6. Ronan
RONAN
“ N ice of you to join me finally.”
I stopped at the familiar build of the man I despised. My father.
“Barone, I didn’t realize we had any business tonight.”
Jett had pulled Margaux upstairs the second we’d realized that Barone was here, and now we stood in the study that seemed a whole lot smaller.
My eyes flicked to the corner where one of his men was holding a guy on his knees. The guy's hands were tied behind his back and a gag kept him only marginally quiet. I traded looks with Talon.
“You know how business is, Ronan. Where is Jett? I wasn’t aware you boys would be out this late.”
I didn’t say a damn word, keeping all emotions off my face. The asshole didn’t know the half of the shit we did, he just knew his illegitimate son got things done.
That is what kept me alive in the family. Talon shifted and stepped forward, flanking me. Loyal. My brother. We were all part of the same mafia, but my allegiance would always be my own chosen family.
“You know Jett. He method acts and was the one to keep the drinks flowing tonight,” Talon said.
Mr. Barone, the head of the family, nodded.
“I see. Did things go well? I hope you’re getting somewhere with our little issue with Senator Harrington.”
The door clicked shut, and I caught Knox moving to the other side of the guy on the floor.
No one was talking about the elephant in the room, or rather the man in the corner with a weak bladder. It would take hours to get the urine smell out of the room.
“We’re figuring out the issue with the senator. He refuses to negotiate, but that’s not new. Who’s bleeding all over my floor?” I asked.
I did my best to make sure my face was always a mask of hate and anger. Once upon a time it was the lesson I learned to survive in this family.
“Ah. Yes. My gift to you boys. The mole that almost got one of you killed. He’s all yours. It’s late, I’ll take my leave. I trust things will be taken care of.”
We nodded. Jett would be pissed if he missed this, but I wasn’t certain we could leave our little bird alone, not until I clipped her wings.
In the dark hall, my father led the way to the back of the house. The reason we hadn’t seen his car tonight.
Echoes of all the footsteps following us, his men, took up any peace that might have been here.
“Go ahead, I’ll be right out. Ronan, a word,” my father said.
I didn’t even dare take too deep of a breath. I doubted I would like anything he was going to say tonight.
“If you can’t get the arrangement back on track with the Harrington girl, you will be marrying someone else that the family sees as viable.”
Viable?
I just nodded.
“Give me a few weeks. We’re close.”
Barone nodded and clasped me on the shoulder.
“Good, good. Even with her parents dead, I respected her father. That uncle will want the money she can access once she marries and there’s something else in her trust that her father intended for our family. The senator is in my way.”
My father simply walked away without another word, leaving me with nothing but the same frustration.
Marriage to a stranger over money and some political shit.
Too bad the parents met an early demise, and I was still willing to bet it was the uncle.
Cold son of a bitch to kill his own brother.
Still, her father had been a very well-known lawyer, one that had been deep in our pockets.
I turned back to the study and walked straight toward the guy on the floor.
I reached for the asshole’s collar and pulled him to his feet while we waited.
“Call Jett. He won’t want to miss this.”
Jett’s voice was loud over the phone the second Talon’s call connected.
“Daddy dearest gone?” Jett asked.
I smirked at the way he referred to my adoptive father, the one that gave us all a life of darkness and luxury. I glanced up to the ceiling knowing the odds were he was in his room with our caged bird.
“Check the window, you shit. When you see the car drive away, come get our gift and bring Miss Harrington,” said Talon.
The call disconnected.
I shifted away from the gaged fool. He wouldn’t be running. Not with the four of us here.
I could practically count to three for Jett to get out of his room and to the stairs. I leaned against the desk in the study and waited, listening to the footfalls of my delicate elephant of a brother.
The door slammed open and I swear I almost choked on my tongue at the damn near exposed ass of Margaux over his shoulder.
“Jett, you are such an idiot. Put me down. Fucking hell. I’ve been kidnapped by a fucking group of handsy morons.”
I enjoyed the view for a second longer, but Jett slapped her ass as he put her down.
“Aww, pretty girl, I knew you liked me,” Jett said, her wrist still firmly in his grip even as she tried to twist away.
“Nice ass there, Margaux. Shit, Jett. She’s got feet and could have walked down here,” Talon said.
I glared but didn’t stop Talon as he unbuttoned his shirt and stepped toward her.
“Princess, put this on. It’s a lot longer than that damn dress. Your friend is either my hero or asking for me to murder her,” said Talon.
Margaux hesitated, and I’d be willing to bet she was mesmerized by the muscles Talon had earned one fight at a time. I hated the idea that she was paying more attention to him than me.
“Margaux, put the shirt on. Now.” There was a bite in my tone I didn’t mean to let seep in. I didn’t have emotions.
Knox whistled, a long single sound, breaking his quiet wait over by a man who wasn’t walking out of here tonight. I shot Knox a glare but he just smiled. Son of a bitch was far too good at seeing everything. I didn’t like that he'd noticed that I wasn’t as numb to everything as I normally was.
Once that shirt was on her though? It felt like we all took a deep breath.
“Great. Now that we can all focus, Jett, Barone brought us a little gift. Didn’t want you missing out. So now. What will we do?”
I called my father Barone just like those in the closest of the inner circle. He was about as warm of a father as ice in the arctic. Still, this was his way of showing me and my boys love.
Jett pulled out a serrated-edged blade that had been hidden around his ankle beneath his pants.
The fucker was scary with how fast he moved.
The yelp from the guy told me the blade was already at the guy's chin.
Poor thing jerked his head and extended his neck as far as it would go in hopes of not getting cut. It would all be in vain.
Knox removed the gag.
“I swear I didn’t know. I didn’t know. I was just doing as I was told.”
The guy was blabbing like that would save him.
“Didn’t know what?” Jett asked, a trickle of blood covering the pristine blade.
“I didn’t know the fight was yours. I was just told to make sure?—”
He didn’t get a chance to finish the sentence as Jett slammed the blade into the guy's thigh and he screamed.
I glanced at Margaux and expected her to be freaking out. Instead, she winced but otherwise stood quietly. Talon walked closer to her, talking loud enough for me to hear.
“Princess, is this your first time watching someone bleed?”
I expected one answer, but that was not what she said.
“No.”
I was pretty sure everyone in the room turned to glance at her. Yeah. Maybe she was talking about her parents. Maybe her uncle was doing something else he shouldn’t. Time would tell.
“Princess, want to join in? This shit almost got Jett killed in the ring.”
Talon’s words triggered said guy and the show was about to begin if he kept denying.
“I swear. I was just told to fix the fight. I didn’t know he would be fighting any of you. I didn’t know.”
Jett pulled up his shirt. We couldn’t see it, but the guy could.
“Yeah. Thanks for the new scar asshole. Good thing I moved at the last second or he might have actually punctured something that mattered. I think I’m done talking. So, let’s do something fun. You say it wasn’t you?”
The guy was feverishly nodding.
“Great. Then maybe let’s send a message to whoever thinks they can fuck with fights.”
Knox grabbed the fabric of the gag and wadded it up, shoving it in the guy's mouth from behind. He held the guy's shoulders, keeping him still. We knew each other pretty fucking well and all knew Jett’s next move.
The guy’s shirt was cut open and the words ‘don’t fuck with us’ were carved into his skin.
His screams were muffled by the gag, keeping them to a low annoying background sound.
I was much more interested in the woman that I was supposed to marry.
I didn’t think she had a clue about that little detail.
It had all been arranged when she was a minor and before her parents could raise her to legal age.
I’d hated the plan originally, but now? I needed to be cautious before anything else.
The screams stopped.
“He passed out?” I said under my breath.
I reached into the desk for the smelling salts.
“Here.” I moved to Jett and helped wake the asshole up.
“Move faster. He doesn’t appear to have the tolerance for violence.”
I moved back to my spot, curious how this was going to go.
“Fine. You’re no fun,” Jett said. His words didn’t match the way he studied the guy, insanity written all over his face.
Jett pulled his fist back and slammed it into the guy's face. A satisfying crack told me his nose was good and broken even before the blood ran like a waterfall.
“Fuck. Really? The floors are going to be a bitch to clean. Now what are you trying to get from him?” I asked.
Jett wiped his hands on his black shirt.
I sighed. “Alright, if you’re done, get him out of here. I’ll clean this up,” I said.
Knox grabbed the guy under his armpits as he slouched, and Jett put the knife back in his boot before he grabbed the guy’s legs.
“Maybe I stab him a few more times before we dump him?”
Knox grunted, meaning whatever, before they quickly disappeared out of the room.
“Talon? Grab the cleaning supplies.”
I turned to Margaux, studying her.