Chapter 26: Beautiful Scar: Chapter 26

“You smell like a bonfire,” Aunt Sona says back at the mansion. Her arms are crossed, and her nose is all wrinkled up. “What happened?”

Arsen fills her in as we head into the main office. I pour everyone a drink, and even Sona accepts it this time. She seems thoughtful but annoyed as she sips the delicious whiskey. I let the hot burn of it linger on my tongue, thinking about Oisin’s last moments.

“We wanted him alive,” Sona says, giving me a pointed look. “The twins knew things we could’ve used.”

“Nothing we can do about it now.” Arsen slumps into his chair and looks toward the window. “Liam was talking about war when one twin was dead. Now that we have Oisin and most of his soldiers, it’s all but guaranteed.”

“The McGraths have been getting too full of themselves lately anyway,” I say with a shrug.

“War’s not simple.” Sona gives me an exasperated look. “You can’t just murder every single one of them.”

“Why not?” I arch my eyebrows. “You know a thing or two about murder, right?”

She rolls her eyes and gestures at Arsen, ice clinking against glass. “You need to leash your brother. He’s out of control.”

“I’m not a dog,” I snap, glaring at her.

“Then why do you keep acting like one? Running around pissing all over our plans.” She barks back at me, barely restraining her anger.

“That’s enough,” Arsen says, shoving to his feet. He slams his hands on the desk. “I’m sick of you two bickering. Do you hear me? I’m sick of it. I get enough whining from Roman.” He picks up his drink and points at Sona, then at me. “You two are staying in this room until you work out your differences. When you’re done, you may both leave.”

“Fuck that,” I say, shaking my head. “That’s a waste of my time.”

“I’d rather cut off a toe than stay here with him.” Sona’s nostrils flare as she turns her back to me.

“Shut the fuck up, both of you,” Arsen says, sounding harsh and tired. “This is an order from your patron. Come to an agreement and stop arguing, or I’m going to replace both of you as my top advisors. Understood? Now, I’m going to visit my wife and kiss my son. You annoying pricks.” He storms out, slamming the door behind him.

Sona makes a scoffing, annoyed sound as she refills her glass. I note that she doesn’t offer to pour for me, but that’s probably expecting too much. We stand on either side of the office, eyeing each other.

“I killed him on purpose,” I tell her, smiling slightly. “I broke his knees and his hands and left him to burn.”

She sighs, shaking her head. “I’d say I’m surprised, but I’m really not.”

“Oisin didn’t know a thing. He was hiding in a drug den. He was nothing more than a knife for Liam and Seamus.”

“Then are you going after them next?” Her eyebrows raise questioningly. “Going to hunt down the McGrath brothers?”

“Thinking about it.”

“You can’t just kill the whole city, Tigran,” she says, losing her patience again. “You got away with it when the Brotherhood was first coalescing around Arsen because we needed a steady hand and a little terror to straighten out everyone’s loyalties. But now blood isn’t going to solve every problem.”

“Been working great for me so far.”

She takes a long drink and slumps down into a chair. “You want to know something fucked up?” she asks. I hesitate, then sit on a couch facing her. “For the longest time, I was jealous of you.”

That’s not what I expected her to say. That’s almost impossible to imagine, if I’m honest. She was always kind to Arsen when we were younger—although that changed as he grew up. But she has never been anything but dismissive toward me at best, and outright hostile most of the time otherwise.

“How’s that work?” I ask, cocking my head. “You were jealous when you treated me like a brainless animal?”

“Yes, actually.” She softens slightly as she stares at her drink. “Go ahead, laugh and make your stupid comments, but it’s true. You got to grow up with Arsen. My natural son. You were his family, and I was just… Aunt Sona. I was jealous of you because he treated you like a brother and protected you, while he was nothing to me. And I guess I grew bitter over the years.”

I let that sink in. A part of me can understand how that might be hard. “I was just a kid,” I tell her, shaking my head. “None of that was my fault.”

“I know,” she says, sighing. “I never said I’m a good person.”

“No good people for miles around here,” I mumble quietly.

“Listen, I think your methods are brainless and overly aggressive. But I can concede that you occasionally achieve good outcomes.”

“That’s just about the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

She flips me off and finishes her drink. “Arsen’s sick of our fighting. Are you going to be stubborn, or are you going to find a way to work with me?”

I don’t answer right away. I get what she’s doing. Give me a little personal story and make me think everything’s good between us. But in a day or two, she’ll be back to treating me with disdain.

But she’s right. Arsen wants the bickering to stop, and she is my aunt. We have to find a way to work together, even if I’d rather slice open her throat and kick her body into the harbor.

I can admit that she’s one of the smartest and best-organized people I’ve ever met, and we’re better with her in leadership.

“We’ll call a truce,” I say, feeling deeply reluctant. “But only because Arsen wants it. No more undercutting me. No more fighting you on everything you say.”

“Fine. Truce.”

I get to my feet. “Now, I’m going home to my wife. I’m betting she’s worried.”

Sona’s little smile drives me crazy. “You care about what someone else feels? I never thought I’d see the day.”

“Fuck off, old shrew.”

“Right back at you.”