Jamie turned in his seat and shook his head. “I don’t know much, all right? Sloan wants your eyes on the prize.” When Cillian opened his mouth, Jamie quickly held up his hand. “It has nothing to do with your boys. Fuck.” He ran a hand over the back of his head. “I don’t know the details. I only got a short message. Sloan was going to call me later and fill me in, but Fionn’s in the hospital. He’s been shot by either Thiago Reyes or one of his men. Not sure on who yet.”
“Feck. Fionn? As in Sloan’s nephew Fionn?” Cillian let out a breath and fell back against his seat. Anger radiated from him, his teeth clenched and eyes blazing with a violent fire. “Why weren’t we told?”
Jamie’s expression turned concerned. “Because we need to concentrate on this assignment, not New York. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get home and help them. Don’t think you’re the only one that would rather not be here. My Hunter’s there.”
“Where did it happen? Why?” I asked, the questions repeating over and over in my head. How did Reyes get into the city without the Company knowing? Was it a coordinated attack? There were too many things I wanted to ask Jamie, and it quickly became clear why he hadn’t told us. I preferred to behome, where I could do something to keep everyone I liked and loved safe.
Jamie looked at Corbin for help, but Corbin merely shook his head once. Jamie sighed and glanced back to us. “Reyes or his man shot Fionn for revenge. A family member for a family member.”
I blinked, the words echoing in my head. “He shot Fionn because we killed Noa.”
Jamie’s mouth turned downward. “Aye.”
“Fecking gobshite.” Cillian slammed his hand onto the leather seat at his side. “We need to go back to New York now. We need to find that fecker and chop off his balls and feed them to him.”
“No,” Jamie cut in sharply, the tone of his voice taking on the seriousness he used when he needed to lead. Most guys thought Jamie was a pushover, but he was a tough boss when he had to be, and he was fucking smart, too. There was a reason Sloan put him in charge of the illegal operations. “We’re neededhereto handle Joaquin. This is our assignment. We’ll help the Company by finally taking that wee shite out of the picture.”
“But Sloan needs us there,” Cillian argued, rearing forward again. I laid a comforting hand on his shoulder and was surprised. His muscles were bunched together, the pure fury making him taut. “We’re his best soldiers.”
“Goddamn it, Cillian, just listen to me, will ya?” Jamie’s fierceness met Cillian’s and it felt like a stare-off between two stubborn bulls. He pointed a finger at Cillian. “We’re doin’ what we’ve been told, and Sloan made it clear. Today’s the day we take care of Joaquin for good. That’s how we get our revenge. Thiago loves his cousin, and if we take out Joaquin, we hit Thiago’s Miami connections in the worst way possible. He’s the one propping up the house of cards.”
The fight against Jamie left Cillian and his shoulders slumped, but the anger was still there, plain as day. And that small concession was good enough for Jamie because he turned back and focused in front of us. Corbin stayed silent, but he usually did when it came to these types of things. He knew his position well and he was there to defend Jamie no matter what. If Cillian ever attacked Jamie—which hewouldn’t—Corbin was there to put an end to the matter, and I didn’t trust it not to be final, even among friends.
We stayed in silence for a while and when my phone buzzed, I checked it.
Fallon: Shit has gone down. Fionn’s been shot. It was the fucking Reyes Cartel.
A few seconds later, Vail finally responded, too.
Vail: I’m worried about Rowen and Fallon. Something happened. I’m with Conall, but something has changed. He’s upset and concerned and won’t tell me what is going on.
I replied to Vail after I showed Cillian his message.
Aspen: It’s fine, baby. Stay where you are and listen to the guys. Are they there with you?
Vail: No. They went out with Sloan and others earlier. Sloan told me to stay with Conall no matter what.
Aspen: Then stay there. Trust me. I want you to stay safe and everyone else does, too.
My phone buzzed and I stared down at the screen and Vail’s name that flashed across it. I hesitated before hitting Answer and placing the phone to my ear. “I can’t talk for long, baby. We’re on the move.”
“Are you and Cillian okay? What’s going on, Aspen?” Vail’s voice wobbled and it was low and quiet. His words came in a rush, though, the obvious panic bleeding through the line. “Conall won’t tell meanything. He’s acting like everything is fine, but I know it isn’t. I tried to call Rowen and Fallon, but they aren’t answering. They just texted me and told me to stay here with Conall. Fallon usually protects Conall, but he’s out there with Rowen. I’m so worried.”
The war raged inside of me. I wanted to be honest with him, tell him about Fionn, but I also didn’t know the situation back there. Keeping the news from Vail could be a way to make sure he was safe. I couldn’t risk his life.
“I came into another room to talk to you,” Vail continued, the distress in his tone increasing to the point that he sounded on the verge of a panic attack. “I didn’t want Conall to hear me asking you questions. But Aspen—”
I shushed him quietly. “Baby, take a deep breath. I know it’s scary, but I need you to breathe, okay?”
“Put him on fecking speaker,” Cillian demanded, reaching for the phone, but I kept it away from him and did what he’d asked. Cillian nodded in thanks. “Bug, it’s me.”
“Cillian.” Vail sighed in relief. “It’s so good to hear your voice. I miss you both so much.”
“We miss ye, too, but ye need to listen to us. Stay where ye are. Rowen’s a wee prick, but he’s got his priorities right. He wants to protect ye.”
“What’s going on?” Vail asked, desperation in his tone. “Do you know?”
Cillian glanced at me.
