30
CARWYNN
It feltlike a bucket of ice water was poured over my head, shocking my consciousness.
Holy shit.Was Lochlainn really going to kill him? Like . . . right here, right now?
Of course, I knew Lochlainn was a thug and was powerful. But right now, I realized maybe I’d been underestimating just how dangerous he was.
Lochlainn theatrically looked around. “Looks like business has been good for ya, Caden.” He pressed the gun harder.
Caden let out a grunt.
“So tell me, why are the three crates that went missing—mycrates—in your establishment?”
“W-wait! No! I didn’t steal those! I?—”
Lochlainn cut him off. “I’m gonna count to three. One . . . two . . .”
Pogue’s back was hard-pressed against me, forcing me to stumble back farther, burrowing deeper into the crowd. Then the heat of his body suddenly left as he snuck toward the ruckus.
Behind Lochlainn, Keeffe let out a loud exhale, displeased with where this was going.
“I swear on the fates, I didn’t! They’re paid for—” Caden cried out.
Lochlainn eerily went still.
“It’s true,” Pogue said, casually striding up. “I refined some new product this morning. Figured this was a more suitable place for a trial-run. So I cut out the middleman and sold it to him directly.” He lazily adjusted his gold watch, as if none of this phased him.
A slightly pink hue touched Lochlainn’s face. Shock? Suspicion? Maybe fury? Whichever it was, he held steady.
Slowly, the gold pistol was holstered. Lochlainn’s eyes didn’t leave Pogue.
An audible breath expelled out of Caden. He palmed his forehead, visibly relieved to have his brains still intact. Shaking, he scooted off the bar.
Chest puffed out and a fire lit behind his eyes, Lochlainn stalked up to Pogue.
His voice was low and grating. “No one—not evenyou—touches my goods without my fucking approval! Pull that shit again and we’re gonna have one hell of a problem. Are we clear?” His face was a mere few inches from Pogue’s, burning holes with a glare.
“Crystal.” Pogue dismissively shrugged. “You got it,boss.” A faint smirk lifted the corner of his mouth.
I sensed Lochlainn didn’t believe him for a second.
In the blink of an eye, the intensity in the room eased. Lochlainn snatched a drink from the bar, throwing it back.
“All right. Now that that’s settled.” He slammed an apologetic hand down on Caden’s shoulder and shook it. “Why don’t we forget this ever happened and play a round of Rainbow Roulette. Drinks on me, ay?”
Caden nodded gingerly, still visibly trembling. “Of course.” He swung to face the bartender. “Make sure our guests are well taken care of.”
Lochlainn clapped his hands together, stealing the wary crowd’s attention. “Let’s have some good craic tonight, all right?”
Onlookers were suddenly all too happy to change the mood fromlet’s brawltolet’s have a ball.They started to cheer.
Lochlainn’s calculating eyes scanned the room before they stumbled right into mine.
“Well, look what the Dullahan dragged in!” he jeered. “Wouldn’t have expected to see ya in this kind of establishment.”
Finley’s head immediately spun, sights searching until they found me.
