Chapter 11
CONALL
“Rory’ll be here tonight for a meeting. I think he should check you over.” Fionn crossed his arms, and the action made him look so much like Sloan that I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Should I be the one calling you pa?” I teased.
He rolled his eyes, taking a seat next to me where we sat in my office. We only used Sloan’s office downstairs when we had official meetings, but I still felt more comfortable in my area when I was doing individual work. While I helped Fionn run the Company, I was still the head of the brothels.
I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. The aches had begun to get worse again, and every so often, Dad would show his face.
He reminded me of my failures and what a whore I was, but he wasn’t here right now.
My forehead and face were covered in sweat and it felt like my entire body was on fire.
Maybe it was best to see Rory, even though I’d been pushing away the idea.
I didn’t want anyone to focus on me. We had to make sure to keep the Company running while trying to help Sloan out of jail.
“All right. I won’t fight you anymore,” I said.
Fionn nudged me on the shoulder with his. “You aren’t helping anyone by being sick. You’ve barely eaten over the last three days. You’re getting worse. You look terrible in my wedding pictures.”
“Hey.” I shoved him, and he laughed. “Liar. I look fucking amazing.”
He nodded. “You do. I was joking. Though, you did look too pale. Even Sloan said it.”
I shrugged. There was nothing I could do about that. Eating took too much energy and I didn’t have much left. I barely slept, and when I tried, Dad tortured me with vicious words.
“Have you heard from Sloan?” I asked.
Fionn shook his head. “According to one of the guards we have in there, Taffart, they were in lockdown a couple of days ago. Sloan, um, well, he killed a couple of inmates who tried to hurt him. Left them as a message for another guard who blackmailed them to kill Sloan.”
“What?” I jumped to my feet, nearly tipped over, and would’ve landed on my ass if Fionn didn’t grab my wrist. “When?”
“Sloan handled it.” Fionn flinched. “Fuck. I shouldn’t have said anything. You’re hot. Do you have a fever?”
I ignored his question and ripped my wrist out of his hold.
“You shouldn’t have told me that my partner was attacked?” I cackled at the absurdity. “This is fucking ridiculous, Fionn. Stop hiding things from me. He’s in danger in there.”
“I know. I only found out because Taffart informed me over the secure line, and only because I pushed him into telling me why we hadn’t heard from Sloan.
” Fionn rose and grasped my shoulders, mouth set in determination.
“Sloan can handle himself. He has men in there, including Taffart, and he’s smart. He’s dealt with worse.”
“I know. It’s just . . . .” I scrubbed my hands over my face roughly. “I need him home where I can see him. Touch him. Tell him I love his stupid fucking face and that I want to spend the rest of my life with him. His cock, too. I like that.”
Fionn’s eyes shone in amusement. “I know. Daire said the lawyer went to see Sloan after the lockdown was lifted. Something’s happening, but we don’t know what yet. We have to wait and see.”
“I hate waiting,” I grumbled.
“Me too.” He released my shoulders. “But hey, at least you have me.”
“My son?” I teased.
He heaved a dramatic sigh but continued to grin. “Yes, Pa, your son.”
I laughed. A bubble of happiness grew behind my ribs, expanding until I thought I’d start floating. What had started out as a joke had become so much more. Hearing Fionn call me pa meant something to me.
A pounding on the door made us both freeze, and I stalked over to it, yanking it open. On the other side was Kyran, and the sight of him made me pause in surprise. Blood oozed down his chin from a cut bottom lip and his right eye was already swollen.
Now that the door was open, the sounds of a disturbance came from downstairs. Yelling filled the hallways of the second floor.
“The second-in-charge of our little band of traitors is here, and he’s causing problems. There’s weapons. The wee cowardly fuckers attacked us from behind,” Kyran said, glancing over his shoulder “Ye have enough men down there defending ye both, but—”
I shoved past him, and Fionn was right behind me, his stride strong and powerful. We were in charge while Sloan was in jail, and no one was going to come into our house and cause problems. We’d dealt with the other traitors, but apparently that wasn’t warning enough for these men.
Kyran chased us. “I don’t think it’s a wise idea—”
“We don’t care,” Fionn snapped. “Right now, this is our company and we’ll face the men who are trying to take it from us.”
“And they’ll reap the consequences,” I agreed. “Just because Sloan isn’t here doesn’t mean we’re weak.”
We raced down the stairs that led to the first floor and my heart catapulted against my rib cage. My limbs throbbed and more sweat built on my forehead and temple, cutting across my cheeks and down my jaw.
“They’re in the formal dining room. They attacked us when we weren’t expecting it.
Bloody arseholes. That’s the only reason they did this to me.
” Kyran waved at his face as we reached the bottom, and we veered to our left to head straight through the doors, slamming our way through to join the chaos.
The room was full of men and the divide was clear.
On one side were our loyal soldiers, their guns raised and ready to shoot, and on the other were the traitors, who had Senan as a hostage, handgun pointed at his head.
I didn’t know how it got to this point, but fury raged through me.
Why didn’t we hear the commotion in the first place? Then again, this house was huge.
Daire, Tiernan, Rowen, Aspen, Fallon, and Cillian led the charge for us.
The man controlling the traitors wasn’t anyone I knew personally. I’d seen him around the yard, but he wasn’t an important player as far as I was concerned.
“What the fuck is going on here?” I yelled, earning everyone’s attention. I pointed at the main traitor. “And who the hell are you?”
The man blanched. He was plain and boring, with short brown hair and a dull face. His gun was pointed at Senan’s temple, and he stood behind Senan, his expression twisting in determination. “We’re here to take the Company.”
“Really?” I drawled. I rolled my shoulders, and while I wasn’t the most religious person, I prayed for strength anyway. “On whose orders?”
“The one who deserves to be leader.”
Daire snorted and moved toward me and Fionn, his steps steady and intent. He was shifting in front of us to protect us. “Be realistic, Young. You know the boss put Conall and Fionn in charge.”
“They shouldn’t be,” Young snapped, pressing the muzzle of the gun against Senan’s head, making him wince. “There’s someone more worthy. A true Killough.”
“Bullshite,” Tiernan sneered, his grip on his gun tightening until his knuckles turned white. “Fionn is Sloan’s blood and bone. Nothing realer than that, is it?”
“Don’t antagonize the man with the gun to me head, Teer,” Senan said, though there was a lulling amusement in his tone. Did the man never take anything seriously? “He might squeeze the trigger by accident and what am I without me brains?”
“Still the same person, aren’t ye? Ye don’t have any in the first place,” Tiernan replied, and Senan laughed, which was crazy considering he still had a damn gun pointed at his head.
“Who?” I asked, ignoring them. I stepped around Daire, waving away his hand as he reached for me. “Who do you think deserves to be boss? Tell me.”
Young balled his hand into a fist against Senan’s chest, holding him in place. His eyes blazed. “We all think he should be in charge.”
“Yeah?” I took another step forward. Cillian and Aspen started to head toward me, but I shook my head sharply at them. “Who?”
“Lorcan Lee.” Young grinned, obviously proud of himself. “He’s a Killough. Sloan Killough’s half brother.”
The tension in the room doubled, and the loyal soldiers gripped their guns tighter, Young’s words were dangerous in their ears. It was a big claim. I knew it was true; however, that wasn’t my secret to tell. I didn’t know how Lorcan Lee found out the truth, but I couldn’t focus on that now.
“And where is your great leader?” I asked, smirking.
There was no hiding the Glock in my hip holster, but I had no plans to drag it out.
Not yet. There were enough pointed weapons right now, and I needed to get Sloan’s cousin away from the danger first. “Left you to defend his honor? Shouldn’t he be here, too, or has he rallied his faithful troops so we can slaughter you while he hides?
” I chuckled and glanced around at the men behind Young.
“Look at you. You’re nothing but fodder.
If you win, he wins and doesn’t become a crime statistic.
If you lose, he denies having anything to do with this, and he stays exactly where he was.
Is that what you want? A coward for a leader? ”
“He wouldn’t abandon us.” Young’s jaw twitched.
I felt bad for him. He was deluded if he thought he was important to Lee.
“Where is he now?” I spread my arms and looked around the formal dining room. “Not here in this room with us. He wants power and expects you to give it to him, but he doesn’t care about you.”
Young hesitated and that was enough for Senan to throw his head back, bashing Young’s nose.
A crunch filled the room. Young howled as Senan elbowed him in the stomach before seizing the gun.
Senan twisted on his feet and pointed the gun at Young as he backed away, and all the other guilty soldiers faltered now that their hostage was loose and my words were starting to worm their way into their brains.
I grabbed my Glock and pulled it out, aiming at Young, and Fionn stepped to my side, his gun in his hand as well.