Chapter 56
Chapter Fifty-Six
KEEGAN
T he inside of the cathedral is like a tinderbox, and everyone is waiting for it to go up. There’s no peace to be had this morning, despite the replacement priest's suggestion otherwise.
Paddy’s insistence every person involved in the Irish attend Sunday Mass is not how I would handle this situation.
At all. I understand where he’s coming from; we are a formidable and cohesive organization, able to withstand any kind of pressure, including from within.
But I still think he’s a stubborn fool, out of touch with how shit is done these days.
My phone vibrates in my suit pocket. Tynan’s eyes sweep over me, in case it’s news. It is, but it’s fucking hours old. The telcos are as much a mess as the streets are.
The only good that’s happened of late is Paddy revising his wording when it comes to our wife and the murder of Arthur Kelly. The amendment makes any injury made to Tally, when someone does find her, an act punishable by her Pack.
I wish he would have revoked his order completely. He won’t, because he thinks we are blinded by the magic of good pussy. As a result of that wee comment of his, I can’t look at Paddy without wanting to beat him senseless. The rage in my chest at him, and these last few days, is festering.
I stink of aggression, and every time I blink my eyes, I lose a little more of my control. I just need my Pack back together, and then everything in my life has reason.
Reading the most recent blast of texts gives me none of the answers I was hoping for.
A new wave of frustration hitting, I restart my pacing.
The echo of each step I take is loud and makes it hard for those listening to the bullshit sermon.
Without even checking over my shoulder, I can feel Paddy’s furious stare.
He can eat shit, for all I care. I’m here, doing what he wants.
Seriously, me pacing up and down one side of the cathedral is me being respectful and the least of his problems.
I could go stand with Ty because, like me, there’s no way he’s sitting down in a pew near Paddy or Jeanie today.
Not even Ronin’s sisters could placate him enough to forgive Paddy’s bullshit call to action.
Tally is innocent of slitting Arthur's throat, something Paddy would know if he listened to our proof. But he’s still stubbornly listening to what’s left of his “inner circle,” as opposed to his own flesh and blood.
Ronin stands suddenly from his spot next to Maeve and his other sisters, his eyes catching mine, and he uses his hand to tell me to do a sweep of the room.
Around us, the congregation comes alive, with people shuffling in their seats.
Those involved in the Irish subtly check the room, too, patting down their weapons, just in case.
It might be nothing, but that’s like asking if the Pope’s a catholic or if a bird has wings.
From the point of view of being able to do my job and protect my pack, and Paddy O’Connor, this place is high risk.
There’s too many rooms attached behind doors that need special keys.
We also have to contend with hidden balconies and a veritable ancient rabbit warren under our feet.
Add into the equation that Father O’Leary has a seemingly ever-changing rotation of clergy staff working, posing a whole shite ton more risk, and it’s no wonder I’m not a fan of Sunday morning Mass.
Walking past a small room near the confessionals, I stop mid step and take a long, deep inhale.
And it confirms I did, in fact, scent my Omega’s unique peachy perfume.
Standing at the doorway, I dial her number, hoping it’s that easy to locate her, but my call goes unanswered and the trace of her disappears.
Looking over my shoulder, I aim for subtlety, and Tynan’s small nod back has a part of me relaxing.
Keeping up the act for the rest of the parishioners watching, I open the confessionals, walk behind columns, and pat down curtains.
I make it to where Tynan was and see him do his own assessment of the area I was just in. He might be a Beta, his senses not as heightened as ours, but Tally’s in him deep. The crack of his shoulders is proof enough—he picked up the same hint of her scent as I did.
Not giving a fuck about who I upset, I go to Ronin, putting my lips against the shell of his ear, barely making a sound. “Tal’s here or was here.”
I don’t need him to explain how he feels about the news. The look in his eyes is a mirror of the promise of retribution in mine.
“What’s going on?” Paddy pushes his way into our private discussion with a hiss of angry words aimed at me.
“A bad feeling is what’s going on,” I snap back at him. “You’re a good man, Paddy, but you’ve left us exposed, and that’s wrong.”
He stares through me before looking past me.
There’s movement from where he called his own guards into action.
Unlike me, they try to keep the disruptions to a minimum as they crouch low, so as not to interrupt the service still going on around us.
I stay exactly where I am, in front of Ronin, doing my own job, unperturbed by who I upset.
The minutes stretch out to the point where I reach for Ronin’s elbow to shadow him out, but Paddy’s guards walk back out.
One by one, they nod at Paddy, letting him know there was nothing to worry about.
But as the last one walks out of the hallway, strange sounds follow. Strange, like something heavy falling.
A similar sound comes from another hallway nearly opposite to where the men went to check. And this time, it’s clearer. Definitely the sound of people fighting or getting hurt.
Like before, I swear I get a whiff of Tally over the heavy burning incense they use for Mass.
Ronin turns to face the same direction I am, and it’s a confirmation I’m not imagining it.
Ronin stands, and even though I’m still shielding him as best I can, a neon green laser beam dances over his heart.
“Shooter!”
My voice echoes through the service, as does the sound of people panicking. The decision to protect Ronin is ripped from me by Ronin himself, who races in the direction of where the beam came from.
Rafferty appears from the shadows, and his features are sharp in his concentration. He covers both of us as we race to where he is, Tynan already disappearing in the chaos.
“Ronin, get fucking down!” I roar at him.
He swings around, the whites of his eyes highlighting the hazel-green of them, along with his fury. “No one lands a fucking laser target on me. No one. I’ll kill the cunt.”
“They were a trigger away from killing you, you feckin’ idiot.” I grab the back of his jacket so I can at least cover him from behind.
He winks at me. “And that’s the difference between them and us. We don’t fucking hesitate, Keegan. I want whoever aimed that gun… alive.”
“Jesus. I always thought it would be Paddy who’d get taken out,” Rafferty whispers as his eyes keep moving, checking for any other threats. And then Raff snaps, and he reaches out to touch his Alpha. “Ronin, someone tried to kill you.”
Ronin would have to be actually dying before he’d deny Rafferty. With me watching like a fucking hawk, Ronin grabs Rafferty and holds him tight. “I’m good.”
“Well, I’m fucking not!” Raff barks back.
These two could argue and bicker for quite some time, but I keep them both on track. “Why would Tally’s scent be here?”
Ronin snaps to attention. “I need to see Paddy and Jeanie in a car safely. And my sisters, then we’re going over this feckin’ Cathedral with a fine-tooth comb.”
It’s a good plan. Tynan’s already off and searching, and we’ll be joining him in a matter of moments, but from Paddy himself, we’re dealt another problem that needs solving. “Ronin, get your ma and the girls to safety. The fecking Russiky are here.”
Russiky. Russians. Bratva. Our enemy.
“It’s a coordinated attack, then.” Ronin’s talking out loud. “What are they here for?”
As soon as he says the words, Rafferty, Ronin and I look at each other, answering his question without saying a word. But we’re all thinking the same—our wife.
I really would protect the O’Connors with every fiber of my being, but that commitment is being put to the test.
“Kee, please.” Ronin sees my struggle because he’s facing the same moral dilemma.
Three, two, one. “Of course, Ronin.”
It’s not choosing one over the other, because there is no choice. It’s doing what I have to, and that makes my chest squeeze so hard, I feel like I’m having a heart attack.
Rafferty reaches down for Maeve’s hand, but he waits until I’m looking into his eyes. “She will not be taken by the Russians. We either get her back, or we die trying.”