“His father’s an O’Malley. Tiernan’s not a true Killough by name, either.” Fionn stood and crowded against my side, offering his support.
Tiernan stared for a long moment before he chuckled. “My mother’s a Killough. She’s Sloan’s aunt. That deserves respect.”
“Does it?” Daire crossed his arms. “Your mother’s not an integral part of our business, Tiernan. She lives off the Killough money through the inheritance from her father.”
“She is still part the family,” Tiernan growled out.
Senan stood behind his brother, eyeing us all carefully, while Kyran leaned his shoulder against the wall near the door, his disinterest even more obvious. He didn’t want to be here.
“Enough of this.” Fionn stepped around Sloan’s desk and fell into his chair. He leaned back, ease in his shoulders. He was a Sloan clone, calm and collected. “What do you have to offer us? We’re handling the situation, and Sloan will be out of Rikers soon.”
“You think we haven’t been chatting to your soldiers already? We met a couple for a pint last night at the pub. There’s tension in the ranks. They don’t trust ye or Conall to handle business. They were happy to run their mouths about it.” Tiernan gave Fionn a once-over, his mouth twisted. “We can help calm the storm before it becomes a hurricane.”
Fionn stood, quiet. He made his way around the desk again, and I watched him, curious what he’d do next. The sound of a slap echoed through the office, sharp and loud in the otherwise quiet room. Fionn stared up at Tiernan, eyes burning as he lowered his hand.
Tiernan touched his cheek, a moment of shock flitting across his expression, before he straightened his face to emotionless.
Fionn laughed. “Youdidn’t have permission to talk to our men. You’ve already gone behind our backs, which I can and will punish you for.” He rolled his shoulders and held out his palmtoward Daire, and like a well-trained second-in-charge, Daire passed him a pocket knife I knew for a fact was always kept sharpened. Fionn flipped open the blade, and the steel glinted threateningly. “Maybe I should start with your finger. Slice it clean off.”
Tiernan’s entire body tensed. He didn’t flinch, but he didn’t need to.
“Killoughs are stronger together, Boss,” came the sharp Irish voice behind Senan.
We all turned to look at Kyran, who was staring at his fingernails in boredom.
He raised his eyes to Fionn. “We’re not here to steal the Company, sir. We’re here to secure it. Let us prove it to ye.”
“What do you propose?” I asked, curious about Kyran now that he’d finally spoken.
“Let us help ye find the grass. We won’t faff around. This company is as important to us as it is to ye. We’re family. Ye might not like it, but we are. It’s our pride and joy, too.” His expression darkened. “If the Company collapses, we’re all in trouble. We’re Killoughs. We stick together.” He straightened from the wall and sashayed toward us like a model on a runway. Now that he was closer, I noticed a couple of beauty marks on his chin and how brown his eyes were. “We’ll bring ye the proof. Ye and Fionn execute them to teach a wee lesson.”
Fionn and I glanced at each other, and he pursed his lips. I gave him a small nod. I didn’t trust them, but Ronan could keep an eye on them.
Fionn returned his attention to Kyran. “Very well, but if you betray us, we’ll makeyourdeath the lesson.”
“Ye don’t have to worry about us,” Tiernan said, but that didn’t make me trust him.
A few days later, I got a phone call from the warden about when I could see Sloan, and the visit happened to be the same day he contacted me. So, I had Ronan arrange a ride while Iprepared. I’d offered to drive myself, but Fionn shot down the idea.
“Absolutely not. Sloan would kill us if we let you go alone. Take a Company car and Ronan. That’s an order.”
“Aw, you care about your papa?” I pinched his cheek, and he flinched away with a glare.
“I changed my mind. Go alone and get kidnapped.” The corner of his lips quirked, and I laughed.
“You’d miss me.”
By the time I was ready with a plug firmly shoved in my arsehole and made it downstairs and out the front, Ronan was waiting for me beside a black BMW. He inclined his head as he opened the back door for me.
“Sir.” He offered a tight smile.
I gave him a nod. “Thank you, Ronan.” I slid into the back seat and waited for him to come around to the other side. As soon as he was situated, the driver took off, and I settled in for a long ride. It was about an hour and a half drive, depending on the traffic, and considering it was a weekday, I didn’t hold hope for it to be quick.
I went from playing on my phone to staring out the window. I’d tried to have conversations with Ronan in the past, but when he was on duty, he was very stern. He took his job seriously, and Sloan appreciated that. So did I, but I missed conversation with him.
A weirdness swelled in my stomach and I rubbed a palm over my abs, not quite sure if the feeling was nerves or the illness I’dbeen fighting rearing its ugly head. My skin was clammy today and I hated how hot it was in the car, even though our driver had the air blasting at what I assumed was a nice temperature. Everyone else seemed fine.
Finally, I gave in to my body. I napped for half an hour or so. By the time I opened my eyes, yawning, we were pulling to a stop at the end of the bridge that led onto Rikers. Private cars were allowed across, but the warden said he’d have someone waiting to pick me up at 3:00 p.m. on the dot.
