Page 83 of Finn

“Mo chroí. Is everything all right?”

Her gasping breaths let me know it wasn’t.

I held up my hand, effectively silencing the men behind me and switching to speaker.

“Una,” I said, keeping my voice calm. “What is it?”

Niall was on his feet, his phone to his ear. He stepped in the hallway, and I knew he was calling Tom.

All I heard was her panicked breathing. I could feel her terror.

“Una,” I repeated.

Niall walked in, shaking his head furiously. My heart dropped. I pointed to the door, and he nodded, knowing what I needed.

Backup at Una’s.

Now.

Then I heard it. A low, ugly laugh. Then a voice I recognized even with his over-the-top accent as he mocked me.

“Top o’ the morning to ya, Finn.”

I shut my eyes, reining in my fear and my anger. “Brian.”

“Isn’t this cozy?” he said, his words fast and hard. “Me, my little sister, and your dead guard.”

I heard Una whimper.

“Don’t hurt her, Brian. Jesus, man, you know how much she loves you.”

His laugh was bitter. “To a point, sure. But did she use you for what I needed? No. She got her cushy job. Her fucking place to sing. A nice place to live.”

“She worked for all that,” I said, not wanting to argue with him and make him angrier, but needing him to stay on the line. I needed time to get to her.

“I fucking worked too. Did I get the recognition? The bump up the ladder? No, it was always ‘fuck Brian.’ You think I don’t know that?”

“I’m sorry,” I lied. “I’ll come there, and we’ll talk it through.”

“Yes.” Una spoke, her voice shaky. “Finn will help you. I told you that. He’ll figure out what to do with the drugs you have hidden here, help get you clean, and we can forget all this!”

Drugs he had hidden?

I ground my teeth as I heard the sound of a slap and a pained gasp from Una.

“Brian,” I warned.

“Brian,” he mimicked. “I’m done listening to either of you. I want to just shoot her.”

My blood ran cold. “You can’t kill her. Your dad would be horrified. That’s not what he taught you. And I would hunt you down, Brian. I swear to God⁠—”

He interrupted me. “Ah, don’t worry, Finn. I ain’t gonna kill her. She’s worth far too much alive for me to do that.”

“What?”

“She’s my ticket to the good life.” He sniggered. “Finally good for something.”

Niall walked in, pantomiming with his hands. Men were on the way. I nodded. Roman looked up with a jerk of his chin. He had some on the way as well.