Page 86 of Honorable Sins

Someday, he'll lead the Shaughnessy Mob and he'll be a good boss. Just like his da.

"I couldn’t leave her with him."

"You made a promise."

He jerks his head in a nod, but his shoulders relaxed a little.

I pull him into another hug. Unlike the first one, he's stiff for a second but then he hugs me back and I kiss the side of his head. "And I’m so proud of you I can barely breathe."

"I'm proud of you too, mo mhac." Mick hugs our son too and then cups Fitz's face. "You didn't think I'd prioritize Sadie's safety."

Fitz's eyes drop from his da's. "Not over mine."

"You were right."

"Are you mad at me da?"

"Nah. You're my son through-and-through, but you're your mam's too and I think that's a fine thing."

Fitz grins, showing a little of the boy still living inside him. "I have to be, don't I? That's how genetics works."

"Aye, it is, mo mhac." Mick steps back and fixes Fitz with a stern expression. "Now, tell what security concerns have you identified."

And I realize my sociopath husband has decided to make this a teaching moment for our son. I have no doubt Mick is entirely sincere about listening to Fitz's concerns, but he also wants to test his heir's understanding of the situation.

Fitz doesn't hesitate before he starts firing off questions. "How did he know where to find me? How did he know about the Bunker? What other intelligence does he have that could put our people at risk? How did he get it?"

"Fair questions," Mick approves.

"If someone told him those things, we need to know who and silence them before they can tell anyone else," Fitz adds without compunction.

"The boy's right," Conor says, his tone laced with pure venom.

My attention expands to take in the others in the room. Brice is near the sink wiping blood away from his tattoo covered chest. My heart skips a beat but when I can't see any wounds on him it settles down.

Conor is wrapping the prisoner's feet with pressure bandages.

"What happened to his feet?" I ask.

There are no security cameras angled to see the short hallway that leads to the entrance to our tunnel. We make sure of it and always have done since the first cameras were installed on the subway platforms.

"Dad shot them." Fitz says it like he's telling me what he wants for breakfast.

In fact, there's less inflection in his voice now than there is then.

"He was trying to run. I wasn't in the mood to chase him," Mick says with the same lack of inflection.

Both seem excessive. "Wouldn't one have done it?"

"He made you cry." Mick's body moves behind me in a shrug.

I don't want to contemplate what Mick will do to punish the man for trying to take his son. I love my sociopath with my whole heart, but there are some things I never want to know.

"We need to know who else knows what he does," Fitz continues his list of security concerns.

And silence them too goes unsaid, but we all hear the unspoken words.

"Aye," Mick says.