Chapter 22
Declan
Ikeep thinking about my father in that box.
The casket was closed. He insisted on that. My father was smart enough to know that first and last impressions matter. And he couldn’t control how people saw his dead body.
But I knew he was in there. All throughout the service, I kept staring at the casket.
My father was once the largest man in the world.
He was life and power. He cowed New York City and turned out small organizations into something massive.
That was my father’s genius. He knew how to build coalitions and alliances.
Now he’s gone.
I just couldn’t understand how a box so small could contain a man so enormous.
“I have to admit, the transition has been going fairly well.” Donnell Lynch leans back in his overstuffed armchair and swirls a glass of whiskey.
Ice clinks against the glass, and I force myself to be present.
He’s a powerful member of the Whelan Clan, and I need his support if I’m going to wrestle this ugly beast into submission.
“I don’t think I love that word fairly,” I say with a smile as I sip my drink.
He scowls and nods. “Aye, I’m sure you don’t, but you know how these things are. With a change in leadership, some of the lesser families think it’s a good time to renegotiate certain deals.”
“I’ve been dealing with them.”
“And not everyone’s happy.”
“They never are.” I put my glass down and lean forward. “Are you happy, Donnell?”
The old snake feigns surprise like the thought had never occurred to him. But I know what’s happening here. Behind the smiles, the toasts to my father’s memory, the reminiscing, there’s the implication.
I need him more than he needs me.
Right about now, I really wish Casey was with me.
She’d have something clever to say. Or at least she’d be a good distraction. These old criminals all have a weak spot for a pretty girl.
And if he looked at her, I’d have a good excuse to break his fucking nose.
“Oh, you know me. I’ve been a loyal member of your father’s organization for many, many years.” I can’t help but note how he calls it my father’s organization.
Not mine. Not yet.
“I’m aware of your sterling service to the clan, which is why I want to make sure you’re content.”
“More than content. Look at all I’ve got.” He gestures at his fancy study. The walls are lined with photographs of him and his family on lavish vacations all over the world. His son is a brainless fucking idiot and his daughter’s a vicious bitch just like her father. His wife’s decent at least.
“But we can always have more.” I smile and sit back, pretending to give it some thought, as if I hadn’t already made up my mind before coming here. My mother and I have spent countless hours debating and discussing who will get what and how I’ll make sure the clan doesn’t splinter to pieces.
So far, it’s working, but barely.
I’m breaking myself to keep this family together.
God, I miss Casey.
“What do you have in mind?” All pretense is dropped. He stares at me with a greedy glint in his eye.
“We’re expanding the shipping business deeper into the south. I want you to take point.”
“That’s a huge honor and a massive responsibility.”
“And an enormous pay raise.”
“Well now.” He grins viciously and raises his glass. “Here’s to proper motivation.”
The rest of the meeting goes more smoothly after that. Giving up the southern expansion is a loss, but keeping Donnell happy is important. He’s going to be key in making sure the others fall in line.
This would be so easy with her by my side.
Instead of spending half my time thinking about her, I’d be able to look over, touch her hand, and make sure she’s safe.
But she’s not safe around me right now. Even with Senesi lurking.
I can’t be sure someone won’t try to kill me, and they’d definitely bring her down if they had the chance.
She’s better off at a distance.
Only that fucking kills me.
Ever since marrying her, I’ve slowly felt my defenses start to leak. I worked hard for so long to keep her out of my head. She was just some girl I was helping, at least until she became something more.
I don’t even know when that happened. Sometime between seeing that picture of her going to college and hiring her as my personal assistant.
Now I’m fucking hopeless.
I crave her taste, her lips, that little sound she makes as I sink myself inside of her. The whimpers, the moans. The sloppy way she takes my cock in her mouth. Her laughter, her smell. The way she walks into a room like she’s floating along without a care in the world.
That’s my happy place.
And I can’t get anywhere near it right now.
“Are you sure you can’t stay for another drink?” Donnell asks as he walks me to his door.
Like the old prick really cares either way. He got what he wanted from me. That’s how this relationship is going to work.
At least for now.
In time, I’ll see him subdued and in his place.
“More work,” I say, shaking his hand firmly. “Never stops.”
“That’s why you’ll make a good boss. Here’s to the Clan.”
“Here’s to the Blood.”
It’s late as I walk toward the car. I’m surprised the driver hasn’t started it yet. Norman’s usually reliable and steady. It’s possible he fell asleep while waiting, but unlikely.
I approach slowly. I really do have another meeting at a strip club downtown to speak with Seamus and some of his enforcers. If we hurry, I might be able to make it back into my own damn bed at a reasonable hour for once.
No, not my own bed.
My bed back in the Whelan house. Because that’s where I belong now.
I sigh and stoop down to knock on the window. Norman’s there, but he’s slumped forward. I tap on the glass again, frowning to myself. He doesn’t stir.
That’s when I notice the knife in his chest.
My gun’s in my hand before I even know to reach for it. Adrenaline courses through my veins. Is someone coming at me? Right now of all times? But it makes no sense. Donnell’s meeting went well and he’s got guards in his house. If I call, they’ll come running.
I clear the area quickly. Nobody’s hiding behind the other parked cars and all the houses are quiet. It’s a nice neighborhood. I really doubt this was some kind of carjacking gone wrong.
With nerves jangling, I open Norman’s door.
He falls sideways. I catch his body before it can hit the pavement. There’s blood everywhere, but no sign of a struggle. How the hell did someone sneak up on my driver and stab him in the chest without so much as knocking a single hair out of place?
But I quickly understand what happened.
There’s a note on the wheel. It’s stuck there with double-sided tape. The handwriting is so familiar it makes me sick.
Give her to me.
Nothing else. No name, no signature, but I know who wrote it and I’m positive I know who it’s about.
Fucking Senesi.
I put him out of my mind while I’ve been struggling to take hold of my family. I knew he was out there lurking, but I hoped he wouldn’t make any more moves for a while, at least not when Casey’s at the Whelan house and fully under our protection. I figured he’d bide his time.
I was fucking wrong.
“Sorry, Norman,” I mumble as I pull the corpse of my driver into the passenger seat. I start the engine, sitting in a pool of his blood, and pull out.
Seamus is waiting at the house when I pull up. “Him again?” My brother’s face is grim.
I nod sharply. “I have to check on my wife.”
“I’ll handle the body. Fuck, this is the least pleasant part of my job.”
I hurry past him. No time to worry about his feelings. The Whelan house is big and filled with guards. We doubled our strength, partly due to my father’s passing, but also because of Senesi’s continued threat. I storm through familiar halls until I finally reach her room.
Casey’s lying in bed. I stand in the doorway and stare at her, heart hammering in my chest. She seems so small and beautiful.
The overwhelming urge to crawl in beside her is almost impossible to fight against. But that won’t be good for either of us.
The second I give in to her is the second all my walls come falling down for good.
But I need those walls. At least for a little while longer.
I turn to leave but she starts to stir. I can’t help myself. I move in closer, watching her shift in bed, her eyes blinking open as she looks at me over the sheets. She suddenly comes awake, pulling back and covering herself with the blankets as if she were somehow indecent.
“Declan? What are you doing?”
“Checking on you.”
“What time is it?”
“A little past midnight.”
She squints at her bedside table and taps at her phone. “You scared me.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to.” I’m torn between staying and leaving. I hate feeling this way. “I just wanted to make sure you were safe.”
“I’m fine.” There’s an edge to her voice. She leans back against the headboard, her face hardening. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”
I take a sharp breath. “I’ve been busy.”
“I’m aware. Funny how you only remember me when it’s convenient.”
“I haven’t forgotten about you for one second, Casey.” I move closer to her. I hate that she feels abandoned. If she understood how much space she takes up in my head, she’d never worry about being alone again. She’s everything to me. She’s every heartbeat. Every single fucking breath.
But she holds up a hand. “Don’t come closer.”
I stop a foot away from the end of her bed. “I know I’ve been busy. Taking over from my father’s been chaotic and difficult, but it won’t last forever.”
“I don’t care about that.”
I tilt my head to the side. “What’s wrong then?”
“It’s you, Declan. You’re what’s wrong.”
“I’m not sure how to take that.”
Her jaw tightens and her hands ball into fists. I’ve never seen her so tense before. Rage burns in her eyes as her lips pull back into a snarl. Her voice snaps like a whip and it’s like the carpet starts to drag me down into darkness as she slaps me across the face with a single question:
“How long have you been meddling with my life?”