“Ack, it’s all good. Tally doesn’t believe it herself some days.” Keegan laughs at our inside joke before his voice dips and hisplay falls away. “There’s no changing the fact, though, she’s an O’Connor.”
Of course, the message is for me, but in a lot of ways, it’s for them too.
“Have you got any solid leads on The Shamrock fire yet, gents?” Keegan asks as he leans over to shake the hands of the other three Alphas.
A rumble of thinly veiled contempt gets hidden behind false smiles, a shuffle of movement, and I get a waft of their malicious lies in their scents too.
Patrick’s eyes move towards Black, and I steady myself because, clearly, it’s going to be offensive, given the look they share.
“We’re more focused on Des Kelly’s disappearance. And his son’s abduction. Any assistance would be welcome, Keegan.”
Keegan’s hand skirts up my back before clamping around my nape possessively. His touch is more dangerous to my well-being than Patrick’s poor attempt at subtlety.
My husband’s voice is like that of an arctic blizzard when he speaks, frigid and terrifying. “See, we made it pretty clear that anyone touching our wife would be held responsible. Then we heard a rumor she did get touched, so in my mind, Des and Dessy got what they were due. We gave a warning. If we didn’t follow it up, we’d be looking like desperate Made Men and not the fucking royalty we are.”
“So, you’re admitting your involvement, then?” Black asks. His cunningness is as obvious as a fox’s red tail.
Keegan scoffs before staring through both Black and Patrick. “And where did I say that, then? Ya fucking useless twats.”
“Keegan.” I swing around, hoping to calm him down, not wanting this to escalate more than it is. For no other reason than it’s my first visit to the O’Connor family home. I don’t want to cause another scene today.
But Keegan’s not into letting this go. “Ronin!”
“Aye.” Ronin is suddenly behind me, appearing as if was hiding in the shadows.
He holds his hand up, pausing the greetings and any conversation, to lean down and steal a kiss. Not a peck, either. Ronin’s kiss is a show of possession and ownership. And goddamn, it sets my soul on fire. I get a small smirk before he undergoes a personality bypass, transforming from the Alpha I know to a goddamn powerhouse.
He stands close to me, but also between me and Black. Ronin looks at Keegan with clear entitlement and unbridled dominance on his face, waiting for an explanation.
“These eejits are thinking we had something to do with Des and Dessy Junior disappearing off the face of the earth. Black here, basically accusing me of being responsible."
Ronin is smiling. Of course. He’s happy as a lark on the surface, but I’m getting lost by what lies hidden and waiting. His Alpha is out for business, and I’m powerless against him.
Ronin must pick up on it, because his hand glides under my jacket, his thumb trailing over my back as a way to keep me anchored. The rest of his focus is squared at the conversation he’s been dragged into.
“Well, there’s one way to finish this once and for all.” Ronin's voice is low, full of endless, unspoken threats. “Keegan, did ya top Des for being a major snake in the fucking grass? And before you be answering that, you remember it’s a sin to be lying on a Sunday.”
Keegan throws his hands up in frustration. “As if I would lie on a Sunday, I’m a man of faith. I wasn’t the one to snatch Des Kelly and his son off the streets before they walked into The Shamrock a few days past. I was not the one to empty my gun into his thick fucking skull. I’d buy whoever did it a pint or two, though, because Des Kelly’s been thinking Paddy O’Connorand Paddy’s heir aren’t capable of ruling the Irish anymore, and that’s blasphemy.”
“Ack, it is,” Ronin agrees. “It’d be a really fucking stupid move on anyone’s part to think they could stage a coup. But the thing is, you should never underestimate the power of human stupidity. Or is it stupid humans?” he muses, but it’s not in a nice way. The dip in his voice as his Alpha threatens makes the air hard to breathe. His thumb presses harder against my body, another message, to stay strong and be stronger than the men he’s toying with. “We sort that out, then?”
“We weren’t accusing either of you of any involvement. We know the way things work here, Ronin. You’ll be forgiving us, I hope,” Black placates, but his apology doesn’t alter the contempt he has for Ronin and Keegan.
I look at the two brothers, and as I suspected, they wear the same obvious hate in their eyes. The older one, Sean, knows I’m watching him. With his and everyone else's attention on what Black is saying, he flips his jacket to reveal his detective badge before he taps a finger on his holstered service revolver.
His threat is obvious.
And this detective is both an amateur and a fool because Keegan sees it happening at the same time I do. Keegan’s hand brushes tenderly over the back of my neck again before he moves like a flash of lightning.
A second later, one of the ladies screams, but she’s the only one who is making noise. Around us, there’s a weighted and deafening silence as Keegan holds the revolver to Sean’s forehead before trailing it down and pushing it between his lips, forcing Sean’s mouth open.
“Sean, here, needs a transfer, Black. His invitation to walk our streets has been revoked.” Ronin’s voice is low like a whisper, but he delivers it like an Alpha bark with brutal intention.
I sway on my feet, immediately under the influence of Ronin. My mouth is full of the taste of his chocolate and pepper scent, while his presence is like a physical touch wrapping around me. All I can do is watch. Sean tries to hold eye contact with Ronin, to convey his level of hate, but Ronin’s too strong and Sean too weak.
“Get the fuck out of my father’s house.”
Black and Patrick don’t wait for a second, they walk off. Sean’s pride extends to his brother, and the two of them try to stare Keegan, and Ronin, down.
