28. Cormac
Chapter Twenty-Eight
CORMAC
If looks could kill, I would already be six feet under.
Lorcan sits slouched in a chair, his wrists bound together with zip ties and his ankle cuffed to the boiler beside him. The bastard doesn’t look afraid. He doesn’t even look uncomfortable. If anything, he looks bored.
I circle him slowly, my boots scraping against the concrete floor, letting the silence stretch between us until it becomes uncomfortable.
Brennan leans against the far wall, his arms folded across his chest, and his eyes sharp. He hasn’t spoken a word since we dragged Lorcan in here, but I know better than to mistake his silence for calmness. Brennan’s coiled just as tight as I am.
“Enjoying yourself?” Lorcan asks eventually, his voice laced with amusement.
“I was just thinking about how many times I imagined this.” I continue to circle him.
I catch the corner of Lorcan’s mouth twitching, and my hand instantly reaches for my gun.
The only thing keeping me from putting a bullet in his skull is the fact that Ronan and Kieran aren’t here yet, and I’m under strict instructions not to start without them.
Lorcan scoffs. “And this is it? A boiler room and cheap zip ties?”
“You don’t deserve a ceremony after what you’ve done to this family.”
“And what exactly have I done, Cormac?”
“Do you want me to list everything like some fucking eulogy?”
“I wouldn’t be opposed to it. After all, the Sullivan name is my legacy too.”
“You lost the right to the Sullivan name the moment you carved our father’s name into a bullet,” I spit.
Lorcan doesn’t even flinch. Instead, he simply laughs, a harsh bark that echoes off the concrete walls.
He shakes his head. “After all these years, you’re still chasing ghosts.”
“You really thought we wouldn’t?”
“Your father wasn’t the saint you painted him out to be.”
“I never said he was, but that doesn’t mean he deserved to die.”
“You always did think with your emotions, Cormac. You get that from your mother.”
“Don’t you dare mention her.”
Brennan pushes off the wall and takes a step closer, ready to step in if I lose my cool.
But I rein myself in. I refuse to give Lorcan the satisfaction of getting under my skin.
I walk around so I’m back in his direct line of sight. “You must think you’re clever.”
“I am clever.”
“If that were true, you wouldn’t be sitting here.”
Lorcan’s mouth slowly breaks out into a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Or maybe I am clever enough to know when to walk into a situation willingly.”
“You’re lying,” I say a little too quickly.
“Perhaps… Or maybe you’re not the only one capable of double-crossing.”
I stop pacing.
Is he referring to himself, or someone else?
I think of Fiona without meaning to. Of the way she stood in the doorway earlier, Aubrey tucked against her chest, completely unaware that the sight of them together had knocked the air from my lungs.
For the first time in my life, the idea of another child hadn’t felt like a liability. It felt like a future.
And that future is currently being held in the hands of the man in front of me.
Lorcan must sense where my thoughts are going as his lip curls back from his teeth.
“You like to pretend you’re different from me, Cormac, but for all your righteous fury, you’ve built your life the same way I built mine. Endless secrets stacked on top of lies. The only difference is you wrapped yours in the illusion of morality.”
“You don’t get to talk about my life,” I say quietly.
I reach into the inside pocket of my jacket and pull out an envelope.
“Let me guess, that’s my birth certificate ready to go?”
“This ends right here, Lorcan. I have everything here that proves you were behind Seamus’s death.”
Lorcan doesn’t even look rattled.
“You of all people should know how easy it is to manufacture a paper trail. After all, you’ve been doing it for years.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That’s how you were keeping your son secret, wasn’t it? Fake birth dates and certificates to throw Smirnov off his scent.”
Something in my chest cracks.
“Leave Scout out of this,” I growl.
“I’m just pointing out the hypocrisy,” Lorcan says coolly. “You built an empire on lies to keep your child safe, and now you’re shocked someone else might have done the same.”
I’m on him in a second, my fist slamming into his face hard enough to snap his head sideways.
Brennan curses from across the room but doesn’t dare intervene as Lorcan coughs, spitting blood onto the floor.
“There he is,” he rasps. “I was wondering when you would stop pretending this was about justice.”
I force myself to step back, breathing hard as I rub my aching knuckles.
“You used three intermediaries to move the money. Irish accounts that were routed straight back into Smirnov territory.”
Lorcan’s eyes sharpen.
“But you got sloppy,” I continue. “That’s how I was able to pinpoint one recurring transfer. The same amount of money at the start of every quarter, transferred straight into an account Adrian Smirnov controls.”
“That proves nothing.”
“It proves partnership. And it proves motive.”
I flip another page and shove it closer to his face.
“You were paying him long before my father died. And the payments spiked six weeks before Seamus Sullivan was killed.”
Brennan inhales sharply behind me.
Lorcan exhales slowly, leaning back as far as the restraints allow.
“So… You finally followed the money.”
“No. I followed you.”
I crouch in front of him, forcing his attention. “You met Smirnov three days before my father died. There was no cell phone activity, and no witnesses, but you forgot one thing.”
“And what was that, dear nephew?”
“Smirnov documents everything because he doesn’t trust anyone. Not even you.”
For the first time, Lorcan’s jaw tightens.
“And then there’s the cleanup,” I continue. “The payout after the murder, routed through a charitable foundation in your mother’s name.”
Lorcan lets out a quiet laugh. “I’m surprised you didn’t save this part for Ronan. He always loves a dramatic reveal.”
“This is enough to bury you. It’s enough to turn every ally you have into an enemy.”
Lorcan tilts his head, studying me now with renewed interest. “What’s funny about this is that you would only have known about this information from one source.
It’s not the sort of thing I would have kept lying around.
So, tell me, Cormac, did you search the laptop first or did Fiona hand over the information? ”
I don’t even blink, but Lorcan’s gaze sharpens.
“I thought so, the sneaky bitch.”
Brennan stiffens, but I don’t even react. I won’t give him the satisfaction.
“You can say whatever you like about Fiona, but you’re never going to get within touching distance of her ever again. So, let it out, Lorcan, because the only way you’re leaving this room is in a body bag.”
“Is that a promise? Because if it is, I suggest you keep it. You and I both know you’re not going to kill me.”
“You seem a little overconfident for a man tied to a fucking chair right now.”
“And you’re the one who is hesitating.”
“No, I’m not.”
“You are, because you don’t know who to trust. Fiona has already proven that she is willing to burn herself alive for family. Do you really believe she wouldn’t do it again?”
I stiffen, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.
Lorcan’s smile only widens, exposing his blood-stained teeth.
Brennan steps forward. “That’s enough.”
“Am I wrong?” Lorcan presses. “She’s got a history of dealing with men like me that you conveniently seem to forget about. And those connections don’t magically disappear because you decide to stick your cock where it doesn’t belong.”
I don’t answer.
I can’t.
“That doubt you feel? That’s where I live,” Lorcan warns.
A sudden clatter sounds outside the room, and I let my own mouth pull up into a smile.
Now that Ronan and Kieran are here, we can finally end this.
“Sounds to me like you’re out of time.”
The words barely leave my mouth before the door explodes inward.
I barely have time to register movement before men pour through the doorway, a sea of dark clothes and obscured faces, their guns already aimed and ready.
“Move!” I grab Brennan by the collar and drag him down just as a round shatters the window behind us, glass exploding inward in a spray of shards.
The crack of shots is deafening, and sparks ricochet off the boiler behind Lorcan.
I dive for my weapon as Brennan lunges for cover, the air thick with smoke and dust within seconds.
My ears ring violently, a high-pitched whine that disorients me long enough for a wave of panic to settle.
Smoke floods the room, making my eyes sting as shapes blur together.
Bodies move fast through the haze, too fast for it not to be coordinated.
They knew exactly where to hit.
I fire toward the doorway on instinct, firing off rounds through the smoke, aiming for movement, for anything.
A body drops hard near the threshold with a sickening thud, and I don’t know if it’s one of theirs or one of ours.
There’s no time to check.
Another explosion rattles the walls, the floor shuddering beneath my boots as something heavy crashes nearby.
Through it all, I catch the sound of laughter.
My head snaps up.
Through the smoke, I see someone slide in behind the chair, quick and efficient, blades flashing as zip ties are sliced apart.
Lorcan twists violently, already rising as the restraints fall away.
“No!” I roar, surging forward.
Pain detonates in my shoulder as someone slams into me from the side, driving me hard into the concrete.
The impact knocks the wind out of me, but I don’t let it keep me down.
I grit my teeth, trying to regain my footing when Brennan grabs me, hauling me backward just as another blast shakes the room.
“Cormac! Fall back!” he shouts, voice strained.
I fight Brennan’s grip, rage burning white-hot in my chest. “Contain him! Don’t let him out of the building!”
I fire again, this time more controlled, aiming through a thinning pocket of smoke toward where Lorcan was, but I already know it’s too late.
The haze begins to clear, and I see the chair lying on its side, the restraints discarded on the floor.
He’s gone.
I stand there, my chest heaving, and my ears still ringing, staring at the broken bindings.
My hands shake with fury as the reality hits me.
He walked into this willingly because he knew this was coming. He planned the entire goddamned thing, and now he’s free.
The sound of Ronan’s voice carries from the hallway, announcing his arrival before he appears.
“What the fuck happened here?”
Kieran follows closely behind, his sharp eyes immediately assessing the damage. “I see he got away.”
I rub my knuckles, still raw from hitting Lorcan. “Are you trying to imply something with that tone?”
“I’m implying that you had one fucking job to do.”
Ronan steps forward, subtly positioning himself between me and Kieran as he eyes the bullet holes in the wall.
“Someone tipped him off.”
Brennan scoffs, wiping his brow. “No shit. But who?”
I catch Kieran’s eye, and immediately my entire body tenses.
I know exactly what he’s thinking, and the fact that after everything he’s still entertaining the idea that Fiona isn’t truly on our side makes me want to slam his head into a wall.
“Don’t,” I warn.
He runs his fingers over a chip in the doorframe. “I didn’t say anything.”
“Right now, it doesn’t matter who did it,” Ronan interjects. “What matters is that we secure the building and regroup so we can track Lorcan down before he buries himself even deeper underground.”
Brennan heads to the door. “I’ll get onto the surveillance.”
Kieran turns to Ronan. “I’ll check in with the men surrounding the house. Knowing Lorcan, he likes to play right under our noses. For all we know, he could be heading there right now.”
“He’d be a fucking idiot to do so,” Ronan growls.
My thoughts immediately turn to Scout and Fiona. “I need to get back to the house.”
Ronan sets a hand on my arm. “They’re safe, Cormac.”
“I thought that before.” I shoot a look at Kieran.
He takes a step toward me. “You’re welcome to go back to the penthouse any time. It’s not my fault that you chose to bang the daughter of a Russian psychopath—”
“ENOUGH!” Ronan roars. “Do you not realize this is exactly what Lorcan wants? He wants us to turn on each other, blame each other, keeping us distracted from the real issue at hand.”
Brennan comes back in with his tablet in his hand. “Do you think Fiona could have screwed us?”
I shake my head immediately, but Ronan is the one to answer.
“No. Fiona knows what’s at stake.”
I shoot my brother a grateful look as he comes to rest a hand on my shoulder.
“We’ll get him. We always do. Just remember, this isn’t about proving we’re the smarter ones. It’s about keeping our family safe.”
I nod, swallowing hard. “Family comes first.”
The men outside radio in, letting us know that Lorcan is gone, but nothing indicates he’s left any traps for us, at least not for right now.
But I know Lorcan. He’s patient and calculating in the types of games he likes to play. It’s only a matter of time before he shows his face again.
And when he does, I need to be ready.