“Your point?” I drawled, unimpressed. I didn’t like any man talking about my pet as though he knew him.Iwas the only one who got to understand Conall. Everyone else would meet death if they tried.
“Maybe we should set up a play date.”
Anger streaked across my chest, but I kept my cool by crossing my arms. “You’re not touching my pet.”
Reyes threw his head back and laughed. “Joder, Killough. I’m not talking about sexually. I’m satisfied with my Manny.”
He knew exactly what he was doing. Whether it was genuine or to piss me off, he wasn’t going to get an explosive reaction out of me. I shrugged. “My pet isn’t touched by anyone but me. He’s mine.” I stood and walked toward him, my injured knee almost giving out on me. If Reyes noticed the slight limp from the pain,he didn’t say anything. His smirk was enough to irritate me. “And we’re not friends. We’re not allies. We’re nothing. I hate you, and you hate me.”
“Why is that?” He asked simply. “Why do the Killough Company and the Reyes Cartel hate each other? I don’t think I ever knew the answer.”
I chuckled, but there wasn’t anything pleasant about it. “Your uncle killed my brother.”
Reyes stared at me for what felt like a long time. “And your men killed my cousin. She was a good person. Loved her family. She was a sister. A daughter. Don’t you think we’re even?”
I grinned unpleasantly. “We’ll never be even, Reyes. When we’re out of here, I’ll kill you with my bare hands. I can promise you that.”
He stepped back and opened his arms, smiling. “I tried. The bloodshed continues because you don’t have the balls to make another ally.”
“Not with your family. Never with you.” This was personal. He’d never know how much. Something in me died along with Eoin. My brother had been the good one out of the two of us, and I’d learned a lot from him. Could have learned more, too, if Jesús Montero hadn’t ended his life and robbed my nephews of their father.
Taffart approached us, eyeing Reyes with contempt as he passed me a piece of paper. I ignored Reyes as I opened the note, taking in the name that’d been written down. My judge.
I handed the paper back to Taffart. “Get this to Daire. He knows what he needs to do.”
Taffart didn’t incline his head. It was too dangerous for him to do it in public. Though, I could see how much he struggled not to. “Yes, sir.” His gaze slid to Reyes. “Is this bastard giving you trouble?”
“Reyes? No, he’s not a threat.” I smirked toward Reyes. “He’s a small prick in a big world. Nothing I can’t handle.”
My words didn’t seem to have any effect on him. He beamed at Taffart and twiddled his fingers in a wave as the guard took the paper and left again, his boots crunching over the slushy leftover snow. “I’m assuming that’s your judge or jury he has there. Smart. I’m doing the same.”
I ignored him as I lay back down on the bench seat. I waved my hand at Gallagher. “Another two sets.”
Gallagher moved back into position.
Reyestskedat me like he was my goddamned mother. With a wink, he strode away.
I watched him until he was gone, then sat up again before Gallagher could grab the bar. I gestured one of the men over, and Doherty—who happened to be Ronan’s cousin—stalked to me. He looked like Ronan, with the same blond hair and a similar handsome face, but he was older and had more brute force. He was Gallagher’s friend, and he went down for the same crime as Gallagher. Ronan’s familial relationship with Doherty was the only real reason Ronan got his job.
“Keep an eye on Reyes. I want to know what he’s up to at all times. Am I clear?”
Doherty glanced in the direction Reyes had gone and sneered. “Yes, sir.”
He left and I returned to my reps.
After I finished my sets, I wiped the sweat off my forehead and face with a towel Gallagher had found somewhere. I left my men in the yard when I decided to head for the showers. Usually, we had to wait for a certain time, but Taffart and other guards made it possible for me to use the facilities when I wanted. There were positives with this jail being in my territory. The guards and warden knew who they had to treat with respect. Well, all of them except Hanson.
But I had plans for him. I wasn’t oblivious. I knew Hanson would retaliate, and I even expected it to happen sooner rather than later. While most knew the law of where we were and who was available for a hit and who wasn’t, some also thought they were invincible. Or fear had them acting irrationally. Their belief that they could take on a mob boss like me would result in death.
While taking men with me was the smarter option, I was ready for what Hanson threw at me. The sooner it happened, the sooner I could make a point to the guard.
I walked through the hallways of the jail, the sounds of yelling and laughter filling the thick walls we were confined in. Banging joined with the voices, and I passed a cell where two prisoners were spit roasting another. The third moaned in a way that told me he wasn’t opposed to the attention. I snorted. Seeing that kind of thing wasn’t new in here. Sometimes it was forced, but most often the cons liked to get it when they could, even if they didn’t swing that way under normal circumstances.
I had no interest in joining in on any fun. I had my pet at home waiting for me. He was the only person I wanted to satisfy my needs. I’d had more than a few guys offer themselves to me, though, ready to be my bitch, but I’d turned them away with little interest. Conall would never find out about them, either. His jealousy didn’t come out often because he knew what he had, but it was a force to be reckoned with.
I turned a corner, gritting my teeth as a wave of agony swept through me from my knee. I was striding down another larger hallway when something hit me from behind. I stumbled forward, my sore knee giving out under me again, and crashed onto the floor. Cursing, I spun around in time to see another inmate jump on top of me with a shiv—made of steel and wrapped in masking tape—clutched in his hands.
Ah. There we go. Hanson’s cronies in action. He worked fast.
