The Pet (The Killough Company #5)

Chapter 1

CONALL MORRISSEY

“Fionn was shot.”

Shot.

Shot.

Shot.

The words rang in my ears over and over again until dizziness assaulted me.

My heart hammered against my ribs and my knees trembled, collapsing underneath me.

I grasped at the railing of the stairs blindly, letting myself go down until my arse was planted firmly on marble steps. The world pressed in around me.

Shot.

Shot.

Shot.

“What?”

“They have him in surgery. Daire and I are here waiting.” Sloan’s voice wobbled in a way that anyone else might not hear, but I’d been around him long enough to catch the worry.

I nodded, taking a moment to let my brain catch up. They’d been out at a pub. Celebrating Fionn. How the fuck did it come to this? I sucked in air, expanding my lungs until I felt like I could finally breathe again.

I rose, ignoring my shaky knees.

Ronan. I needed to get to my bodyguard.

“I’m coming.” I took the steps down two at a time until I reached the bottom of the staircase in the foyer and glanced around, trying to decide where I would find Ronan. If there was anyone I could trust to get me to Sloan, it was him.

“No, Pet,” Sloan snapped, sharper than I would’ve expected.

I froze, betrayal coiling itself around me, strangling my lungs until they burned. “What?”

He didn’t want me there? Was I so useless? First, he’d sent me back home after dealing with the traitor—Donal of all people!—and now he refused to let me come into the city after Fionn was shot. My hand tightened around my phone and I gritted my teeth.

“Stay home. It’s safer there.” Sloan’s voice came through the line, the crack of a whip striking me right where it hurt. He didn’t think I could defend myself. I would only cause him trouble.

“No. I’m not going to sit here with my dick in my hand. Fionn’s important to me, too.” A tooth cracked with how hard I was clenching my jaw. I focused on Sloan’s exhale on the other end of the phone line. “I deserve to be there.”

“No.” His firm tone left no room for argument.

He was in the kind of mood where I couldn’t fight him on this, and I hated feeling helpless.

“Stay. There. That’s an order. There’s nothing you can do here, and Reyes’s men are still in the city.

I won’t have you in danger when I already have Fionn to worry about. ”

I swallowed around the acid that burned in my throat. “But—”

“Fuck, Conall! Just listen to me!”

I sucked in a stilted breath. Sloan never swore or said my first name unless I was in trouble. Anger vibrated through the phone, and real fear prickled the back of my neck. I wasn’t afraid of him, but rather of how scared he sounded.

Because that’s what he was.

Scared.

He showed his fear through anger. He was hurting, and I couldn’t be there for him. I fucking hated it.

“Please, Pet . . . .” The fight had left him an exhausted man. My man. My heart ached for him as he sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, Pet. I need you safe. Reyes has implied he has eyes on you. Stay home. That’s where I know you’ll be protected.”

“What about you and Fionn? You’re my family.” The admission slipped out before I could stop it, but I didn’t try to take it back. It was true. Even though Fionn had treated me like a shit stain, he’d become important to me. We’d finally mended our bridges and I couldn’t lose him.

There wasn’t anyone I trusted more to have Sloan’s or Fionn’s back than me.

“No one will try anything at the hospital. There are too many cops around.” Behind him, the sound of a high-pitched beep made me wince. The echoes of the ER waiting room made their way through to me, a harsh reminder of where he was. Where I should be.

I stared around the empty foyer, heartbeat creeping up into my throat.

My hands shook and the wrist I’d broken in an explosion a few months ago throbbed to the point that I was reminded of my weaknesses.

The cast had come off, but that didn’t stop the dull ache that pulsated through my arm.

I’d been the only one to get hurt badly, the only one who needed to be dropped off at one of our city apartments while Sloan went to handle business, and the only one who had a doctor called for him.

No matter what I did, I wouldn’t measure up to his soldiers, especially the loyal ones like Cillian and Aspen with their years of experience and the strength that came with it.

Finally, I swallowed all the arguments threatening to spill out of me. We’d talk later, when Fionn was healthy and Reyes wasn’t on top of us.

“Be safe.” I love you.

Those closest to us mocked us for not talking about feelings—my brother Terrance certainly didn’t let me forget about it—but despite being together for eight years, there never seemed to be a good time.

Or maybe we were both too fucking stubborn to just say how much we loved each other.

Everyone knew how we felt, so why was it so hard to tell him?

“Come home to me. All of you.” I paused for a moment before I smiled. “Because if you don’t, I’ll have to take over the Company and make every one of these men part of my personal entourage. They’ll be my consorts, naked all the time for my pleasure.”

Sloan chuckled, and I grinned wider because my teasing worked. “I can’t let that happen. The men will enjoy it too much, and then I’ll have to haunt their arses.”

“And we wouldn’t want that.” I pressed my lips together.

“Definitely not.” His tone softened.

Ronan approached from behind me, his blond hair brushed back and his blue eyes wide with concern. I held up a palm toward him.

“Keep me updated, Boss. Promise?”

“I promise, Pet. I need to go. Stay there and be good for me.”

I had a million questions, but I stored them away for later. “I will. Bye.”

Ending the call was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. I wanted to stay on the phone, listen to everything happening on the other side, but I’d be a distraction.

“Sir?” Ronan’s uncertain voice dragged me out of my thoughts, and I turned toward him.

His jaw twitched along with his fingers at his sides before he fiddled with the cuff of his perfectly pressed dark blue suit, eyes intense and darker than usual.

There were few I’d trust as much as Ronan in this mob.

“Fionn was shot.”

Ronan tensed, his hands curling into fists.

“It was Reyes’s men. That’s all I know. Tell our soldiers to be prepared in case Sloan needs us.

” I closed my eyes for a moment, focusing on a mental list of all the things that needed to be done.

I steeled myself for the inevitable. Sloan would need us.

All of us. I could help by debriefing our men and reinforcing our defenses.

If he didn’t want me at the hospital with him, then I’d be useful in other ways.

Make myself valuable. “Call everyone in. I don’t give a shit if someone’s getting married or celebrating the birth of their kid.

Everyone should get their arse here. This is war. Go.”

Ronan bowed and spun on his heel, leaving the foyer to do as I’d instructed.

I shook my head as I shifted toward the front door—that was my exit to get to Sloan. He’d ordered me to stay here, but at what cost? He was there and I was here, miles separating us.

The air in this house was suffocating without Sloan in it, as thick as molasses in my lungs.

I brushed my fingers over the wood of the front door, the grain rough and textured.

The knob gleamed under the chandeliers, tempting me to twist it and join Sloan.

Anxiety weaved through my chest, strangling me until my breath stuttered.

It wouldn’t take much to escape to the hospital, to find the room Fionn was in and sit on the chair beside Sloan.

But I couldn’t.

Wouldn’t.

Not yet. I’d seen Sloan in all kinds of circumstances, but this was different. More dangerous. He would never forgive me if I disobeyed him this time. I needed to be his strength and rally his army—I could do that for him.

Heaving a sigh, I turned and headed toward his office. I had work to do.

Hours and hours crept by, dragging too slowly. Each minute felt as long as a day. I had my head deep in paperwork—it was the only thing that kept my mind off Fionn and Sloan as I waited for answers.

Terrance had called, and I’d filled him in on what was happening. My brother was one of the people I relied on. He was the one who’d protected me against our father’s fists. Sure, he’d given me to Sloan, but Terrance had known I’d be living the high life as Sloan’s pet.

Ronan checked in on me a few times, worry lines creasing his forehead, but I’d waved him off. I was fine while in the company of two of my closest and somewhat newish friends, Vail and Lor.

They had both come to spend some time with me, as though they’d known I needed them as much as Vail needed me. Rowen and Fallon were dealing with business and Vail was staying here because of it.

Lor rarely spoke, but Vail was another story. He didn’t stop talking. The only time I imagined he was quiet was when his mouth was full, but I found peace in listening to him chatter to himself.

Vail sat on the opposite side of the desk from me, work spread across the surface.

He was caught between chewing the end of a pen and brushing his blond hair off his face.

“Lor, I think we need to revisit Mr. McCarthy’s tutor plan.

He excels in the history of the mob, but he lacks coherency when he’s trying to get his point across. ”

Lor nodded absently, humming in answer to Vail.

“I wonder if I should suggest he get tested for ADHD? I feel like the symptoms are there. What do you think? Yeah, I think it’s a good idea. He’s smart, really smart, but his brain is all over the place and he can’t focus on a single point.”