Seamus might have questionable morals, but then Steel didn’t exactly have a halo over his head either. From what Steelhad seen of Keys’ research into the Gavigan family, Seamus was the most levelheaded of the lot.
The man’s dark brown eyes did not leave Steel’s torch lighter as Steel lit up his second cigar.
“Are you loyal to your father, Seamus?”
A black eyebrow raised. “What kinda daft question is that?”
When Kelly made to protest, Starbucks placed the gag that had been in Seamus’ mouth into his father’s. Kelly bit down on the plastic, like he could destroy the offending object with his teeth. After that failed, he stared daggers at his oldest, which both Steel and Seamus ignored.
Steel pocketed his lighter. “An honest one, and one that will decide your fate. I’m aware that your brothers and you had nothing to do with my daughter’s murder. So I am prepared to let you live.”
Seamus’ eyes narrowed. “In exchange for what, now?”
“Well, there are four of you, so I would need four things.” Steel puffed on the cigar, trying to use the earthy scent to center himself. “First, I want the man who pulled the trigger. Therealname, no patsies.”
“And how do you propose I get that information?” Seamus asked pointedly. His eyes went to his brother, who was still gagged and noisily having to swallow back down his vomit.
“That’s your problem, not mine,” Steel informed him. “Eoin is not the only one who would know that answer.”
Seamus looked Steel up and down. “Ye said four things. What else?”
“Second, I need to know if the shooter was alone in the cage or if there was a driver too.”
“And I would assume neither of these men will be seeing tomorrow’s sunrise?” Though phrased as a question, they both knew it wasn’t.
“They won’t be the only ones. Which leads me to the third demand: you and your brothers will agree to never retaliate for the death of your father and brother. Either against myself, my family, or anyone else here.” Steel leaned down and added, “And I should warn you, I have a very large family.”
Seamus’ eyes glanced directly behind Steel. The hint of ginger hair in his peripheral told Steel it was Ghost behind him.
“And the fourth demand?” Seamus asked.
Steel touched his breast pocket, though he did not take the photo out again. “You will get my daughter’s name branded onto your arm, so there will never be a question of you forgetting this moment or my generosity.”
Seamus’ chin shot up. “Yer mental! I ain’na gettin’ no brand on me arm!” The man’s accent thickened with his anger.
“Then you stand with your father,” Steel countered. “Congratulations, Seamus. You’ve proven yourself to be a loyal son.”
As Steel made to step away from Seamus and towards the next oldest brother, Fergal, Seamus called out, “Wait!”
Steel turned, smoke billowing out around him. He said nothing, though, as Seamus clearly was trying to contemplate his next move.
“Make it her initials, and ye have yerself a deal,” Seamus offered.
Steel, though, was not in a negotiating mood. “Not good enough. Full name, or I go see if Fergal is as loyal to your father as you are.”
Seamus’ jaw tightened, and he seemed to have to force it open to say, “Fuckin’ hell,fine. Now, I assume yer gonna let me out of these,” he indicated to the thick rope connecting him to the metal chair around his arms, “so I can get ya the fuckin’ name.”
Steel nodded once. “We will. But first…” He turned in time to see Poison walk into the room with a blowtorch and what looked to be a fire poker with an unusual end. “A friend of mine welds metal for a living. I asked him for a very specific item, and thankfully the man works fast. It was delivered yesterday.”
Cage stepped forward to hold the poker while Poison started to light the end. It wasn’t long before the metal started to glow red.
Seamus’ eyes widened. “The fuck?!” He bent backwards in the chair, like he was trying to get as far away from the flaming hot metal as he physically could.
“So you can’t change your mind,” Steel explained as Starbucks took a step to his left. In a quick motion, he flipped open a butterfly knife with a twirl before cutting through Seamus’ shirt, revealing the man’s bicep.
Seamus looked to his brothers, but his eyes never strayed from the torch for long. The brighter the metal became, the more Seamus started to sweat. Steel honestly thought the man was going to back out—which was no skin off Steel’s back—when he saw Seamus catch his father’s eye. The pure hatred that radiated off of Kelly seemed to steel Seamus’ resolve.
Like the flick of a switch, Seamus squared his shoulders, gripped the arms of the chair with white-knuckled fingers, as he took several short, huffing breaths. “Let’s do this! Come on!” he shouted, hyping himself up.
