Kiernan kept his gaze hard and pointed. “He’s one of my best employees. I offered him a job at my brickyard.”
The two men standing slightly behind Shaw had equally hard demeanors. Though they weren’t as broad or strong, they carried themselves with an air of dangerous nonchalance. Kiernan had seen it often in gang members, men who’d become so accustomed to violence and death that they no longer valued even their own lives.
“Torin Darragh’s a dead man.” Shaw’s threat was the same he’d thrown out the day he’d fought Torin in front of the glass factory back in the spring.
Kiernan gave what he hoped was a casual shrug. “If I find my best employee dead, I’ll know where to send the police.”
Shaw gave a casual shrug too. “The police won’t know where to find me.”
“I’ll make sure they look.” It was possible Shaw was bribing some of the police to do his bidding. But Kiernan would find the means to pay them better to do what he wanted.
He hoped the situation didn’t come to that with Torin dead and the police searching for Shaw. What Kiernan had really been hoping for was that Shaw would finally give up his vendetta. But was it only a matter of time before Shaw found a way to kill Torin?
Most likely it would take money to get Shaw to leave Torin alone. “How much do you want?” Kiernan didn’t have money to spare at the moment. But if paying Shaw would resolve the issue and keep Torin and Alannah safe, then Kiernan would figure out a way to come up with the necessary funds.
Shaw exchanged a glance with his companions, a slight grin curling up his lips. “I like this fellow.”
The feeling was not mutual. “How much?”
Shaw’s grin inched higher. “I want Torin’s sister.”
There was no blasted way Kiernan would ever let Shaw have Alannah. “It was clear she didn’t want you.” He was referring back to the day Shaw had kissed her in front of the factory, a memory that burned through him every time he thought about it.
“She’ll have me.”
No she wouldn’t. Kiernan forced his hands not to fist. “Find someone else.”
“Alannah Darragh is the most beautiful woman in St. Louis, and I don’t want anyone else.”
Why was Shaw being so persistent? “We don’t always get what we want.”
“I do.”
The frustration was only swirling faster inside Kiernan. If he wasn’t careful, eventually he would say or do something that would reveal how much he knew about Alannah and how much he cared about her. Because aye, he did care about her.
“I’m planning to marry Alannah,” Shaw continued. “I’m ready to have a wife and kids.”
The thought of this man doing so with Alannah sent chills through Kiernan. “And bring them the danger of gang life? No.”
“I’ll be able to give them anything they want.”
“They won’t ever be free, and you know it.”
Shaw’s gaze turned sharp, almost lethal, and his grin disappeared. “Ten thousand dollars.”
Kiernan released a scoffing laugh. Ten thousand? The amount was exorbitant. Kiernan would never be able to amass that much. He’d never be able to amass even half that amount, not even if he begged his da for it.
“Nobody leaves the Farrell gang without paying.” Shaw holstered his gun. “And the cost is always steep.”
Too steep. Alannah or ten thousand dollars. If Shaw didn’t get his payment, he’d kill Torin. That was becoming all too clear. Kiernan was also afraid that Alannah would give herself over to the gang leader in order to save her brother. She’d suggested it after the threats outside the glass factory. Thankfully, Torin hadn’t gone for the idea. And Kiernan hadn’t either, and he never would.
The trouble, now that Shaw knew Torin was at the brickyard, was how long before he learned where Alannah was? Even though Kiernan had warned Mam and the other servants not to say anything, how could her presence at Oakland stay a secret forever?
Maybe he’d been foolish to stand in the way of Bellamy matching and marrying her off. At least with another man, she’d be safe from Shaw. And her safety was the most important thing.
Kiernan shifted his horse. “Stay away from Torin and his sister, Shaw.”
“Or what?”
