“And if he doesn’t?”
“Well, he has some family, doesn’t he? I’m certain you can get creative.”
“Of course.”
Cian sucks his teeth. “He has some valuable connections here in America I don’t want to waste, so the sooner the better.But I want you to make it clear to the man that I’m not to be trifled with. Either he pays in money, or we have his blood.”
I nod stiffly.
“I’ll take that executive suite,” Cian says as he ambles to the door, leaving the sweating glass of ice on my otherwise perfect desk.
“Of course,” I repeat.
“Your mother sends her best.”
When I forcemyself back to the present, Eamon is glowering at Gallagher from his place by the fire, radiating murderous energy. If he were a tiger, his tail would be flicking in angry annoyance.
“It’s a pleasure doing business with you, O’Connor,” Gallagher says with a pleased smile.
I amble toward him and offer a hand to shake, which he readily accepts. But what he doesn’t expect is the gun in my other, the barrel digging into his throat. It would be so easy to put a bullet in his brain.
I thought it would be hard the first time I ever killed a man, but it was easy. One pull of a trigger and I was safe. I could do it now and continue as I have been. Cian’s debt would be satisfied, and my mother and I would be safe.
But I don’t.
Because the one thing I want more than anything in the world is to see her.
And I’ll use this bastard to do it, marry his daughter, defy Cian. Risk everything.
“What the—O’Connor. I thought we had a deal!” His throat bobs against the unrelenting metal. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“Let me make myself exceedingly clear, you worthless piece of shite. The only reason you’re still breathing and not bleeding out onto the floor is because I’m allowing it. If you fuck this up, I won’t hesitate to let Eamon carry out his promise. You’re only alive because of my mercy. Do you understand me?”
“Not even a bruise. You could have at least drawn some more blood.” Eamon says petulantly. We ignore him.
“I said, do you understand me?”
“Yes, I understand. For God’s sake, don’t kill me. I understand. I understand!”
I release my grip on his hand, causing him to lose his balance and stumble backward. Wiping the sweat on my pants, I’m suddenly bone-tired and desperate for whatever remains of my bar. “You’ll bring your daughter for dinner tomorrow so I can ensure she’ll cooperate with your plan. If she does?—”
“She will,” he insists.
“—then the wedding will take place at St. Louis Cathedral at two p.m. next Saturday. My lawyers will draw up the necessary documents, and you can keep her inheritance to pay your debt. I expect your complete cooperation and silence on this matter. If you breathe a word of this to Cian before the ceremony, our deal is over. Do I make myself clear?”
Gallagher nods enthusiastically. “Absolutely. Tomorrow. I appreciate you working with me on this, O’Connor. I’ll have my assistant arrange whatever you need.”
I open the door to an empty hallway, more than ready to be rid of his pathetic, stinking presence. “Now leave before I change my mind.”
When he’s almost at the door, I call his name. “And Rory? Don’t even think about coming to the Emerald to test your luck again. You won’t be welcome in my establishment, and you’ll be thrown out on your ass if you try. We don’t accept men who don’t know when they’re in over their head.”
Gallagher may be an idiot to get involved with a man like Cian, but he’s got admirable survival instincts and a desperation to live I hadn’t accounted for. Like a cockroach. I stare in the middle distance long enough that Eamon appears next to me with another old-fashioned.
“Drink up. You’re going to want to blame this horrible decision on something, and it sure as hell won’t be me, because I tried to warn you. I hope you’ll tell that to your mother when she tries to kill me for not trying harder to stop you.”
I scrub a hand down my face and accept the drink. “She’d never kill you.”
“Like hell.” There’s a pause. “I still think this is a horrible decision,” he says.
