I shrugged.
Killough stared at me, and I felt my breath catch. I wasn’t scared of him exactly. In a fair fight, I wasn’t sure which of us would win, since neither one of us would play fucking fair. I respected Sloan, liked him, even, but I didn’t want to let myself forget who he was to me. “What are ya thinking about so hard over there, Boss?”
He smiled and glanced down into his glass. “I expect answers to my questions.”
“Ya haven’t asked any,” I said and winked.
He laughed and the sound sent a tickle through me. He was a handsome man, even with the scar on his face, and I liked being entertaining to him, but I also didn’t want to push my fucking luck.
“Did ya ever meet Forrest’s twin?” I asked.
Killough met my gaze with his icy blue one and slowly shook his head. “Can’t say that I have.”
“Well, if you’ve seen Forrest, you’ve more or less seen him.”
“Ah, so gorgeous, then?”
I nodded.
“Why didn’t you bring him here, if you wanted him?” Sloan said that so casually, like Hunter was a nice piece of art.
“It’s not that simple.”
He shrugged a shoulder, and the tilt of his mouth told me that maybe he thought otherwise, but then again, from what I’d heard, he’d more or less just pointed at his pet, Conall, and said to get in the car. Maybe things really were that simple for Killough.
“Will this be distracting you from business?” he asked casually, and my blood ran cold. Yeah, I didn’t want to fuck around here.
“Not if I can help it. The wee devil ran off to New Gothenburg. I won’t be able to make time in my schedule to get there for another month, probably, and by then….” I hated to think that he’d be on to someone else by then, but maybe he would. And if I couldn’t even get the boy to answer my phone calls, perhaps I was deluding myself.
The light tinkling of ice cubes drew my attention back to Killough. “We have business there. You could take care of it for me. The motorcycle club situation could use your special touch. There are so many conflicting interests in the area, I hate to send someone who can’t reason their way out of a paper bag simply because they’re decent muscle. Someone like you, congenial, able to charm. Yes, you might be just who I need in New Gothenburg.”
“Ya think I’m charming, then?” I gave him my best smile.
“Yes.” He was so good at being deadpan, if I didn’t see the way the corners of his eyes strayed toward a crinkle, I wouldn’t know he was amused. “King’s been trying to get the airport to be useful for some time, and I have an interest in that happening as well. It might be a solution to some of our shipping issues.”
“King hasn’t been able to crack it?”
“No. I’m not sure on the details of why, but no.”
“Ya want to run what through there? Drugs are more difficult in the air.”
He gracefully lifted one eyebrow and took another sip of his drink. “See what you can do. It wouldn’t hurt if you were out of the city for a while, after your performance in Queens. Bravo, by the way. I’ve been informed your stunt made the Interpol hot sheets. They’re not sure who they’re looking for.”
“Thank God for that. My ma would murder me if I told her I couldn’t fly home for a bit after the holidays.”
Sloan gestured with his glass toward me. “It’s settled, then. You’ll go there. New Gothenburg bears watching anyway. It’s a nice hub, and having it well-maintained is good.”
“Am I taking or leaving my men?”
“You meanmymen?” he asked, and there was a coldness to his tone that had me shaking my head at him.
“Sloan, ya tetchy fuck. We’re by ourselves here. Ya know exactly what I mean. Like I’ve ever given ya a hint I’m not a company man.”
He seemed to settle his arse down and relaxed back against his chair. “You haven’t. Take the ones you prefer for jobs. I’ll find something for the rest of them to do.”
Sloan seemed to be lost in thought. I decided then and there I’d better take Tadgh along, or he’d never forgive me, because I could already tell by the way one side of his mouth slid up that the boss was dreaming up some serious dredge work for the boys, probably just so he wouldn’t irk his own favorites.
“Yes,” he said, snapping to attention. He set his drink down on the desk. “King and the Harlots won’t appreciate an invasion, but a few men? They’ll have to live with it.” Theor elsehung in the air.
