11
DECLAN
“What the fuck is it?”I grumble over the phone to Finn.
“Christ, if you’re going to be like this now, too, I’m going to need to host an intervention.”
“Oh, fuck off. What do you want?”
“Eoin’s been stealing from us. I have him indisposed at his apartment. I mean, if you’re too busy, I can handle this myself.”
“Eoin?” I parrot in surprise. This seems out of character for the young man who moved here not so long ago. He always kept his nose clean back in Ireland, so I was instantly skeptical when Finn said his name. “You’re sure?”
“Little lad seems to have a bit of a coke problem.”
“Shite. I’ll be there in twenty-five minutes.”
I don’t like the idea of this place going unprotected, so I text the one person I know who will come at the drop of a hat.
Me: I need you to come to The High Roller and make sure Elena doesn’t leave.
Lorcán: Why is no one stationed there right now?
Me: Seamus sent Cillian to Boston to handle things with the Connors, and Finn and I have a little problem we need to take care of.
Lorcán: I’ll get away as soon as I can. Anthony is on the warpath right now.
Me: I’ll give her a tracking bracelet tomorrow.
Lorcán: What?
Me: Later, Lorcy ??
The front door to Eoin’s apartment is open, so I let myself in, as one does, locking it behind me. I head over to where Finn is sitting on the couch, flipping through channels, while Eoin is duct taped to a kitchen chair not too far from him.
Eoin’s apartment is modern and on the outskirts of town, but it doesn’t seem as clean as it usually does. Mail is piled up on the counter, the trash is overflowing, and the place looks unkempt.
I wouldn’t say Eoin and I are particularly close, but I wouldn’t have guessed that he was a thief.
“Who has cable anymore?” Finn complains as he finds a music station and turns it up loud.
I click my tongue and shake my head at the man who is already crying, shaking his head while his mouth is taped shut.
“Are you crying because guilt is consuming you whole? Or because you know what happens to thieves?” I ask him.
Letting your own steal from you is a surefire way to have an empire fall. Seamus wants me to rule with his sons. Then well, I need to work alongside Finn, Cillian, and Lorcán to make sure our empire has a united front when it comes to future leaders of said empire.
He just mumbles some nonsense that I assume is his guilty conscience rearing to the forefront, but I could be wrong. It could be the knife that Finn is taking out of the knife block and bringing over to where he’s sitting.
“Your da was one of the best enforcers I’d ever seen,” Finn starts, looking at the glint of the knife. “He’d be so disappointed in you, Eoin. Did you spend all twenty-thousand on lines, or do you have some of it left?” Finn asks, and I harshly rip the tape from Eoin’s mouth.
Eoin gasps out a breath of relief as tears stain his cheeks.Damn, he broke down fast.If Finn gives him a second chance, there’s no way we can let him be privy to any major information if he’s going to crumble this fast, but maybe it’s the drugs.
“I don’t have any of it left,” he cries, knowing that lying won’t help him. It will only make things worse.
“How much does Eoin make a year?” Finn asks me.
“How would I fucking know?” I retort, I’m not Cillian. I don’t have random numbers saved in my head, let alone what Eoin’s legal and not-so-legal salary is.
