Chapter 43 Lochlainn
LOCHLAINN
“Seventeen more dead,” one of the men called out.
Fucking fates.
I ran a calloused hand down my face, pulling the coarse hair on my chin.
Seventeen. Bloody overdoses. In one fecking night.
Fates be damned.
Arcadia Leaf was a hit in the city. Revenue up. Profits through the roof. It was supposed to be a win-win. Good craic for them, full pockets for us. An easy low-stakes play.
But not this. Not fucking this.
Lucklanders—my people—were to be kept out of all this shite. They were supposed to be safe. Under my protection.
And now this? Right under my nose? He picked the wrong folk to gamble with.
Maybe the Hallow Queen was right . . .
“Pull it,” I ordered. “All of it.”
Murmurs rumbled around the room, Luckmen exchanging wary glances.
Eejits. Let them gossip like biddies. They don’t understand what’s at risk.
“All of it?” One stood, face brutal, voice stern. “There are hundreds of cases! It took us months to smuggle them in, to distribute them.”
He looked around, frustrated. “And now ya want us to get ‘em back? For what?”
I held his stare, raising his challenge with a cutting, loaded look.
“To destroy ‘em.”
The words hit the ground like a cinderblock. Their mouths dropped just as hard.
“Luck be damned,” someone swore.
“Clearly, something’s tainted. Until we identify which batch is the culprit, we pull ‘em—all of ‘em.”
A hush fell over the room.
“Tainted,” Sean said slowly, mouth pulling into a frown. “Or poisoned?”
Whispers around the room snuffed out. Eager faces turned, waiting.
He was right to be suspicious.
“Leave that to me to sort out.” I pulled back the right side of my blazer, hooking a thumb into my waistband.
A gold pistol glinted—Angle Shooter—my gilded companion. I’d taken an oath on her. To protect . . . always.
Another stood, opening his mouth, ready to speak when—
Snap!
The massive door to the meeting room cracked clean in half, toppling to the floor with a vicious thud. Twisted vines spread over the back like ivy. Vines I knew all too well.
“Whoops,” Carwynn chirped, completely nonchalant. “Sorry about that.” A tinge of pink powdered her cheeks.
Bullocks. What’s she at now?
She wore blue jeans that hugged her hips a little too right, and a forest green sweater that made the red in her hair blaze.
Trouble. This woman was pure trouble. For me. For everyone. And the worst bit—she didn’t even know it.
“Are you taking a piss?” I spat, arm outstretched, sweeping over the wreckage.
Destroyed. Again! My door. My Lockbinding.
“No, thanks. Already went,” she replied with a sarcastic wince, then shook her hands out.
“Luckblight!”
“How the fates did she do that?”
“Isn’t that—fecking aces, it’s her . . .”
“That Hallow bird. The one from the scrolls?”
Carwynn’s face pulled tight. She whipped her head to the men.
My Luckmen went into a frenzy—hands to holsters, others twitching to shift into Ossory.
Souls take me.
I held up a hand before chaos could unleash.
“Stand down,” I ordered. “I’m sure little miss Hallow Princess has good reason for breaking into our confidential meeting.”
Carwynn’s eyes went to slits, fuming amber.
Good. Be pissed. I liked that little spark.
She looked around the meeting room.
“Yeah, your secret little clubhouse is pretty cute and all.” She smiled unapologetically. “But seems less of a meeting and more of a sausage-fest if you ask me.”
I let out a slow breath and bit my lip, hoping it’d distract me from caging her against the nearest wall. In what way, I wasn’t entirely sure.
“Anyways,” she went on. “I needed to ask you something.”
Carwynn glared at my Luckmen, only now realizing how laughably outnumbered she was.
Trouble indeed.
“Everyone. Out,” I commanded, not breaking eye contact with her.
For a moment she looked gobsmacked, as if she hadn’t expected she’d be worth kicking the entire lot out for. That small flash of insecurity danced on her face, as it so often did.
Aye—she’s worth well more than that.
My men scuffed out, stepping over the door’s tattered remains. Grumbles and mutters spewed under their breath as they passed her.
“You are nothing but a pain in my arse,” I said, settling my elbows on the edge of the table. “If ya care to explain yourself, that’d be grand.” My words were dry, biting.
She strolled over, pulled out a chair, and plopped down.
“Teach me to shoot.” She pointed finger guns at me, firing. “You know . . . pew pew.”
That? That was what breaking my magic was for?
“Luck fucking save me.” My head lolled back as I released an exhausted laugh.
Cigar smoke pillowed in the air. Bubbly flutes and frothy mugs perched on gilded trays carried by elegant, sexy, perky-titted waitresses.
It was a beautiful performance really. Anyone with hope in their heart and coin in their pocket would fall prey to alcohol and tits.
The two main ingredients to my biggest success: The Golden Oak.
Coins clanked, dice thudded. A grand lullaby to my ears.
My feet knew these carpets like the lines on my own palms. We moved toward the rear of the room.
“This way.” I jerked my head, Carwynn in tow.
At the back wall, I tugged aside a thick, emerald curtain. It blended in so well only a trained eye would see it.
“After you . . .” I gestured with a hand.
Carwynn hesitated, peering under my arm into the darkness ahead.
“Umm, is this the part where you kill me? Or push me down a well and keep me as your pet?”
My brows shot up, a smile already teasing my lips.
“Oh no, love. You’re far too valuable to me alive.” I dipped my head toward the shell of her ear, voice lowering. “And you’d make a wretched pet. I’d have to break you in—and we both know you’re not easily broken.”
An annoyed look, and I dare say a pinch of pink, danced across those pretty rosy cheeks, then vanished as she strode past.
The elegance of the Casino faded fast. Rich, wood-accented walls gave way to a silent, cold, unforgiving tunnel.
I let Carwynn take the lead. Her steps were cautious. But curiosity dragged her forward as faint cheers swelled into a roaring crescendo.
Her eyes went as wide as her hips as she approached the end where a small gray-stoned well sat tucked against the wall. Beside it, a doorway hummed with magic. My magic.
“Don’t worry,” I teased, pulling two gold coins from my pocket. “I won’t push ya.”
I held one out to her. She eyed it like I’d gotten down on one knee and offered a fecking ring—except her face said she was three seconds away from sprinting the other way.
I scoffed as she reluctantly snatched it. Trouble.
I flipped my coin into the well. It landed in the green water with a muffled plunk. Below, it started to bubble, then glow.
With a smooth step, I slid through the Lockmagic barrier.
“Come on, love. Nothing to be afraid of.” I smirked at her through the translucent, shimmering veil. “Just a wee little wishing well.”
Carwynn let out an adorable grunt and flicked her coin in. She stepped through, pinning me with a sassy look, sharp enough to gut.
Feisty bird.
Then—a hush fell between us.
She stopped dead in her tracks, shocked by the gorgeous rabble sprawling below. Smooth hands met the rough iron of the balcony railing. Down below, a cacophony of cheers and boisterous bets pierced the air.
Pride clutched my Luck-blessed soul.
The Snake Pit.