Padraig glanced at Fallon with a glare. “I’d like to speak to my brother privately.”
“Not gonna happen,” Rowen said, bringing Vail closer to his body. “Fallon is under our protection. Ye don’t get to talk to him without our permission.”
Padraig’s face twisted with rage and the natural handsomeness seeped away with his control. He spun on Rowen and pointed at him. “I don’t need anyone’s fucking permission. He’s my brother.”
Cillian laughed, and to my surprise, Rowen joined in. Alone they were dangerous men, but together they were terrifying. They had Padraig glancing between them furiously, his face redder than I’d ever seen it.
“Leave while ye still can,” Rowen said, shoving Vail behind him as though he expected Padraig to attack. Vail struggled for a moment but finally went.
“Why the change in attitude?” Grady asked from where he stood off to the side, lingering close to the hallway. He was relaxed and positioned with his shoulder against the wall and his ankles crossed. With a very similar appearance to Fallon and Padraig, the only thing that set him apart was a mole on the right side of his jaw, big enough to be noticeable, and the fact that he was much shorter and stockier than his brothers. Then there were his eyes, a brilliant green versus his brothers’ blue. “You never gave a shit about him.”
“Aye, that’s true,” Rowen said, glancing at me. “But he belongs to Vail, just like the rest of us do, and what belongs to Vail belongs to us. So ye can kindly tell Padraig to feck off.”
Grady’s mouth twitched and he shrugged. “It was just a question. I don’t care what he does.”
Padraig spun on him. “You saw how angry Dad was.”
Grady grunted in laughter. “Well, he’s going to be even more pissed when he finds out his good son likes dick, too, isn’t he?”
Padraig staggered backward, and Fallon gaped at him, stumbling around me to stand closer to him, as if he needed to get a better look. I let him go this time because he deserved to be a man in front of Padraig when he confronted him about this.
“You’re gay?” Fallon started chuckling quietly before it warped into a full belly laugh. “You gave me shit about it andyou’regay?”
Padraig’s face turned red and his nostrils flared while Grady nodded.
“I caught him at the Virtue trying to book the time of a man named Angel, butAngeldidn’t want to see him and told him to fuck off.” Grady grinned. “Guess he did something to Angel.”
“I didn’t do anything to him, and his name isn’tAngel, it’s Finley,” Padraig snapped, his face flushing brighter as he tugged on his tie roughly, like he was trying to strangle himself with it. I’d never seen him react like this and couldn’t look away.
Fallon’s eyes widened and his mouth spread into a Cheshire cat smile, and I didn’t blame him. He finally had leverage on the favorite of his family.
“I know Angel.” Fallon took a few steps closer to his oldest brother, albeit stiffly. His bruises looked awful under the lights of the living room. “He’s friends with Lolli. He’s a whore there.”
Padraig stiffened as he slowly turned toward Fallon. “You didn’t....”
“What? Fuck him?” Fallon laughed and shook his head, but I didn’t miss his grimace of pain. “What does it matter if I did? You’re not gay, Padraig. Dad would never forgive you. Bet he’s pissed he can’t just run to Mr. Killough and make this all stop. I’d love to see that conversation. That’s why he sent you here, right?”
Padraig’s jaw tightened and his hands curled into fists at his hips. His mouth twitched and he took a step back with a shake of his head. “If you want to be unnatural, Fallon, with your scraps from a man who sleeps with four different men, then so be it. I don’t care anymore. I’ve tried to protect you for too long.”
“Protect me?” Fallon’s laughter grew louder, and he nearly tripped over backward, but I managed to grab him before he could fall. He hissed when I touched his back. “You’ve been fucking ridiculing me my whole life. Mocking me. You told me not to be fucking gay, that Dad wouldn’t like it, and now I find out you’re gay?” He sneered at Padraig. “Fuck you.”
“I’m not....” Padraig trailed off when I raised my eyebrows at him.
“Not what?” I asked in a gruff voice. “Gay?”
“Trust me, from what I saw, you and Angel had something going on. You were begging him to spend the night with you, and he refused. Told you to get the fuck out. They would’ve called security to escort your ass to the curb if I hadn’t been there to drag you away,” Grady said, lips quirking up to one side.
“Whose side are you on?” Padraig shouted at him, throwing his hands up in the air.
Cillian sighed and waved the gun at him. “This is getting boring. Leave. Don’t come back until ye learn some manners.”
Padraig stepped back and glared around at all of us, finally settling his stare on Fallon. He moved closer to Fallon, and I did, too, to offer Fallon support.
“Don’t be an idiot,” Padraig whispered, eyeing me, then returned his attention to Fallon. “Be gay, I don’t give a shit, but don’t share a man with these three assholes. You deserve better. A guy who loves only you.”
“Oh...,” Fallon said, dragging the word out. “So, now it’s not about being gay?” He tensed. “Or is it because we now know you’ve got something happening with a rent boy?”
“He’s not a rent boy,” Padraig snapped, an angry blush spreading across his cheeks again. “He’s a professional. A sex worker.”
