“Lor was manipulated by you.” Sloan stepped forward, and I moved with him, prepared to get between them if I had to—or save Sloan from collapsing if his injured knee gave out. I didn’t think Sloan would hurt Fionn. At least, I hoped he wouldn’t. “His cousin. A man he’s supposed to trust. You didn’t give him the entire story, which makes the situation even worse. What happens if Carmine finds out the truth? What if he believes the rumors about Lorcan being my half brother? What if this is a bid to control the next heir to the Killough Company? You putyourselfin the crosshairs if word gets out. What right did you have to make this decision?”
“You,” Fionn snapped, raising his chin. “I am your apprentice and you gave me control of the Company while you were away.I did the best I could to protect our interests. You’re angry, but you’ll realize we needed to do this.”
“You’re right.” Sloan grabbed his face between his fingers, and I tensed as he moved in close so their noses were nearly touching. “That was my mistake. You’re not mature enough to run my empire. Why didn’t you discuss this with Conall?”
“Sloan,” I warned in a low voice. The hair on my arms rose as anxiety spiked through me. I laid a hand on his shoulder. “We can handle this.”
“Can we?” He shot me a chilly look. “Because my nephew is right. We can’t back out now and the rumors are circulating about Lorcan. Now Lor must marry the enemy. Carmine may suspect he’s my nephew.” His gaze slid back to Fionn. “All because of a little boy’s jealousy.”
“It wasn’t?—”
“Don’t lie to me, Fionn. You know I hate liars.” Sloan stepped back and shook his head, baring his teeth. Another flinch of agony. He wobbled but held up a palm to me when I went to help him. “I had faith in you to do things the way I would’ve, but instead you failed on your first test.”
“What would you have done?” Fionn rubbed his face, hurt in his eyes.
“Called them on their bluff.” Sloan’s voice rose slightly, the fury in his tone seeping through and infecting his words. I’d never heard him so angry, the tight, controlled man I’d fallen in love with was breaking apart. What had Rikers really done to him? “Instead, you let them fuck you. And not only you, you used your cousin as a whore.”
“Sloan,” I yelled sharply, surprised and horrified by the venom. I gaped at him. “Stop. This isn’t helping.”
“Did you know?” He whipped around to look at me. “Did you help him?”
“Of course not.” I shifted away as though he’d physically hit me. It felt like he had with that accusation. “I wouldn’t make that kind of decision without you and the fact that you asked me is insulting.”
This wasn’t helping Fionn get out of Sloan’s line of fire.
I shook my head and moved between them. “I’m not saying what Fionn did was right, but it’s done and now we need to handle it. Can you talk to Carmine? They’re a homophobic bunch. Why would they want their pride and joy to marry another man? Even if he did know Lor was your nephew, which I doubt, it doesn’t make sense.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Sloan growled. He brushed his palms over his face. “Damn it, Fionn.”
Fionn dropped his chin when I glanced toward him. “I thought that by being my heir, he had a duty to the Company. He volunteered himself. Maybe I messed up and I do feel horrible for it. But I didn’t manipulate him.Hemade that choice. Not me.”
A realization hit me. “Is that why he shaved his head?”
Fionn shrugged, pain lancing over his face. “Possibly. He hasn’t talked to me much since we made the agreement.”
“And what would you have done if he didn’t agree?” Sloan asked with a somewhat controlled tone. He’d pulled himself together, which I was grateful for.
“I would have found someone. I didn’t expect him to offer himself up as a sacrifice. I don’t know him very well, do I?” Fionn set his jaw tightly, the confidence solution to the problem reminding me of Sloan even more. “It was my job to make business decisions. I learned from the best.”
“Clearly, you haven’t learned a thing,” Sloan drawled. He snatched the paper from Fionn and waved his hand impatiently. “Get out. I don’t want to see your face right now.”
Fionn’s eyes widened and despite bowing his head and doing what Sloan asked, I couldn’t help but notice that he walked out of the bathroom like a puppy that’d been kicked. While I didn’t agree with what he’d done, I also felt sorry for him, too.
Sloan groaned and laid the contract on the counter before falling back onto the chair near the sink. He dropped his face into his hands. “Every time I think he’s learning, he does something stupid.”
I didn’t think Fionn’s decision was set in stone yet. Maybe we could rescue some part of this situation. It wasn’t like Sloan to sink into anger instead of problem solve, but he’d beenoff since he was released from Rikers. There was a wildness about him I wasn’t used to seeing. His control wasn’t as locked down. I laid a hand on Sloan’s head and scraped my nails over his wet scalp. He shivered, and I reveled in the reaction I dragged from him. “Should we talk to Lor?”
“No.” Sloan placed his hands together with his elbows on his knees—careful of his injured one—and pressed his lips to fingertips in thought. “We let this play out. See what Carmine’s up to. We can’t let Lor know the truth. Not now. We keep an eye on things, make sure Carmine’s son treats Lor with respect, and we watch, wait, and be patient. If the Italians step out of line, we have a reason to bring him home.”
“Shouldn’t Lor know what he’s getting himself into?” I frowned as I went to my knees in front of Sloan, stroking his thigh to calm him down. “It’s not fair to him. And if Vail finds out?—”
“You can blame Fionn.” Sloan grunted. “For now, we go through with the wedding.”
Fuck. Could Lor handle marrying a stranger?
EPILOGUE
CONALL
