Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
SEAN
I’m hiding in my room, needing five minutes to clear my head before I face everyone else again.
How the fuck did we get here?
Mitchell is currently in one of the makeshift cells we have at a hidden location. Christian and Jason have already managed to get a lot of information from him, and I know they plan on returning to get the rest. Once they are satisfied they know everything, they will end him. I used to hate the idea of killing; I still do in many ways. I remember begging my brother to find another way of dealing with people, and I never truly understood why he said that sometimes there isn’t one; until today.
When I sat there looking through Mitchell's files and saw just how much he has on not only us but Jasmine, too, I wanted to be the one to kill him. I wanted to end his life for trespassing on hers.
We have no idea how he knows some of the things he does, and so far, he hasn’t given us any solid evidence of who is telling him everything, so now everyone is under suspicion.
Everyone we hire and trust, even those we classify as friends, is now a suspect. It’s going to be hard to ever trust anyone again after this and our girl's protection being jeopardised.
If you had asked me this time yesterday if we would be dealing with possibly the biggest threat we have ever faced as a family, I would have laughed in your face. I knew things were bad; I’m not as blind as my brothers like to think I am. I’ve noticed the tension in the house; it’s impossible not to. I knew Christian was hiding stuff from us with how much he’s been away. But never did it even cross my mind that someone would have put a price on my brother's head. We might have pissed some people off over the years, but the thought that someone wants to take Christian out terrifies me.
My brothers and I have never had it easy. It may look like it to outsiders, but our family has been through hell and back. From our selfish prick of a father to the world he dragged us into, nothing has ever been handed to us on a silver platter. But for once, I thought we had a chance of knowing what happiness and contentment were now that we have Jasmine, but I guess that was too much to hope for.
Taking a deep breath, I lean forward in my chair and place my head in my hands. I can’t lose it now. I need to stay strong for my brothers and our girl, who I know will be beside herself and terrified she is about to lose one of her men.
When we got home, we found her pacing around the sitting room. She had woken up just after Christian had called Terry, who had taken it upon himself to watch over her so that the rest of the team wouldn’t know there was a problem; how that man is functioning at all, I don’t know. He’s meant to still be in hospital but refused. He instructed our doctor to give him some pain meds and a follow-up appointment. When we are threatened, he takes it personally, and we should have known better than to expect him to rest.
Luckily, a team meeting was scheduled for this afternoon, which we moved back a few hours. The team are none the wiser, which is what we want. We need to see their initial reactions when we tell them about the mole. Hopefully, it will help us work out who it is quickly.
“Jazzy?”
I lift my head from my hands and look at my closed bedroom door as I hear Jason outside.
“What are you doing?” he asks, his voice getting louder as he gets closer. I hear Jasmine let out a deep sigh and I climb to my feet.
“I wanted to see if my blue hoodie was in Daddy Sean’s room, but I don’t want to bother him; he looked stressed.”
I freeze with my hand on the door handle, shocked that she thought I would ever want time away from her. I don’t get enough of it as it is. That’s the downside to sharing her with my brothers. I will take any second I can get just the two of us; no matter what’s going on, she is always my priority.
“He would never turn you away, Angel. You know that,” Jason says from outside my door.
“I know; I just don’t know what to do for the best right now,” Jasmine sighs, and I can’t take hearing how her voice wobbles as she tries to stop herself from crying. I step out to find Jason holding her. She turns at the sound of the door opening and looks at me with tear-filled eyes.
“Come here, Princess,” I smile as she steps out of Jason's arms and straight into mine. “What have I told you? I don’t care what’s going on; this is our room; you never need to worry about entering,” I say into her hair before looking up at my brother, who winks at me before heading towards the stairs.
“I know, but everyone is so wound up and on edge; I don’t want to make things worse,” she admits, which breaks my heart.
“Nothing you could possibly do would make things worse; you are the one thing that makes everything better,” I tell her, looking down into her eyes. “Now, how about you come in and get your hoodie? It’s hanging up in the wardrobe.”
Jasmine nods, smiling. I just wish it reached her eyes. Keeping an arm around her shoulders, I guide her into the room, and we quickly find her hoodie. Once she has it on and is comfortable, we leave our quiet space and head to the sitting room, where I know Christian and the others are waiting for us.
“Who’s going to be in this meeting?” Jasmine asks as I lead her down the stairs.
“The five of us, Terry and Calvin,” I answer; Jasmine looks at me and frowns.
“Why’s Calvin coming? He doesn’t work for you anymore.”
I open my mouth to answer but spot Jason and Calvin walking towards us from the kitchen.
“Because Jason can’t survive without me, apparently,” Calvin winks at her as Jason rolls his eyes. “Did he tell you about how I saved his life again last night?”
“What? No!” Jasmine stops and stares at Jason, who rubs the back of his neck.
“When I said she knows everything, I didn’t mean the finer details,” he scolds Calvin, who holds his hands up.
“How was I meant to know that?”
“Who else was nearly killed last night?” she demands with her hands on her hips.
“Well, I guess you could say all of us, as we were the targets,” Jason shrugs. I can tell he’s trying to keep everything as calm as possible for Jasmine, but I don’t know how long that will work.
I reach out and take her hand before pulling her back towards me.
“Come on, Princess. Christian and the others will be waiting for us.” Jasmine looks towards the sitting room and nods before turning to walk beside me.
“Don’t think this conversation is over, though. Later, you are going to tell me the finer details , understood?” She looks over her shoulder at Jason, who nods, looking slightly less confident than he had been a moment before.
“Yes, Angel.”
Calvin and I make eye contact for a second, fighting to keep a straight face. We all know Jasmine is quickly becoming the boss of us all, whether we like it or not, which, of course, we secretly do.
All joking ends when we enter the sitting room and find Terry, Christian, and Maximus already there.
Christian is standing behind his desk, reading through some papers. Maximus and Terry sit on one of the sofas with a cup of coffee. Letting go of her hand, I tell her to go and sit down before heading to the coffee pot and pouring us each a cup. Holding up a mug towards Jason and Calvin, both nod, letting me know they want one too.
“So, other than you both looking far worse than you did when I left you last night. What’s going on?” Calvin asks as he makes himself comfortable on one of the sofas. I glance at Christian before handing out the coffees I’ve just made.
“We found out we have a mole in the team,” Terry answers, looking at his previous second-in-command. “That’s how they knew where to attack last night and organised a few other incidents the last month or two.”
“Shit,” Calvin curses as he sits forward, rubbing his face. I place a hand on Jasmine’s back, letting her know I’m here if she needs me. “So why am I here?” he asks, looking at Jason, who is now standing beside Christian.
“Because we need your opinion on who we can trust and who could be the mole,” Jason answers.
“Jason trusts your opinion more than anyone else’s. Plus, you know the team better than anyone,” Christian adds. I can see Calvin looks uncertain, and I’m unsure if it’s because he doubts himself or if he’s questioning whether it's the real reason we want his opinion.
“I’ve been out of the team for a while now; people could have changed since then,” he points out. Christian nods and looks to Terry.
“But we would still appreciate your opinion, as well as you being present when we hold a team meeting in half an hour to see if anyone is looking suspicious.”
Calvin nods and takes a deep drink of his coffee before sitting back in his seat again.
“Okay, I’ll help in any way I can.”
Christian and Jason share a look, and I notice how they both glance at Jasmine simultaneously. I can already guess who they want to talk to first, and I don’t think Jasmine will be too happy about it.
“What do you know about Layton and his loyalties?” Before Christian’s even finished the sentence, Jasmine bolts upright and stares at him.
“Layton isn’t the mole. There is no way he would betray any of us,” she argues. Running my hand up and down her back, I try to calm her.
“Princess, we need to confirm that, as he’s the one who will have the most inside knowledge when it comes to you and your whereabouts.” I hoped to put her at ease, but from the look on her face, I know I’ve failed.
“He would never put me in danger like that. He wouldn’t turn his back on any of us.”
“I agree with Jaz.” I turn my attention to Calvin, who is looking at her with a small smile, before turning to Christian. “That man is as loyal as they come. I do not doubt that he would protect Jaz or any of you with his life. He takes his job seriously and has the utmost respect for you all.”
“I agree,” Terry adds, nodding. “That kid would put himself between you and a bullet without a second’s thought. He’s still beating himself up over the time Jaz was attacked when at school. He would never willingly put her in harm’s way.”
Jason and Christian share a look and nod, both visibly relaxing a little. They’ve obviously been worried that they had been putting Jasmine’s life in the hands of the mole, which wouldn’t have sat well with any of us.
“Get him in here,” Christian tells Terry, who pulls out his phone and holds it to his ear. I hear him giving Layton the order to come down and hangs up.
“What are you going to do?” Jasmine asks next to me.
“I want to see how he reacts when he hears about the mole. The way he responds to being asked if it’s him will tell me if we’re right to trust him or not,” Christian answers, walking over to the coffee pot to pour himself another mug. I don’t miss the way he glances at the alcohol on the table beside it. Who can blame him for wanting a drink right now? I know I do. But we need to keep a clear head with the staff meeting fast approaching.
A knock at the door has us all turning to look at it.
“Come in,” Terry calls.
I don’t have time to register the look between Christian and Jason before the door opens and all hell breaks loose.
The second Layton walks into the room, Jason is in his face, pinning him against the wall and has his gun to his head.
“What the-?” Layton quickly stops talking as he stares at Jason, his eyes wide with fear.
“Jason!” Jasmine jumps to her feet, but I stop her from getting involved.
“What have you been telling people?” Jason growls in his face.
“What? Nothing? I swear!”
“Stop it. I told you I trust him!” Jasmine shouts as she tries to get past me, but I hold her tight.
“I would never put her in danger, you know that!” Layton declares, looking around for someone to help him.
Jason stares at him for a moment, nods once, and lets him go while putting his gun back under his shirt. Layton looks around, shocked, as Jasmine slumps back onto the sofa, her head in her hands.
“Does someone want to tell me what the hell I’m meant to have done?” Layton demands, straightening his T-shirt, his hands shaking. He’s brave, I’ll give him that. Many men have pissed themselves when held at gunpoint by Jason, but Layton is hiding his fear well. I hear a sniff coming from Jasmine, and I sit beside her before putting an arm around her shoulders.
“We have a mole in the team,” Terry explains as Jason walks over and squats down in front of her.
“Jazzy, I had to be sure. I won’t apologise for protecting you, but I’m sorry you had to see it,” he whispers as I hear Layton cursing under his breath.
“But I told you I trust him,” Jasmine sniffs as she looks at Jason. “Don’t you trust me?”
“Jaz, I understand why Jason reacted like that. I would have done the same thing, no matter who it was,” Layton says as they look at each other. “It’s my job to protect you, but it’s also all four of the O’Reillys, and let’s face it, no one can do it as well as them,” he smiles, trying to reassure her. Jason looks over his shoulder and nods once at Layton before returning to Jasmine.
“Do you understand now, Angel?” His eyes don’t leave Jasmine’s as she nods and wipes at her face. “I’m sorry for frightening you.” He kisses her forehead as he stands and sits on the sofa beside Calvin.
“So, is someone going to fill me in on what’s been going on?”
While Terry takes a moment to tell Layton all we’ve learnt, I pull Jasmine so she is leaning against my side. I run a hand up and down her arm to soothe her. Also to remind myself that she’s okay and no one can get to her whilst she’s here. They would have to kill everyone in this room, which would never happen, not with us on edge like we are.
Turning my head, I kiss her hair again. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, filling my nose with the scent of her shampoo to calm the anxiety cursing through my body. I’ve never been an anxious person and have never experienced a panic attack first-hand other than seeing Jasmine’s. But right now, the way my heart is pounding and tightening at the same time, I feel like I’m on the verge of one.
When I open my eyes, I find Maximus watching me closely. He lifts his eyebrows, checking I’m okay, knowing how I’m feeling without me having to tell him. I nod slightly, signalling I’m fine, before returning to the conversation in the room.
“You know who we have to consider next, right?” Terry’s voice brings me back to the conversation happening around us.
“Gordon,” Jason answers, nodding. I can see that doesn’t sit well with him; he has become close to the man who watches his back daily. “I don’t think it’s him; he’s just as loyal as Layton.” He turns to his old bodyguard, who shrugs.
“I only worked with him briefly, but he seemed genuine. From what I have seen and heard, I would be surprised if he was the mole.”
Jason nods before looking to Christian, who’s a little too quiet. When I turn my attention to my eldest brother, I can see that this is all taking a toll on him. He looks exhausted, physically and mentally. The only other time I have seen him looking this way was when Jasmine was taken, and none of us slept the whole time she was missing.
“Do you want me to get him in here too?” Terry asks. Jason shakes his head before running his fingers through his hair.
“No, I’ll deal with him after the meeting.” He’s on edge, and his patience is running thin. He turns to me, and I know what he’s thinking.
“I don’t think it’s, Mykela. I haven’t even told her some of the stuff in that file,” I explain.
“I doubt it’s her too. She has worked with us for five years and never taken as much as a sick day; it's why I promoted her to guard Sean when he started managing,” Terry adds. Christian and Jason both nod in agreement. Mykela may be quiet, but she has always gone above and beyond for this family. There is no reason for her to have turned on us.
“Layton, do you know who could be giving out information on us?” Christian asks, finally walking back over to where the rest of us have congregated. Layton shakes his head before looking at Terry.
“I can honestly say the team is tight, possibly the tightest since I joined.”
“He’s right; not a single person comes to mind. Everyone is loyal or acts loyal to you all,” Terry adds, looking to Calvin, who nods.
“What about if they are talking to friends or family outside of work and haven’t realised what they were doing?” Jasmine asks next to me. I look at Terry, who is watching her.
“It’s a possibility,” I point out. “Who likes to talk?”
“I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head,” Terry sighs, looking to Calvin and Layton, who shake their heads.
I take a deep breath and tighten my hold on Jasmine. It feels like we are going around in circles and are no closer to finding out who is selling us out.
The conversation continues around me as the others compare notes on who they think could be behind the information leak. Every name we can think of is thrown out there, but none are a certainty. There is a reason we have the team we do, and that’s why this is so unbelievable. The only time we have ever had any issues with turncoats was when Tommy was alive, but since he was cut off and later killed, we haven’t had any problems from the staff.
“Let’s head to the meeting room; everyone should be there,” Terry points out as he stands, pain etched all over his face.
“Should you really be here? You need to rest,” Jasmine says, looking at Terry, who looks at her with arched brows.
“You think I can rest with all this going on? If a member of my team has betrayed us, you can be damn sure I will be here to deal with them.” God help whoever has let Terry down, as he will make their life a living hell if he doesn’t kill them for it.
Jasmine falls into step beside me as we stand and head towards the door.
“You don’t have to come, Princess.”
Jasmine shakes her head and gives me a small smile.
“I want to be there; I’m tired of being out of the loop.”
Christian steps beside her and runs a hand over her head.
“Okay, Sweetheart. But if you want to leave at any point, just let Layton know, and he will step out with you.” Christian looks to Layton, who nods.
“Absolutely, just give me the nod, and we’ll escape.”
“I’ll be fine,” she replies, holding her head high, determined to show strength. Christian looks at her proudly before kissing the top of her head.
“Then you are more than welcome to come with us. Just remember, no matter what we are like in there …”
“You will never treat me like that, I know,” she answers with a smile.
“Good girl,” he praises her with pride in his eyes.
We stop outside the dining room, which we use for large team meetings, where we can hear the hushed voices of those inside. Christian and Terry, ensure they are at the front of us before sharing a look.
“Time to remind them who they work for,” he sighs, straightening his collar and throwing the door open before storming into the room, his sheer presence demanding everyone’s attention. All looking scared, knowing that when Christian is pissed, we all are, and they are in the firing line.
“Which one of you has betrayed us?”