Chapter 5
CONALL
I groaned and rubbed my face, which was feeling hot.
My head throbbed in a steady beat that had me wincing as I dressed for the day.
After last night’s fun with Sloan, it took all my willpower to roll out of bed.
My limbs weighed a thousand pounds each, and every inch of me had begun to throb.
I suspected I was coming down with a cold or the flu.
The sunlight that filtered through the tall windows of our room made me flinch as I slid on my shoes and stood from the edge of the bed.
I went to the full-length mirror and checked myself out.
I’d dressed for my job as co-boss, with a tan suit and deep red shirt that matched the collar buckled around my neck.
I finished the outfit off with brown shoes.
Nodding to myself, I buttoned up the jacket and headed to the door.
I managed to pass the threshold before Fionn stepped in beside me like he’d been waiting.
His sudden appearance had me jumping and grabbing my chest.
“Jesus fuck. You gave me a heart attack.”
Fionn grinned, clearly proud of himself. “Sorry.”
“You’re not.”
He shrugged unapologetically. “I’m not. Also language.”
“Hah.” I laughed. “Don’t lecture me on swearing. I’m going to do it as much as I can while Sloan’s not around. Fuck fuckity fuck. Fucky McFuckface.”
Fionn raised his eyebrows as we made it to the stairs. “Do you feel better?”
“Much, thank you.” I shot him a mischievous smile.
He shook his head. “Seriously, though. How are you feeling today?”
It wasn’t worth mentioning the headache or the impending illness, whatever it was. It was May and the weather was warming up. If I told Fionn that I was feeling sick, he’d run to Sloan with the news, and the last thing I wanted was for Sloan to worry about me while he was in jail.
“I’m fine. Better than yesterday. Sloan explained the cousins.”
We reached the bottom of the stairs, and I paused as sudden dizziness struck out of nowhere when my eyes got blasted by the light as the front door opened. I groaned and rubbed my face. Soldiers walked past us, eyeing us with the disdain I was getting used to from some of them.
“Are you sure?” Fionn stepped in closer and laid a hand on my shoulder. “I can call Rory.”
I shook my head. “No, don’t. It’s okay. I just slept like shit.” I smirked at him. “But it’s nice that you’re worried about your papa.”
He blinked, then blinked again. “I’m sorry, what?”
“I was thinking about it. Sloan’s adopting you and he’s going to be your dad. Daire’s already your Daddy, so I can be your papa. Papa Conall.”
He blanched and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “No.”
“Come on, son, don’t be like that.” I waggled my eyebrows. Fionn was so fun to rib. He reacted the exact way I wanted him to every time.
He groaned and started moving again, heading toward the hallway on our right. “No.”
I followed, a bubble of happiness growing in my chest. I was glad he finally liked me enough to joke, even if it was me who messed with him. “Come on, give Papa Conall a hug, son.”
“Go away, Conall.” He shot me a look of venom over his shoulder, but I didn’t miss the amusement behind his eyes. “Stop it.”
I raised my arms toward him, quickening my pace to catch up. “I want a hug.”
Fionn’s glare deepened. “No.” He reached the door to Sloan’s office and stepped inside.
I laughed and went into the room, too. Daire was already there, seated in one of the armchairs in the sitting area. He had his leg crossed over his knee and a folder open on his lap, shuffling through papers as he hummed thoughtfully.
“Are we expecting the cousins from hell today?” I asked, closing the door.
Fionn made an irritated sound as he took a seat across from Daire. “Unfortunately. I called Edward. He said he sent them here to help.”
“Why say it like that?” I crossed the distance of the office and sat down in the armchair beside him.
“Because Eddie’s up to something,” Daire said, finally looking up from his paperwork. “I suspect he wants to get them out of his way. Tiernan’s ambitious and Eddie’s old. He has no intention of giving up his spot in Ireland, but Tiernan keeps pushing. He wants him gone.”
“You think Tiernan would’ve tried something?” I frowned.
“Maybe, maybe not.” Daire sighed and pressed his fingers into his temple. “Tiernan reminds me of Sloan in a lot of ways. He’s smart and sly, but now we know Eddie sent them here on purpose, so we can’t turn them away.”
“We can. We’re in charge here, not Eddie. Either way, they’re still not sleeping in my house.” I pressed my lips together. “I don’t trust them.”
“Good call.” Daire nodded down at the coffee table between us, and I glanced at the newspaper spread across it. I picked it up and grinned when I saw what he was pointing at. There was a photo of Sloan on page two.
CEO of the Killough Company Arrested with More Charges Pending – The End of a Criminal Era?
Op-Ed Written by Ballad Wilde
Sloan Killough is one of the richest men in the United States.
This is a fact.
With a reputation for being ruthless and cold, he is rumored to be unapproachable, a story confirmed by the multitude of bodyguards that surround him.
Killough had his extravagant life handed to him on a silver platter by his deceased father, Niall Killough, at a young age.
There have always been whispered reports that both Killough Senior and Junior had delved into the underworld of mob crime, but there was never any firm proof of the accusation, no matter how hard law enforcement tried to bring a case against them.
Suspicions about Sloan Killough’s side hustles have been subject to ongoing police investigation since he took over the business from his father, only for each case to be null and void of any evidence.
Mr. Killough has stated numerous times that the police and DEA have a vendetta against his family, and the allegations are nothing but fuel for a future defamation lawsuit.
Yet, years of taunting the law has come to a dramatic face-off, ending with a bar brawl that found Killough and his rival, rumored cartel boss, Thiago Reyes, awaiting processing for obstruction of justice.
Killough’s attorney, Mr. Henderson Cashmore, states that Mr. Killough has been wrongfully arrested and will be released in no time, but District Attorney Barb Headby claims she will push for a prison sentence that exercises the full weight of the law when the case lands in front of a judge.
Furthermore, DA Headby stated more charges are forthcoming against forty-six-year-old Killough, as the investigation into the brawl, which resulted in the death of Carlos Carillo, intensifies.
A tertiary investigation into the serious injuries to Killough’s nephew Fionn Killough is still ongoing.
The DA’s office is also looking to file more charges against Reyes, hoping to put two alleged big players in the criminal world behind bars for years to come.
Mr. Cashmore calls for justice, stating DA Headby’s vendetta is unprofessional. Reyes’s counsel agrees. Both have demanded the case be put before a judge for arraignment immediately, but DA Headby is stalling, which has brought about demands for Killough’s release.
Killough’s partner, Conall Morrissey, went before journalists today to allege that DA Headby is taking away Mr. Killough’s right to due process, though hardly enough time has passed for these theatrics.
“Sloan should’ve seen a judge by now, but he’s been sitting in a jail cell for weeks, waiting to plead not guilty in front of a judge for an arraignment on a date that has not been set.
It’s disgusting and inhumane, and we demand his release immediately.
The charges are trumped up and ridiculous.
Sloan has complied with the police’s investigation.
He left the crime scene to rush his adopted son to the hospital after a life-threatening injury, and when the police questioned him at the ER, he offered everything he knew, only to be arrested. Release Sloan now!”
Mr. Cashmore further claims police arrived at Killough’s residence without a search warrant and ordered Morrissey, Killough’s longtime domestic partner, to let them into the house.
According to Cashmore, “Conall was smart enough to say no, and as such, they weren’t able to enter, but this is a serious breach of protocol.
They tried to manipulate a man whose partner was thrown in Rikers Island without a reason, and whose best friend, Fionn, was currently in the ICU with serious injuries.
We’ve seen the NYPD go rogue too many times. We demand justice.”
When asked how Mr. Killough is doing, Mr. Morrissey stated, “Sloan is strong, and he knows he’s innocent. He has faith in me and his attorney to right this wrong.”
Will Sloan Killough be released? Only time will tell.
With DA Headby determined to put him in prison for years over a somewhat incidental charge, it doesn’t take a legal expert to realize she’s trying to create tension in Killough’s organization.
If the Killough Company is a mob, as many previous district attorneys have insisted, this could be a nail in the coffin of a gang that has run New York City for over forty years.
A new era may be dawning for our city, and whether it will be better or worse for New Yorkers, who is to say?
I laughed. “You think this will piss Headby off?”
“Yes,” Daire drawled. “But you did well. It’ll put pressure on her and the police.
There’s no proof they got those fingerprints from the gun.
If they had, I’d be in jail with Sloan. They’re bluffing, but with the captain being useless, I’m in talks with an insider about removing the weapon from the equation completely. He’s asking for big numbers.”