He smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “Always, Pet. Now sleep. You need it.”
16
SLOAN
The walk down to my hidden basement felt a lot like a trip down to hell. Not my hell, it was more my heaven, but it certainly wouldn’t feel that way for a lot of men, including Lorcan Lee, who’d been cooling his heels for three days. Waiting. Wondering when the time would come that I’d visit.
Unluckily for him, that was today.
Aspen and Cillian were already waiting for me in the bricked pleasure domain, their hands clean but only because I’d told them to wait for me. If anyone drew blood from Lorcan, it would be me. I’d let him off the hook for many parts of his job because I’d promised my father I’d keep him as my advisor, but this time he’d gone too far.
Lorcan sat on a chair in the middle of the basement, wrists tied at his back and ankles restrained to the chair’s legs. His head was bowed, and his blond and gray strands were wet from sweat and hung in clumps around his temple. I wasn’t sure who he took after because I didn’t remember his mother, but he certainly didn’t look like Father with his narrow nose and thinmouth. His eyes, however, were a different story. They were as blue as Father’s and mine.
Lorcan’s gaze rose to meet me, jaw tense as he stared at me through those cold glaciers as if I’d be affected by them. I wouldn’t. His face was bruised, darkened skin forming around his right eye and cheek. I suspected either Cillian or Aspen or both had to do a littleconvincingto get him here.
I smirked as I waved my hand to Cillian, and he dragged another chair from the corner, settling it in front of Lorcan for me to sit down. I fell into the seat and crossed my arms, staring at the man that I’d never considered my half brother, even though he had my father’s blood in him. “I needed a reason to bring you down here, Lorcan, and you gave it to me on a silver platter.”
He snorted. “Any excuse would’ve done, Sloan.”
“See, that’s where you’re wrong. I made a promise to my father to keep you by my side.”
That information caught his attention. He shot a startled expression in my direction.
“Maybe one day he dreamed we’d be close. Like....” My smirk widened. “Brothers.”
Lorcan spat on the floor near my foot but didn’t dare to aim for me. He snarled, top lip curled up in disgust. “So, you admit I’m Niall’s son.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I did no such thing.”
I’d never liked Lorcan. He took after our father when it came to women. He loved them and didn’t care where he got his cock wet. The only good thing that came from him was Lor, but who knew how many other children he had in this world?
“I know it’s true,” Lorcan snapped, struggling against his bonds. Red splotches spread across his pale cheeks, and if my mom was alive today, she’d say the complexion was all part of the Irish heritage.
“How?” I flicked my hand toward him. “Tell me how you know.”
He breathed heavily, chest heaving and nostrils flaring. For the first time since I’d left Rikers, calmness slid through me. Confidence. Right here, right now, I was the boss. I had Lorcan exactly where I wanted him—a toy so disturbed that I could manipulate him.
“I went to your new hospital. Did some digging around. You’ve got blood on hand in case something happens to you or your bitch. Get it done every two months, I was told.” He laughed manically, and I had to give it to him, if he wanted to play a Bond villain, he had the role in the palm of his hand. His act was all very dramatic. But he wasn’t wrong, either. I had my blood taken and put aside for emergencies. The plan had its flaws, mostly because blood lasted for a short time and I could only give it every two months at a minimum. But I also had contingencies, too. Fionn had the same blood type as me—O negative, and I was preparing to ask him to join me in donating every odd month. Regardless, only a select few had access to my hospital stash.
There were smarter ways to get my DNA. Hair. Saliva. But Lorcan wasn’t the brightest bulb. Or maybe he enjoyed being this dramatic all the time. His decision only cemented the idea that he wasn’t cut out to be a Killough.
“Oh really, and who let you have it?”
Cillian and Aspen shifted, their bloodlust growing. I’d seen them in this state more than once. They were hungry for violence, one of the many reasons I kept them around. They were loyal, too, and my guess is that the thought of Lorcan’s betrayal had them ready to rip him limb from limb.
Lorcan bared his teeth. “I wouldn’t tell you that if you were cutting out my guts.”
I held out my hand, and within seconds, a knife was sitting in my palm courtesy of Aspen. I stood, kicking the chair away with my foot, and Lorcan’s eyes widened. He leaned back as I took a step forward. “Let’s test that theory, shall we,brother?”
“Wait!”
Well, that lasted a lot shorter than I’d imagined. He really did have balls the size of peas. I pressed the blade of the knife against his Adam’s apple, watching it bob as he swallowed. “Yes?”
“If I tell you who he is, let me go.”
I laughed, the sound echoing off the brick walls of the basement. “No. That’s not happening, Lorcan, but if you tell me, it’ll help you in the end. Nothing you say will get you out of this punishment.” I closed the distance until my mouth almost brushed his ear. “You threatened my pet, tried to have him killed. You’re going to die a very painful death.”
He shuddered. “Sloan?—”
