing, a non-compete clause…”

“Non-compete?” I blinked. “I’m not planning to open a petroleum company anytime soon.”

I mean, never say never, but this was a pretty unlikely scenario.

Devon smirked.

“Having access to the Fitzpatrick clan means you can spy for the competitors or decide to work for someone who’d pose a conflict of interest.”

“I’d never do that.”

“Clearly, darling.” He patted my head as though I was a puppy he was about to turn his back on before adopting its sibling. “We trust you completely. And by ‘completely’ I mean, about eighty-three percent. The other seventeen is why we prefer to have it in writing. You’ll have to mortgage your inner organs if your never turns into a maybe.”

“How do you live with yourself?” I murmured absently, flipping through the pages. I meant that as a general statement. Devon, Kill, Sam…they were so jaded, I sometimes wondered if they believed in anything at all.

Devon laughed easily, his gaze sliding toward my sister again.

“Considering your face was smashed by mobsters, I wouldn’t judge your future husband for wanting to protect his assets.”

Future husband.

The words hadn’t sank in. Not yet.

“Do you mind?” I jerked my head in Belle’s direction. She usually slept like the dead, but I didn’t want to take any risks. “My sister doesn’t know what happened.”

“Is she blind?” He cocked an eyebrow, his eyes zeroing in on my black shiner.

“She thinks I got robbed.”

“No offense, but you don’t look like the type to carry extra cash.” A pause. “Or coins. Or food stamps. You’re dreadfully gaunt.”

I wanted him out of the apartment, out of this building, and out of my life before Belle woke up. I still hadn’t told her about Cillian. By the time I got home yesterday, she’d already left for work and returned sometime after five in the morning, when I was asleep. We were having dinner and drinks at Ash’s tonight, and I thought it would be a good idea to break the news then.

I shook my head.

“Look, can I have my future husband’s phone number?”

Devon plucked my phone from my hand, inserting Cillian’s contact info into it.

“How do you know my code?” I frowned.

“Had to write down your birthdate six hundred times when I filled in the paperwork last night. You seem like the predictable sort. Again, no—”

“Offense. I know.” His eyes were still on my phone, his thumbs flying over my screen. “You realize prefacing something with these words makes it automatically offensive, right?”

“The code to get to him is six six six. He only responds to texts. Sporadically.”

Shocker.

Devon slapped the phone over the pile of documents I was holding.

“Cheers, Persephone.”

“Wait!” I called out. “What about Colin Byrne? Can I tell him I’ll have the money ready for him?”

He stopped at my threshold.

“Ah, that’s the best part of becoming a Fitzpatrick.” He opened his arms. “Your problems are no longer yours. I do believe Colin is Sam Brennan’s jurisdiction. To that end, I’d say you’re all covered, and that Byrne is thoroughly and royally fucked for laying a hand on you. Welcome to the family, Persy.”

“What do you mean you’re breaking the pact?”

Sailor spritzed her pink lemonade across the table and all over my dress, the liquid shooting through both her mouth and nostrils.

She coughed, waving her arms around. Aisling dashed to her rescue, patting her on the back. The liquid must’ve gone down the wrong pipe.

The unshakable storm knocked on the greenhouse where we’d sat down for dinner, the hail threatening to impale the glass. At twenty-five, Aisling still lived at Avebury Court Manor, her parents’ mansion. She said it was because between med school and her charity work, she didn’t have time to maintain an apartment, but we all knew she took care of her parents, tended to them like one of their servants, and was not likely to leave before she got married.

The greenhouse was warmly lit with an array of colorful succulents strewn everywhere.

“She is not breaking the pact.” Ash hurried to hand me napkins after ensuring Sailor was okay. “She’s still married to Paxton. She can’t wed anyone else.”

I dropped the bomb as soon as I sat down at the table before I’d even had time to help myself to a spring roll.

“I am breaking the pact.” I took a deep breath, bracing myself for another storm, right here in the greenhouse. “I’m getting married to Cillian. He is working on my divorce certificate as we speak.”

“Cillian-Cillian?” It was Emmabelle’s turn to choke, this time on a crab rangoon. “Tall, dark, broody. Two little red horns peeking from either side of his head? Possibly a tail tucked between those steel ass cheeks?” My sister grabbed a dumpling with her chopsticks, tossing it into her mouth.

“My brother Cillian?” Ash supplemented.

“Yes.” I pressed my forehead to my still-empty plate with a groan. “One and the same.”

“Why?” Sailor asked.

“How?” Belle demanded.

“Is he threatening you?” Aisling shrieked.

“Look, if it’s about money, Hunter and I would be more than happy to help.” Sailor reached across the table to dab at my collar, pretending to remove the lemonade stains she put there.

“Me too. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I knew you only married my brother because you were struggling.” Ash put a hand on her chest over her heart. She wore a cardigan and a checked long skirt. Her raven-black hair was carefully tied into a chignon.

They didn’t get it. Any of it. The reality of my life. My situation, my commitments, my misfortunes…

“Of course she doesn’t want to marry him.” Sailor flung her arms in the air. “It’s Kill Fitzpatrick we’re talking about. He hasn’t exactly won any Mr. Personality awards in the last decade.”