My Irish Mafia King

Chapter 7

Seven

LUCY

W hen I tell Toby I’m closing the bakery early, he can clearly see that something is wrong. “I heard the commotion,” he whispers. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” I reply.

“Come on, Lucy?—”

“You’ll get your entire shift’s pay,” I say sternly. “Please, just leave it. This is a personal matter. After the last customer leaves, close up as normal. Okay? Can you work with that?”

Before waiting for an answer, I head back upstairs, my mind struggling to catch up with what just happened. Killian is a kind, handsome, funny, cultured, and sophisticated businessman. Killian is the bright spot that lights up my mornings. And now…

I stare down at the shattered glass from a picture frame, at the blood streaking the floor and the walls. Clover barks from the bedroom, demanding attention. My memory flashes with vivid, violent images of what just happened.

Killian was like a different person, but he saved me. Shane deserved it. But that much violence… it’s a shock to the system. It’s like I can’t process it. It was so savage. He didn’t stop, even when it was clear Shane couldn’t fight back. It’s a side of Killian I never dreamed existed.

I take a breath, trying to calm myself down. One step at a time. First, I’ll clean up the glass. Then I’ll get some warm soapy water and clean up the blood before it sets into the wallpaper and the rug. After that, I’ll hold Clover and wonder if the world will ever make sense again.

I go through the steps on autopilot. After around twenty minutes, I’m sitting on the couch with my Chihuahua. She licks my face with sweet doggy kisses, like she can sense my mood and is trying to make me feel better. I cradle her, whispering that everything’s going to be okay. No idea if I’m telling the truth.

The apartment buzzer’s makes me leap to my feet as if shocked. I didn’t know how on edge I was until I almost had a panic attack at the sound of the buzzer going off. Clutching the needy Clover to my chest, I walk to the intercom.

“Killian?” I whisper.

“I’m a friend of his,” a man says. “Ronan. I’ve known Killian since we were kids. He told me to tell you he said old Irish gods sent the rain when you were in the cave. You liked the story. You laughed about it. Does that mean anything?”

Yes, it does. I remember the tall stranger, the first grown-up man I felt like I could trust, making me giggle with his silly stories.

“What do you want?” I ask.

“Killian sent me to keep watch on your apartment after what happened and to answer any questions you might have.”

“Where is he?”

“I don’t know,” Ronan replies. “I imagine he’s handling whatever business he started earlier today. All he told me was that he needed to make sure that you were safe.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I gather there was some violence. Sometimes, violence breeds more violence. Can you buzz me up?”

There’s no way this man could know about that exchange in the cave unless he spoke to either my mom or Killian. I’ve never talked about that specific part of it to anybody else. I press the button, then return to the couch with Clover.

A minute later, a tall, thin man walks in. He has dark, searching eyes as he looks around the apartment. He gestures to a chair. “May I?”

“Sure,” I mutter.

When he sits down, his jacket shifts and I see that there’s a pistol on his hip. He sees me looking and says, “It’s just a precaution.”

“Shane knew him,” I say. “When he saw Killian, he used his name. And even when Shane had his gun aimed at him, it was like he feared Killian. But Killian’s just… he’s the funny, charming guy who swings by for his virgin Irish coffee every morning.” My hand strays to the pendant around my neck. “He’s my savior who gave me this for good luck and he calls me beautiful in Gaelic. He’s not somebody who would savagely beat a man within an inch of his life.”

“If Killian did that, I’m sure Shane deserved it.”

“He deserved it,” I hiss. “Shane’s been robbing me for months. He had a freaking prisoner who looked terrified of him. But I just never thought Killian would have it in him to do something like that. If I hadn’t seen it… Who is he?”

Ronan sighs. “He’s asked me to tell you anything you want to know. He thinks you’re owed that.”

“Answer my question, then.”

“I will, but I think you should remember, people can be more than one thing. Killian is still all those things you thought he was. He’s still the charming, caring guy who swings by for his coffee every morning.”

“Don’t defend him. Just tell me.”

Ronan sighs. “Shane, the man who was extorting you, is a heavy for the Callahan Crime Family. He works specifically for Frank Callahan, the current Don. Killian is Frank’s nephew… he was the prince of the Family, but he gave up the crown because he wanted to live a normal life. He hasn’t been involved in the mob for over ten years.”

My head spins as I try to process this information. “Killian is a mob prince ? He works with the man who was extorting me? Does that mean he knew what Shane was doing?”

Ronan looks disgusted. “No. He had no idea. That’s probably part of the reason he reacted like he did. Killian doesn’t get involved in the day-to-day of the Family. It’s a little complicated?—”

“Don’t patronize me, please,” I snap.

Ronan smiles tightly. “Fair enough. Frank, Killian’s uncle, is the Don of the Family. But his consigliere, his second-in-command, is a man named Owen who has been in the Family since the beginning… He was a high-ranking member when Killian’s grandfather ran the Family. Many men are loyal to Frank; many are loyal to Owen. The ones loyal to Frank are more violent, crueler, take cruder measures.”

“Who are you loyal to?”

“Killian,” Ronan says. “But I have to be political about it.”

“So Killian doesn’t work for the mob. He gave up his crown.” When Ronan nods, I go on, “But the way he tore into Shane, the sheer violence of it, that didn’t look like somebody who’d left the mob life behind them. That looked like somebody who’d done violent things before.”

“In his late teens and early twenties, Killian worked in the mob. I think he did it for his dad… before his dad died in a car crash. He worked as an enforcer to earn his stripes. He’s not unfamiliar with that side of things. But like I said, it’s been over ten years.”

“His late teens,” I murmur, thinking back to that day when I was lost, walking across the rolling green hills.

Then he appeared, a serene smile on his lips. “Hey, kid, relax. I won’t let anything happen to you…” That man who made me feel so safe… He was working for the mob, then.

“What you’re saying is I don’t know him, and I never have,” I murmur.

“No,” Ronan says fiercely. “The Killian you know is the real him. There’s just another side. That’s all.”

“What happens now?”

“I’ll need to stay here,” Ronan murmurs. “Just in case.”

“Of what?”

“Like I said, Shane is loyal to Frank. Once Frank learns about this, he might not be too happy.”

“That doesn’t sound very political .”

He grimaces. “Killian did more than risk his own life to help you. He risked having to do the one thing he’s always wanted to avoid… wear the crown. You must mean a lot to him.”

I resist the urge to cling to these words, to let them warm me up, because I can’t trust anything anymore. “We hardly even know each other. Um, am I allowed to call my friend?”

“You’re not my prisoner, Lucy. I’m here for your safety.”

I carry Clover into the bedroom and call Anna. “Hey, I’m about to go into a meeting. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine,” I whisper. “But maybe you could swing by later. For some company?”

“Lucy, what happened?”

“It’s nothing,” I murmur, trying to keep my voice steady.

But she knows me better than that. “Lucy? Something happened. I can hear it in your voice.”

“I’ll tell you later. I just wanted to see if you were free.”

“I’ll be there right after work.”

Later, after a day of lying around and doing nothing except letting anxiety and shock gnaw through me, Anna stares at me as I tell her everything that happened. I start with the mob shakedown and end with the Killian stuff.

“He’s been stealing your money for months ?” Anna practically screeches. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to worry you,” I reply. “You’ve got your own life, your own problems. You don’t need me lumping mine on top of that. But yeah, that’s been my day… I hope yours was better.”

“That’s why that guy is watching game shows in the living room?”

“Yup.”

“God.” She shakes her head in disbelief. “You poor thing. You don’t deserve this.”

“The crazy part is, I’m more shaken up by what I learned than what I saw. Killian isn’t Mr. Charming. He’s not the suave, handsome, sophisticated guy who rides horses on private beaches in Ireland. He’s a liar. He’s a mob guy. He’s been lying to me from the start.”

Anna frowns.

“What?” I say.

“Well… it’s not like he had any reason to tell you about that part of his life. And if he hasn’t been involved in ten years…”

“So you’re defending him,” I say.

“I just think, if you still like him and care about him, you shouldn’t feel guilty about it.”

“Who said I like him or still care about him?”

“You didn’t have to, Lucy. I can hear it in your voice.”

I groan and fall back on the bed. Closing my eyes, I imagine it’s a regular morning. I’m waiting for Killian to swagger toward the Crust, waiting for him to open the door with that easy smile on his face, waiting for him to wink at me and say, “How’re things this morning, my lucky charm?”

Reaching for my necklace, I unhook the clasp and place it on my bedside table.