To the left of the bed was a stone fireplace set into a wall that divided the bedroom from a sitting area that had tall windows, which looked out onto the lawn. Beside the gray leather armchairs was a door that I suspected led to the bathroom.
“Close the door. Shoot anyone who tries to come in here who isn’t Vail, Lor, Rowen, or Ronan.”
“What about Daire?” I asked, just to be a smart-ass.
Conall swallowed hard and his Adam’s apple bounced. The look he gave me made me want to apologize. “He won’t leave Fionn.”
I puffed out a long breath as he disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door.
Conall was dressed and ready to go by the time someone knocked. My heart was in my throat as I cracked the bedroom door open to check, and then I let out a huge sigh of relief at the sight of Rowen in a fresh suit.
He leaned his shoulder against the wall and smiled. “Wondered where ye went.”
Conall pulled open the door and breezed past us. “Come with me.”
Rowen and I shared a look and followed Conall. We weren’t like Irving and the other guys who might need to be convinced to take his orders. Conall was the only person here right now who knew everything Sloan was involved in, and I might not be smart about a lot of things, but I didn’t need anyone else to tell me he was the one in charge.
Once we were downstairs, Conall stopped in the middle of the white marble floor and waved a hand at a thin man standing at attention near the front door. His ramrod straight posture telegraphed his irritation. He shoved a hand through his graying hair and his brown eyes glittered with annoyance.
“Yes?”
“I assume you’re the messenger. Let’s go.”
The man frowned and followed us. Rowen dropped back so that he was walking behind the stranger. Conall took our little parade into Sloan’s office and went directly behind the glossy wooden desk. He stood, staring at the black leather executive chair, and I went around him to pull it out. He gave me a pained smile as he sank down onto the seat.
“You have a message for me?”
The man held out a white envelope. “Sidorov sent this. He asked me to find out who he should be communicating with on any important issues that arise.”
Conall rested his elbows on the desk and leaned his chin on his fists. “Sloan Killough is in charge of the Company. Sidorov knows that.”
The man shrugged. “Sidorov said Mr. Killough had been arrested. One of our guys saw them take him in cuffs from a hospital in Manhattan.”
“It’s not official yet,” Conall said coldly. “Everything is under control here at the Killough Company. Any information passed to me will go directly to Sloan. I’m Conall Morrisey, Sloan’s partner.” Conall held out his hand.
The messenger hesitated, then gave Conall the letter.
“If you need a response, you can wait near the front door,” Conall said, totally owning the dismissive tone I’d heard Sloan use a hundred different times.
“No need,” the man said, and he was quick to get the hell out.
The second the office door closed, Conall pulled his phone out of his pocket and sighed. “Fuck, I have a few missed messages. He might’ve been officially detained.”
Rowen shook his head as Conall checked his voicemails. Conall’s nose scrunched and he bared his teeth.
“Eyes are everywhere,” Rowen muttered. His jaw clenched as he stared at the envelope. “We need to be ready for anything.”
“They haven’t made an announcement, but Sloan thinks he’s going to be booked. They’re taking his personal items,” Conall said with a sigh, then tossed his phone on the desk. He ripped open the letter and his expression tightened. “What do you make of this?” he asked, handing it off to me.
Fionn,
I wanted to personally assure you that I will maintain all previous agreements made with Sloan.
~S.
Conall growled under his breath, and I handed the letter to Rowen.
“What aneejit. Before the boss is even behind bars, he does this?” Rowen’s eyebrows furrowed. “After the way the boss accused him of setting off that bomb, it’s shocking that he was so fast to proclaim his loyalty. Should we be concerned that he felt the need to tell ye or worried none of the other allies have done the same? Have any of Sloan’s generals contacted ye?”
