Chapter 10
TEN
Devlin
This whole canine thing was getting old. And the idea of wearing a dog collar—a shock collar—was humiliating.
At first.
But when Cian buckled it around my neck and threatened, “Take it off, and I’ll let Jace stab you somewhere non-vital,” I found I didn’t hate it as much as I thought I would. My hoodie covered the collar, and the small control box was a steady weight on my collarbone.
Cian pulled on a pair of ripped jeans, an obscenely tight black T-shirt, and a worn leather jacket that showed off his broad shoulders. He beckoned for me to follow him out the door, and I did. But only because I didn’t want to get shocked.
Rhys walked ahead of us, stiff and controlled, his arms barely swinging at his sides.
If I hadn’t met Cian, I probably would have found his quiet kind of power attractive.
But his presence had nothing on the volatile threat simmering under Cian’s skin.
I liked that threat. I liked knowing he’d put me in my place swiftly and decisively.
His boundaries were clear. No swinging on him.
No second-guessing his commands. No biting his men.
Even with all the comments he’d made about my loss of control, there were still lines Cian wouldn’t cross.
The first time I’d swallowed his dick, there’d been a moment.
He’d given me a chance to say no, to take our game in another direction.
At the creek, I’d pushed him on purpose—and he’d held back again.
Despite all his colorful threats, he hadn’t actually hurt me beyond those initial, totally uncalled for punches.
I’d taken every single thing he’d thrown at me. But in that bathroom, when he’d tried to talk about my brother… That had been the line. He could shove whatever he wanted in my mouth or ass, but forcing his way into the chaos in my head was too much to take.
My guard had been down while he’d shaved my face, and I’d reacted on instinct. The pain of losing my brother was still just as fresh as it had been six years ago. But I couldn’t let him get to me like that. Next time, I’d brush it off. He couldn’t see me sweat. He couldn’t know where to hurt me.
It was my own fault, really. That frog had started it all.
I’d been all loose and floaty from my orgasm, and I’d given him a glimpse of pieces of me I didn’t let anyone have.
Now he seemed reluctantly curious about the idea that I could be more than just a ruthless criminal.
And I wasn’t. Or at least, I didn’t want to be.
I had to keep my defenses up, or he’d smash me to pieces.
I took in my surroundings as we walked through the massive building the O'Shea crew lived in. I hadn’t been able to see much of it last night while thrown over Cian’s shoulder.
The house seemed like a mishmash of construction projects.
As we descended two flights of stairs, a long hallway stretching between them, before entering the main living area.
Blood still marked the floor where I’d bitten Rank’s ear—and I had zero regrets.
The room had everything: pool tables, dartboards, couches, a TV, several gaming systems, and a bar beside what looked like an industrial kitchen.
We headed down another hallway, and Cian swung open a large wooden door and strode inside, Rhys beside him and me following behind.
Five men were already seated at a long wooden table—two I recognized as the minions who’d brought me food and the silent treatment.
One of them had his feet up, crossed at the ankles, while he poked around on a tablet.
Beside him, the other aggressively tapped away at his phone, brows furrowed.
They both looked up as we entered, gazes sweeping over Cian and Rhys before landing on me.
Tablet guy immediately dropped his feet to the floor.
Phone guy let his device clatter onto the table and slapped his hands over his ears.
The other four watched me carefully, one straightening from his casual lean against the wall.
Cian turned to look at me, then pointed to a chair against the wall. “Sit.”
I sat quietly, folding my hands primly in my lap while Cian glared at me like my act was a personal insult.
Then he turned to his men. While Rhys took a seat beside the minion with the tablet, Cian remained standing at the head of the table.
The other minion slowly lowered his hands from his ears but eyed me warily.
I thought about snapping my teeth at him, but I wasn’t sure if Cian would consider that a shock-worthy offense.
The day was young. I had to pace myself.
“Let’s get this out of the way,” Cian began, his deep voice drawing the attention of every man in the room.
He jerked his head in my direction. “He’s here because the shed is ash, and we don’t have a secure place to put him yet.
Someone set fire to that shed, and until we know who did it, I can’t risk them making another attempt on his life. ”
He was protecting me? How sweet.
“He’s been…” He glanced over at me before continuing.
“…more forthcoming with information than expected. I need him alive and capable of continuing to provide us with what we need to expand our territory and protect ourselves from the Bonnams.” He leaned forward with his hands braced on the table.
“No one touches him. Only me. Is that clear?”
Every man immediately murmured his assent.
I noticed that most of them were younger, probably around my age or Cian’s.
Only one seemed to be about the same age as that crypt keeper shithead who’d talked down to me last night.
He had dark skin, a shaved head, and a trim beard flecked with white.
Brown eyes studied me from where he stood along one wall, and there was something about him that seemed very Cian-esque, just older.
I pursed my lips at him in a kiss. He gave me zero reaction.
Cian turned to me and introduced each man.
Hack was the minion with the tablet, a slim white man with dark hair and ears that stuck out like wings.
The other one’s name was Mads, a pretty-boy blond who continued to eye me like I was going to bite his face off.
The older man standing against the wall was Tyson, and the other three—Welk, Happy, and Utz—all blended together in a haze of brown hair, tattoos, and cigarette smoke.
The men in this room treated Cian with a deference I found captivating. But they weren’t afraid of him. They still asked questions and made comments freely.
“Maybe you should muzzle him…” Mads suggested, still watching me closely.
Hack began tapping at his tablet. “I have a site I use for that.”
“Okay, kinky fucker,” Mads muttered.
Cian pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m not fucking muzzling him.”
“But—”
“I think—”
“He’s danger—”
Cian cut off the chorus of voices with an abrupt, “I put a shock collar on him.”
Mads’s jaw dropped. Tyson’s eyebrows lifted.
And Hack’s eyes glittered as his lips stretched into a slow grin. “Awesome,” he breathed. “Let me see.”
“You’re not seeing shit,” Cian growled at him.
“Did you shock him yet?”
Cian just ignored him and launched into a summary of the information I’d given him.
I wasn’t nearly as humiliated as I thought I’d be in this situation. I’d decided collaring me was a sign of respect. It meant I was a threat. At least, that was how I was choosing to see it. I could totally be a glass-half-full kinda guy.
Once Cian had finished, he looked at Hack. “Pull up the camera footage from the fire. Did you find anything?”
Hack pulled up a video on his tablet—grainy footage of a shadowy figure, slipping through the trees at the back of the property. Toward the shed. A minute later, the corner of the building went up in flames.
“Could’ve spread to the trees,” Tyson said with a deep frown. His concern for the environment was touching. Truly.
“No way to tell who that is.” Cian pushed the tablet back to Hack. “Shit.”
“At least we know it was deliberate,” Rhys said.
“Do we?” Mads scratched his chin. “It’s not like we could see them start it. Could’ve been someone taking a walk.”
“In the middle of the night. In the dark.” Rhys stared at him.
Mads shrugged. “I’ve caught Hack sleepwalking before.”
“Stop,” Cian growled. “Hack. Mads. Work on a list of everyone who can account for their whereabouts last night. We’ll figure this out. Until then, the devil is with me.”
As everyone dispersed, Cian backed Hack into a corner and spoke to him in low tones.
I strained to hear what he was saying, but I couldn’t eavesdrop properly with Rhys standing in my way.
Hack nodded sharply in response and said, “On it.” His eyes shifted toward me when he said it, which didn’t exactly help my growing curiosity.
Cian turned to me and gestured for me to stand. We were almost at the door when Mads called to him. “I have to head to the airport and pick up my brother, so I’ll miss the meeting.”
Cian waved a hand. “No worries. Drive safe. You’ll come to O'Shea’s after?”
“We’re gonna try to see his kid first. His ex still isn’t answering her phone. But she knows when he gets back, so she should be home. He’s got visitation.”
Cian clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Let me know if you have any problems.”
And just like that, we were off to the next meeting.
Which meant I’d get to see the legitimate side of Cian’s business.
We crossed the main floor of his building before stepping out into the bright sunshine.
I hadn’t realized how long we’d slept after our eventful night, and it was now close to two in the afternoon.
I blinked my watering eyes against the bright spring sun while Cian led me over to a motorcycle.
He grabbed a pair of sunglasses from a side pocket, then hesitated before pulling out a spare pair and handing them to me.
“Thanks,” I murmured as I slid them on.