Outside, the second officer—Kelly, who happened to be some relation to Father Shay and Oisin Kelly—straightened when he saw me. He led my men back to our cells in the darkness of the night, though there were eyes watching us. They knew the drill. If they wanted to live, they needed to keep their mouths shut.
When Kelly locked me in my cell, I fell onto the bed and sighed, scrubbing my hands over my face. I dug under my pillow and pulled out the phone. I found Conall’s name and called him.
It took a few seconds before he answered.
He was panting a little too hard. “Sloan?”
“Pet, what’s wrong?” I sat up, my heart accelerating at his breathless, timid voice. This wasn’t my pet. He sounded scared.
He laughed, but it was quiet and heartbroken. “Nothing. I miss you.”
I didn’t believe a word he’d said. Fionn had been keeping me up to date with everything happening, and I knew for a fact there was something wrong with Conall. Fionn suspected he was depressed or anxious.
“Are you torturing yourself, Pet?” I growled out. “Because I willnotaccept that. You need to take care of yourself. This is an order, Conall.”
“It’s stress. That’s all. I swear, Boss. I’m fine.”
He sounded anything but okay. His voice shook and there was an underlying exhaustion in his tone that had a spike of worry streaking through me. Conall was shutting down.
I needed to get out of here. Fast.
“Did Fionn send you the pictures of his wedding? Here, I’ll message them to you.”
Usually, I wouldn’t accept his change of topic, but the phone buzzed, and I pulled it away from my ear, placing him on speaker so I could check the screen. Three photos of Fionn and Daire at a courthouse blazed to life. Fionn was wearing a deep violet three-piece suit, while Daire matched him in a dark blue. They stood infront of the judge, Conall at Fionn’s side while Aodhan, Daire’s brother, was at his.
My heart gave a painful throb. I should’ve been there for my nephew. While Fionn had promised they’d have a bigger, more eventful wedding after I got out, it didn’t hurt any less. Fucking Reyes. This was all his fault. Killing him wasn’t an option, though. He had his own men in here, and I owed him one for showing up at the right moment. I hated owing anyone a favor.
“They look good.”
“They do,” Conall whispered, his voice echoing gently around my cell. “Fionn was really happy when he became Daire’s husband. I’m so proud of him.”
I smiled, despite the annoyance churning in my stomach. “Me too, Pet. He’s become a mature young man over these last few months.”
He snorted. “Now, now. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
I laughed quietly.
“He’s still not playing nice with Lor, yet. Which reminds me, I’m kind of worried about him, too. I don’t think I told you. He turned up to the fight with a shaved head. All his hair was just gone. You know how he loves to dye it. The whole thing was weird.”
I heaved a sigh. Damn it. I hadn’t had a chance to talk to Lor, and I certainly hadn’t divulged the truth to him about his blood connection to me. He was a good man, and since I’d told Fionn, through Conall, to make Lor his heir, I hadn’t heard much about the situation. I wasn’t sure if Fionn had even told him about the position.
“Fuck.” I rubbed a palm over my face. I didn’t need any more issues right now.
Conall exhaled. “What? Do you know what’s wrong with him?”
“No, but that doesn’t matter right now. Listen to me, Pet, you’re changing the topic.” I’d talk to Fionn later and figure out what he knew. “You need to let Rory check on you.”
He sighed dramatically. “Sloan?—”
“No. This isn’t a suggestion. It’s a command. Fionn told me you keep promising to see Rory, but you haven’t. Take care of yourself. You are important to me. No more buts.”
“What if it’s my butt we’re talking about?” There he was. The mischievousness I missed.
“It’s a nice butt, not the kind we’re talking about.”
He groaned. “You’re so bossy.”
“Yes, and you love it, Pet.”
