Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
KIERAN
I check the clock on the dash as I ease the car back onto the main road, silent, fuming after wasting time on yet another informant who swore they had something on Cormac but ended up folding under pressure, spinning vague half-truths that lead nowhere.
I grit my teeth and force myself not to punch the steering wheel.
It’s been days of chasing dead end after dead end.
Cormac’s buried deep, and the more I search, the more it feels like he’s laughing at me from whatever hole he crawled into.
But none of that matters right now because I made Riley a promise, and for once, I’m going to keep it.
The grocery list in the passenger seat is laughably simple. Nothing but vegetables, beef, and broth.
It’s been years since I cooked anything more complicated than pasta, but the recipe is burned into my memory after watching my mother make her famous Irish stew every week for my entire childhood.
The smell of it used to fill the entire house, and I can still see her in my mind, standing at the stove, humming with a wooden spoon in one hand, and her long auburn hair tied back in a braid.
Cooking was my mother’s way of making our world feel stable, even when we knew it wasn’t, and I’m hoping to extend that feeling to Riley.
Parking outside the store, I grab the list and force myself not to overthink it.
I don’t expect one dinner to make up for the hell Riley has gone through over the past few weeks, but it’s a start.
By the time I’m pulling into Ronan’s driveway an hour later, the trunk loaded with groceries, it’s late afternoon. As I climb the front steps, the door swings open to reveal a beaming Riley.
Her green eyes shine in a way I haven’t seen in weeks, and that realization makes my chest ache.
She eyes the grocery bags. “You’re really doing this. I half-expected you to call and cancel.”
I laugh, stepping inside and pressing a kiss to her lips before she can doubt me again. “You might wish I had once you taste what I’m making.”
She scrunches her nose. “Maybe I should help, just to be safe.”
I brush a hand down her cheek and kiss her again, slower this time.
“You’re banned from the kitchen, little dove. So, you better go and find some way to occupy your time other than hovering over me.”
Riley pouts, her bottom lip sticking out just enough to make me want to suck it into my mouth.
“Can I at least know what you’re cooking?”
I shake my head. “That would ruin the surprise.”
She huffs. “You’re infuriating.”
“And you’re beautiful.” I kiss her one last time.
Her cheeks flush as she fights back a smile.
I love how a few simple words can have such an effect on her.
“I’ll call you when dinner is ready.” I watch Riley disappear back up the stairs, admiring her soft curves before heading into the kitchen to get started on dinner.
Once the ingredients are laid out, my hands remember what to do, and I get to work, dicing the carrots and onions.
As the beef starts to sizzle in the pan, I’m flooded with happy memories of my mother cooking this dish in this very kitchen.
It’s strange how something so simple as the smell of broth can make you feel so many emotions.
It’s bittersweet as I imagine my mother being the one to make this dish for Riley instead of me, but I hope I will do her recipe justice.
An hour later, the stew is ready, and I ladle it into two bowls and set them on the table.
I’ve clumsily dressed it up with candles scavenged from a drawer and fabric napkins.
It’s not exactly a five-star restaurant, but it’ll do.
“Riley!” I call out.
She walks in a minute later, barefoot and smiling, her auburn hair loose around her shoulders.
The candlelight flickers against her skin and makes her eyes shine. I swear she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
Her eyes dart from the table to me. “You did all this?”
I nod, fighting a smile.
“And before you ask, there’s plenty left for Ronan and Ciara to have later if they want. But for right now, this is just for us.”
Her smile softens as she takes the seat across from me. As she lifts the spoon to her lips, I find myself holding my breath.
It’s funny how I can shoot a man between the eyes without so much as a second thought, but making Riley dinner has me overthinking to the point that I feel sick to my stomach.
Riley takes her time savoring a mouthful of beef, and when her eyebrows shoot up, eyes widening, I can’t help but laugh.
“This is actually really good.”
I smirk, leaning back in my chair. “Admit it. You thought you would be ordering pizza by now.”
“I never doubted your cooking skills.” She takes another bite.
“Liar.”
Riley grins, and all the air suddenly leaves my lungs.
No amount of money or power has ever come close to making me feel the way she does when she smiles.
“Okay, maybe I doubted you a little. But I guess this just proves that there are still things we don’t know about each other.”
“I have many more tricks up my sleeve.” I wink.
Riley’s cheeks flood with color, and I laugh as I reach for the bottle of red wine.
“But I think it’s only fair that you share something with me, dove, seeing as I’ve given away that I’m secretly a chef.”
Riley frowns at the wine as I pour us both a glass, and I suddenly wonder if I made the wrong choice.
“I thought it would go well with the beef.”
She shakes her head, offering me a smile. “Oh no, it’s fine.”
I settle the bottle down and pick up my glass. “So, tell me something I don’t know about you.”
Riley looks thoughtful as she picks at a piece of beef. “I think you know everything already. I’m pretty much an open book.”
“So, there are no deep, dark secrets hidden away?” I wiggle my eyebrows.
Her smile falters just for a second.
Before I can press her, the moment shatters as Ronan walks into the kitchen with a face like thunder.
“Sorry to interrupt, but it’s important.”
I shoot my brother a glare. “It always is. But I’m busy right now. Whatever it is, it can wait an hour.”
“No, it can’t. Sean’s made a move against us with the promise that something bigger is coming.”
The shift in the air is immediate.
Riley tenses, and I curse under my breath.
There goes our romantic evening, and now there’s another broken promise added to the list.
I glance at her, and she meets my eyes.
“It’s okay. You should go.”
What I should do is stay true to my promise. But if Sean’s made a move, we also can’t afford to waste any time.
“Kieran,” Ronan presses.
Balling my hand into a fist, I shake my head.
I couldn’t give Riley one fucking dinner without work getting in the way.
How much longer is she going to keep putting up with my broken promises?
As if reading my thoughts, Riley gets to her feet and comes around to press a soft kiss to my cheek.
“Dinner was amazing.”
“Dessert was going to be even better,” I whisper, and she smiles. “I’ll come and find you once we’re done.”
Another promise that I might not be able to keep, but it seems to be enough for Riley.
She squeezes my shoulder once before disappearing out of the kitchen, leaving Ronan and me alone.
Ronan tilts his head toward the kitchen door. “We should talk in my office.”
I push back my chair. “Lead the way.”
We climb the stairs together, and once the door to his office shuts, Ronan drops into the leather chair behind his desk, scrubbing a hand over his face.
The lamp on the corner casts harsh shadows over his features, deepening the lines around his mouth.
He looks exhausted. And maybe a little broken.
I stay standing, my body too wired to sit. “Where did he hit?”
Ronan exhales, leaning back. “Near the docks in the warehouse district. We’ve been running shipments through there for months without trouble, which means Sean picked that spot on purpose. He’s reminding us he can reach anywhere he wants.”
I clench my fists. “How many did we lose?”
“Only one.”
I huff a laugh. “That fucker.”
“Stuck a note to his chest, warning that more casualties were imminent.”
“Of course, he did.”
“He’s not making any demands other than wanting us to pay.”
“We should have tightened security weeks ago.”
Ronan shoots me a look. “We can’t be everywhere at once.”
“That excuse won’t matter when the body count rises.”
The silence stretches between us.
I know Ronan hates hearing it, but he’s too smart to deny the truth.
Sean isn’t just sending us a message. He wants us on edge.
I drag a hand through my hair. “What about the clubs?”
Ronan’s expression hardens. “So far, untouched. But I doubled the security, so every door and alley has eyes.”
That’s something, at least. The clubs aren’t just businesses, they’re a status for us, and if Sean burns those, he won’t just hurt us financially. He’ll humiliate us.
I nod. “And the warehouses?”
“We’ve pulled two crews to rotate patrols. It’s a strain, and we can’t cover all of them without leaving gaps elsewhere. But we can’t afford to lose more product either.”
I know he’s right, but frustration coils tighter in my chest.
“So, we sit back and wait for Sean to decide where to strike next?”
Ronan narrows his eyes. “What do you suggest we do instead? Start a war we can’t contain?”
“Yes. Because Sean isn’t leaving room for negotiations.”
Ronan studies me for a moment, his jaw tense. “You’re letting your temper talk.”
“Maybe. But it might be the only thing to keep us all alive. Do you think Sean will ease up because we show restraint? No. He’ll see it as weakness, and he’ll hit us harder.”
For a long moment, neither of us speaks.
Then Ronan leans forward, his elbows braced on his knees and his voice low.
“When are you going to stop and think about what a war would do to us? To the people around us?”
“That’s all I’m thinking about. I’m thinking of the bodies we’ll end up burying if we sit back and do nothing.”
“This is exactly what Sean wants. He wants us spooked so that we’re not thinking rationally, and we’ll be more likely to make mistakes.”
“If he thinks that, then he doesn’t know us at all.”
“I thought blackmailing him would have bought us more time. But it seems he’s calling our bluff.”
“Are you saying we should leak the information on his illegal shipments?”
Ronan shakes his head. “He’s clearly not worried about that, otherwise he would have stayed quiet. I bet the fucker’s covered his tracks, so even if we did leak the intel, it wouldn’t hit him hard enough to get him to stand down.”
“So, we need to take a different approach and hit him directly. Not hard enough to launch a full-scale war, at least not yet. But enough to convince him that this vendetta isn’t worth pursuing.”
Ronan nods. “It looks like it.”
“When do you want to do it?” I walk over to the bar cart to pour us both a drink.
“We’ll move tomorrow night.”
I nod as I pick up the drinks and hand one to Ronan.
He takes a long sip as he stares off into space.
I frown. “What is it?”
He shrugs as he drops his eyes to the floor.
“I used to believe the power and respect were worth it. But lately…all I see are the graves.”
I swallow hard.
He’s not wrong.
Death lines most of my memories stretching back to my childhood with the faces of the men who trained me and bled beside me.
Ever since our father was killed, my brothers and I have been drowning in this life whether we want to admit it or not. But I’ll be damned if I let Sean drag us deeper into it.
If I have to choose between standing back and watching more innocent blood spill or die trying to save my family, then the choice is already made. Because at the end of the day, that’s what it means to be a Sullivan.
We don’t walk away, even if it costs us our lives.