“We could take him quietly,” I murmured, thinking about the possible outcomes. I was usually best in the strategic stages when I had Cillian and Aspen to bounce ideas off. “Torture him, then throw him near the Hudson.”
“Isn’t that a little overdone?” Fallon laid his cheek on my shoulder, and I smiled at him. “I mean, no offense, but we do that a lot, and so do the Italians. For a cartel boss like Reyes, we need somethingnew. We need to tell our enemies that we’ve held the East Coast for a long time, but there’s a reason why. We change with the times, too.”
Sloan chuckled. “I like how you think. Do you have any ideas?”
Fallon grinned wide. “Leave his guts all over the city. In pieces. It’ll make world news, especially once they realize it’s all one guy, and not just anyone, either, but a cartel boss.”
I snorted. “This isn’t a movie, wee rabbit. As much as I enjoy the idea, there’re cameras everywhere. We’d hafta know how to evade them while dropping off these bloody pieces. Cops these days have advanced technology. They can check for patterns.”
Fallon rolled his eyes. “Then make sure there’s no pattern for them to trace. Different cars for every drop off, different men, and differentpackaging.” He lit up, sitting straighter. He managed to keep his voice low, though. “Let’s deliver his organs to our enemies around the city. The ones who are pushing boundaries.”
Maybe it was the late hour, but I was beginning to like the idea—a lot. “It could work. We could... torture him and cut him up at Mount Pleasure. We’d have to be careful not to be caught by cameras when we pass the parcels off to be delivered.”
Sloan raised his glass of whiskey. “Cheers, gentlemen.”
Daire came back, dropping my drink and Fallon’s beer down in front of us. We took the glasses immediately, raising them. Daire sat down beside Fionn, and they did the same.
As we went to take a drink, the bar’s massive wooden front door opened, and I froze with my glass halfway to my mouth. I dropped the vodka and 7UP back onto the table, and Sloan’s attention went from me to the man I was staring at.
Thiago Reyes—Cartel boss and pain in our fecking arses.
Sloan stood immediately and so did about twenty men dotted around the room. Our men. I hadn’t realized Sloan had brought quite so many reinforcements, but I shouldn’t’ve been surprised. He’d always been prepared. Even though I knew he had an army guarding Conall, I didn’t quite expect him to have more than a couple of soldiers here.
But now I was glad he did.
Thiago Reyes walked through the Irish pub like a man who owned the city, flicking an imaginary piece of dirt off the shoulder of his deep violet striped suit. He looked very satisfied with himself and a devilish smile took over his sharp face. His hair was longer than the last time I’d laid eyes on him, and the brown strands hung loosely around his shoulders. While scanning the room with a vigilance I would expect from a man of his reputation, he strode toward us. At least a dozen of his men stalked in right behind him, including one I knew as his cousin, Rafael.
“Sloan Killough.” Thiago stopped in front of our table and smirked.
“Thiago.” Sloan’s eyes glinted with meanness. “You’re in my territory.”
“And you killed my cousin.” Thiago’s mouth twitched and it was a small sign of weakness. Noa’s death had affected him, even if he didn’t want to show it.
“It was a shame that we got the wrong cousin, but all’s fair in love and war.” Sloan crossed his arms. The bar had gone silent, and the guests who had no part of this conflict watched, unaware ofwhothey were getting a show from. “Next time, it’ll be a brother or... a lover.”
Thiago’s mouth twitched harder. “Do you think you’re upsetting me by threatening Manny? He has balls, Killough, and he doesn’t need to be hidden away, guarded by twenty-seven men.”
Sloan stiffened. The only way Thiago could know how much protection Conall had was if he’d checked or maybe tried to get past our security.Feck.
I bit the inside of my cheek and shifted my shoulder to feel the weight of my gun in my holster under my suit, reminding myself it was still there. I was armed and so was Fallon.
Sloan took a step forward and the men from both the Cartel and Company stilled. Everyone was waiting for the inevitable bloodshed. “If you go near my pet, Reyes, I will cut you up into small pieces and feed you to your beloved Manny. He’ll know that every bite he takes is a part ofyou.”
Thiago grunted. “I want compensation, Killough.”
Sloan laughed. “Like I said. It’s war.Youstarted it by approving collateral damage and hurting my pet.”
I swallowed, the hair on my arms standing up in anticipation. I checked Fallon from the corner of my eye, but he was beside me, alert like I was, and I couldn’t be prouder. In front of me, Fionn and Daire gave Sloan support, and to my surprise, Fionn didn’t look as drunk as he had moments ago. Seeing Thiago would sober anyone in the Company, though.
“Don’t make me shoot you here in this good establishment,” Sloan murmured, loud enough for us to hear. “I don’t want to cause issues for the owner.”
Thiago’s jaw tightened. His mouth curled smugly. “You won’t, but you don’t care about anyone else’s bottom line. There are too many witnesses. And cameras.” He jerked his head up to the corner of the room where there was a small security camera pointed at us. “You and me. Outside. Fist fight. No weapons.”
Fallon broke out into laughter, earning a glare from Thiago. “Is this the fifties?”
“If it was, a washed-up entertainer like you would be sucking cock for a living, not sitting at a table with real dangerous men.”
I pointed my finger at him. “Watch yerself.”
