Conan looks at Rian. “They’re right. This can’t stand. It will make us look weak and stupid. Do you think they would have done this if Sloan was still alive?”
We all know they wouldn’t. Rian is a dangerous man. He has probably killed more people than anyone in this room. He sure as shit kept this family together in more ways than people probably realize, both before and after Sloan’s death. No one could control Sloan, but Rian came close. Since Sloan’s death, however, some have tried to test us, wanting to see if the O’Sheas held the same power as we did with Sloan at the head. We have passed every one of those tests, just like we’ll pass this one.
Rian runs a hand through his dark hair. “We’ll hit themtonight.”
“Do you have a plan, then, Uncle?” Tiernan asks. “Because I won’t risk them on a whim.”
“I’m not an idiot, Tiernan. I know what I’m doing.” He pushes away from the fireplace. “Flynn has been watching them all day.” He’s another person Rian trusts. He’s known Flynn since they were kids. “They’re at the warehouse by the docks still. Everyone in this room knows their way around it. Flynn will let us know how many and where they are. We go in, take them out, send a message to anyone who wants to fuck with us, and be done with it.”
“Let’s fucking go.” I push out from under Cil’s arm and shove the spinner in my pocket.
We’ve done shit like this a hundred times. Hell, we did it not that long ago when we went after the guys who hurt Ollie, only these dealers will be more of a challenge. Still, there’s nothing unfamiliar about making quick attack plans, touching base with Flynn, going over the building blueprints, and arming ourselves to the teeth.
My pulse doesn’t stop racing the whole time, this giddy, excited feeling taking root in me. I’m not blind to the kind of person this makes me. I know I’m fucked up. I’ve always known I’m broken, and there’s no changing that now.
“You good?” I ask Cillian as he loads one of his guns. He has Ollie to think about, a new factor for him. At least with Tiernan, Dean is always by his side.
“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”
I shrug. “Because of Bunny.”
“He knows who I am.”
He does. And he’s still here because he loves Cillian. “But that doesn’t mean you never worry that one day he won’t be…or that something will happen to you and he’ll be left alone. It won’t. I promise you, Cil, you will always be the one who makes it home. I’ll make sure of that.”
He curses, grabs me and tugs me close, pressing our foreheads together. “Don’t say shit like that. Your life is just as valuable as mine. You think I’ll ever let you get hurt? You know I won’t. We’ll both always make it home. I refuse to allow even the possibility of anything else.”
I nod. There’s another secret I’ve been keeping from Cillian—I know he considered walking away from it all for Ollie, and if Ollie had let him, he would have. I’m not upset with Cillian for that. He was willing to do for Ollie what his father could never do for his mom…what mine would never have done for my mother. I can’t be upset because I know Cil would have hated it, it would have killed him to leave this behind, to leave me behind. I guess that too is what love is, being willing to sacrifice your happiness for someone else’s, and because of that I’m even more determined that Cillian will grow old with Ollie.
“Then let’s fucking kill these sons of bitches so you can get home to your boy.”
He grins, the fire I’m familiar seeing blazing in his eyes.
He slides the magazine into his handgun. “Yes. Let’s fucking do it.”
*
I hear thewater lapping at the shore in the distance. Other than that and the occasional bird, the docks are silent, the buildings dark and abandoned hours ago, all except one. Two men guard the front door.
Cillian and I give it a wide berth, each one of us coming at it from the sides of the building. Two bullets to the back of their heads, quick and easy, thank fuck for silencers. We grin at each other, and Cil uses his comms to tell the rest of theguys the front is clear. Seconds later Dean and Tiernan give the okay for the back. The cameras have been disabled by Finan, so we don’t have to worry about that.
Cillian opens the door, and we rush inside. A guard goes for Cillian, but I jump on his back, pull out my knife, and stab it into the side of his throat. Blood rushes out, spilling all over my hands before he drops to the ground.
“Really?” Cil asks. “Couldn’t use your gun?”
“What if I accidentally hit you?” I tease, and he chuckles.
It’s a madhouse inside, but they didn’t have many men with them here, so it doesn’t take us long to kill who we want and capture the rest. Rian wanted Alex alive, so the guy’s currently sitting in the middle of the warehouse floor, his arms and legs tied together, surrounded by us. Dean has a black eye, Cillian bruised knuckles and a cut on his hand. I took some nasty kicks to the ribs, but other than that, we’re fine.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know?” Rian asks, a coldness to his voice deadly enough to scare anyone.
“What are you—” His words are broken off by Rian kicking him in the face. Alex falls onto his back, blood pouring from his nose.
“Don’t fucking play games with me. You thought you could take advantage of us, and now you’re going to die.”
Tiernan joins Rian, and they kneel beside Alex. “I may have hated him, but I am my father’s son.”
Rian’s gaze shoots to T, clearly surprised by his words. Tiernan shouldn’t have mentioned hating Sloan, not in front of Rian, Finan, and Flynn. Conan will lose his shit, but then, just hating him doesn’t mean he had anything to do with his death. Anyone in this room would have to be suicidal to accuse Tiernan of that.
