Chapter Forty
Declan
The next morning I kiss the side of Jakob’s head when I move out of bed as slowly as I can. We’re going to meet the soldiers down at one of the warehouses. It’s early still, and he needs to sleep, especially after me waking him up every four hours for pain medication.
I get dressed silently and tiptoe out of the room without waking him up.
I’ll be back before he even realizes I’m gone.
Sliding my shoes on quickly as I fumble down the stairs, I hurry to make it to the SUVs before they pull out and leave me behind.
I pull the door shut and look up to three sets of green eyes staring at me in silence.
“Oh, fuck off. Like you didn’t tell your wives bye before you left.”
“You, uh, got a little.” Kieran takes his thumb and obnoxiously wipes at the corner of my lip. “There you go.” Mischief dances in his eyes like he’s called me out.
“One, if I would have had something on my mouth, it would have been Jake’s cum, and you would have just put your finger on it.”
Instantly Kieran starts gagging and wiping his hands on his pants.
“Two, only a fucking jackass would suck off their man at five in the morning while he’s as fucking high on pain meds as Jake is.”
Mac shrugs without looking up from his phone, “I don’t know, man. I could be hooked to a ventilator and I’d still want my dick in my fiance’s mouth.”
Rowan and Kieran mumble their agreement, which pulls me up short.
“Wait, should I have? Do you think he’ll be upset if he wakes up and I’m gone plus his dick hasn’t been sucked?”
“No, he has no idea this conversation is even happening. Just remember he’s also a fucking dude. You don’t have to treat him like he’s made of glass. He’s literally just like us.” Rowan laughs at my expense as he maneuvers the vehicle closer to our meeting spot.
“Can we stop talking about sucking dick, though? I just don’t feel like that’s a five in the morning conversation.” Mac pipes up.
“Agreed, that’s at least a nine in the morning topic.” Kieran throws out, oh-so-helpfully.
“You’re literally the one who started it, asshole.” I push Kieran’s shoulder.
“Enough, we’re almost there. We’re a fucking united front, so start acting like it.” Rowan commands as we pull up.
Like a well oiled machine Kieran and Mac get out and scan the area before walking over to my and Rowan’s doors, opening them in sync.
Rowan and I fix our suit jackets and meet at the front of the SUV.
Kieran and Mac flank us as we make our way to the middle of the large parking lot where all our under bosses and soldiers are waiting.
The warehouse isn’t big enough to hold us all, and no one knows where this place is unless you’re BOCG, so it’s as safe as it can be.
Rowan and I stand slightly in front of Kieran and Mac, and when we come to a stop everyone quiets down and turns towards us.
“Thank you for coming out here this early. I know it isn’t ideal for some with families, but I promise I’ll be quick.
I’m sure you’ve all seen the headline from last night and are expecting me to dismiss it.
I cannot, purely because it is not my business.
However, even though he doesn’t owe anyone shit, Declan has requested to address you all. The floor is now his.”
This is it.
“Thank you, Boss. The headline comes as a shock to us all. I was unaware that any articles were going to be run, and typically wouldn’t bother with such trivial nonsense.
However, this one specifically has some inconsistencies I’d like to clear up.
” I hear the soldiers start to whisper, but I push on.
“The main one is that I’m sneaking behind enemy lines.
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Mainly because I’m a grown ass man and don’t have to sneak to see, date, or fuck anyone.
However, in saying that, I am in what will become a marriage with Jakob Fischer.
As you all know, his father Lukas works for Karl Schwarz.
One, they are not our enemies. Two, as you all already know from Mac’s fiance, none of the Fischer children are or have been involved in mafia business. ”
Cathal, one of my higher soldiers, stepped up halting my speech.
He worked on the same level as Owen, but he had a separate team working under him for clean ups, and other odds and ends we needed done.
He’s about my age but definitely more old school in the way he did things.
He’s never questioned the things we did around us, but we’ve heard rumbles of his displeasure in the past.
“Look, I don’t mean any disrespect, but you’ve lost your mind if you think I’m going to stand by and take orders from a fucking f–” He crumbles to the floor with a bullet between his eyes before he can finish the ignorant slur he was about to hurl at me.
In one swift motion I click the safety back in place and holster my weapon. “Anyone else?”
When no one else moves or says anything, I turn to Owen. “Find someone to take his place.”
“Who are you thinking, Boss?” He lifts a questioning brow.
“Dealer’s choice.” I can’t help but grin slightly when Owen smiles brightly.
“Sure thing, Boss.”
With that settled, my eyes scan the crowd and watch my soldiers standing, eyes wide with a look of shock on all their faces.
I didn’t have a reputation like Kieran’s or a temper like Rowan and Mac.
So me drawing my weapon and putting a bullet in a soldier’s head without blinking was comparable to a giraffe walking past them on its hind legs.
When the silence carries on long enough, Kieran claps his hands from behind me. “Perfect choice, gentlemen. Now that that’s settled, let’s talk about what the hell is about to happen in the next few days.”
I zone out while Kieran goes on his spiel about the plan we all carefully perfected last night. We’re ready for anything, and when Kie finally finishes laying out the plan, Rowan’s voice rings loud and sure through the crowd.
“Remember, you take out anyone you come in contact with. Except the girl. She’s to be taken alive to the warehouse.”
“She’s small and will appear docile. Don’t be fucking idiots.
She should be handled like the enemy she is.
We believe she’s behind the uptick in bodies we’ve been seeing for months.
No, her restraints aren’t too tight. No, you didn’t hurt her from dragging her into the warehouse.
No, this isn’t a misunderstanding or mistake.
And most importantly, no, she will not fuck you in exchange for you letting her go.
She may tell you that, but you’ll have a knife slicing your carotid before you know what’s happened. ” Mac’s voice booms across the area.
After we finish up the meeting, we hang around for a while to answer a few questions and go over times and places to meet before piling back in our vehicles and leaving to go back to the estate.
I’m anxious to get back to Jake and check on him.
We’ve been gone longer than I thought we would be, but no one has texted me to let me know how he is.
That makes me more nervous than if my phone was blowing up the entire time.
Did they forget to check on him? Is he in pain?
Fuck, what if he can’t reach his phone to call someone for help?
I’ve worked myself up, so I don’t know why I’m shocking myself when we pull up outside of the estate and I practically leap from the vehicle and tear into the house and up the stairs.
Pushing into our room, I stop in my tracks when I realize he’s sound asleep with Hannah asleep beside him and Dieter asleep in a desk chair he’s pulled up beside the bed.
My breath rushes out of my lungs in relief.
Walking over, I kiss Jakob’s head gently before slowly backing out of the room and going back down the stairs, backtracking to Rowan’s office to work with him for a bit before I wake them up.
It’s still early, and he needs rest so he can heal.