Chapter 13 #2
Walking over to the small desk, I pull out the pistol I keep hidden there and slide it into the back of my pants. Just in case.
Seconds later, Maxim walks in with a clearly overweight man. He doesn’t look like much of a threat, but I’m not going to let my guard down.
Maxim looks between him and me before asking, “Do you need me to stay?” His face is stern. It’s the first time he’s asked if he should stay for a meeting. He must realize something is off as well.
“No, I’m sure Mr. Hawkley will be leaving shortly.” I reply before I gesture with my hand to the chair opposite mine.
“Mr. O’Sullivan, thank you for meeting me on such short notice. I don’t intend to take up much of your time.” He huffs, out of breath from the short walk from the door to this room.
“Not a problem.” I sit and wait for him to get to the reason he’s here. “What do you need?”
“I’m here to talk to you about the meeting you had with Darren at the airfield earlier in the day. He let me know that you made some changes to the protocol.”
I don’t let the surprise show on my face. That moved fast. “What of it?”
“Well, sir, as I’m sure you are aware, that is highly unusual. Your father wants to make sure that we have open communication with the pilots and the clients that we serve. We can’t do that if they are barred from working with us.”
“Mr. Hawkley, I’m not sure where you are getting your information, but you can verify with my father.
I am in charge of all the communication and clients when it comes to this aspect of the business.
There have been some unfortunate events that have led me to tighten the reins a bit.
You and your people are going to have to deal with that. ”
The polite mask he was wearing falls slightly as he presses his lips together in anger. This is clearly not the answer he was expecting to get from me.
“I understand you took your new wife to the meeting. Maybe she had some input on this decision?”
What the fuck?
I push up from my seat and look down at him.
“Yes, my wife was at this meeting, and she will likely be at any other meeting I desire her to be at. She is an extension of me. If she did counsel me on anything, I’d take her word over yours, and it would be of no matter to you.
Also, the next time you mention my wife in any regard, be prepared to lose your fucking tongue. ”
He doesn’t seem rattled, at least not on the surface. This Mr. Hawkley has been in the game a while.
“Of course, I meant no disrespect. It’s just that the O’Sullivan family and those that work with you have done things a certain way for a long while, and now all of a sudden, with the joyous addition to the family, it seems like things are changing a lot quicker than what would be considered normal.
As you may suspect, there are a lot of people, people who have been loyal to your bloodline for a long time, who are a bit concerned about this. ”
“What does that matter to me? If they are loyal, they will remain loyal. The ones that are ready to cause problems need to be weeded out and taken care of. I’ll be sure to make that my highest priority.” The threat is clear. I will not be the weak link in my family.
Mr. Hawkley sighs before he stands, holding my gaze. “Understood. I wish you the best.” He puts his hand out for me to shake, but I just stare down at it like it’s a piece of shit.
He drops his hand and turns on his heel to walk out. To my surprise, Maxim hasn’t gone back to his post but is waiting just outside the door for the so-called guest.
I’m going to have to do more digging into Maxim. He seems like a good man to have around.
“Make sure he gets to his car and off the grounds,” I order. I purposefully leave out the word safely. I don’t really care if he’s safe. He could have an accident. I’ve got insurance.
I don’t need to call my father for this. There’s no way that he would’ve sent this man here to check on me. No, apparently me taking a more active role is screwing up plans for people. People my father hasn’t been able to keep a closer eye on since he’s so far away.
This is no longer a suspicion; shit is about to get dangerous. I need to be prepared for it. I need to make sure Brenna is prepared for it.
Empires topple all the time in this life. Most of the time, it’s bloody and absolute.
With Maxim escorting Mr. Hawkley off the premises, I set out to find Brenna. I sent her to continue surveying the house for any spaces that need to be fixed up.
“Brenna?” I call out for her, rushing from room to room, getting more agitated when I can’t find her right away and she doesn’t answer me.
I check all the rooms on the first and second floor, but she’s nowhere to be found.
Instantly, I start pondering if the meeting with Mr. Hawkley was nothing more than a distraction. Maybe they sent someone in here while we were talking to do something to Brenna.
My heart clenches, and fire rips through my veins. My heartbeat booms in my chest, and the shadows grow larger in every corner of the house. “Brenna!” I shout for her again.
Taking a few breaths, trying to calm myself, I listen in the near silent house for evidence of her still being there. There’s nothing.
Then I hear a soft creak to the left.
A creak in the one part of the house no one is allowed in. East.
Moving slowly, I make my way over there, cautious just in case it’s an intruder.
I pray it’s a fucking intruder. At least that way, I’d be able to do something with all this rage building up inside of me.
I push open the heavy, ornate door taking me to the stairs that lead up.
The walls are still scorched from the fire that destroyed the back room and traveled like it had a life of its own down the hall.
The stairs creak and moan under my weight as I make my way up.
I’m the only one who comes up here. It’s private.
It’s where I keep most of my weapons, some of the more important paperwork, the ghosts.
I make it to the top landing and look down the hall.
The whispering grows to a roar in my mind when I see Brenna standing there, head tilted, staring at an old family photo.
One of the only ones that I have left of the five of us.
My father looking angry as usual, Killian with a devilish smirk, Declan somber, nearly identical expression as my father, myself, clear-faced and smiling slightly, waiting for the picture to be taken.
The star of the photo on all accounts is my mother.
Her long dark hair curled perfectly around her face, her arms stretched around us as best she could, joy and innocence still present in her eyes.
The edges of the photo were scorched by the fire, causing the white background to take on a more yellow tinge. The frame is one touch away from crumbling to ash.
This was the past.
A past I didn’t want anyone laying their eyes on.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I growl as I get closer to Brenna.
She jumps and presses a hand to her heart in shock.
“Cormac, you scared me. You need a bell or something.” She jokes, but there’s not one ounce of laughter inside of me right now.
“I asked you a question. What are you doing here?”
She shakes her head, the gravity of my anger finally hitting her. “I’m just checking the ceilings, remember, for the holes?”
“Not here. I’ve told you more than once that you were not allowed up here. Leave. Now.” I shout at her, and she visibly recoils.
She rights herself, a frown taking the place of the confusion. “What is your problem? What are you hiding up here?” she shouts back at me.
“What I’m hiding is not your fucking concern. You don’t belong here. Get out.”
“No. Not until—”
I cut off her words, my hand wrapping around her neck as I push her back against the soot-filled wall.
A dark cloud puffs out from the wall, and dirt rains down on her.
“Brenna, you don’t seem to be getting it.
Maybe I’ve been too soft on you, letting you run around like you’re in charge around here.
You’re not. This is your final warning. Get out of here and don’t fucking come back.
I don’t want to see your face.” I loosen my grip on her throat.
“Leave... now.” The words are low and dangerous. She’s pushing too far.
Too much, too fast.
Her eyes are wide with fear. She is catching a glimpse of the monster she thought she’d tamed. She trembles as she slides past me and runs down the stairs and out of this cursed space.
The minute the door slams behind her, regret quickly takes the place of the rage. What the hell did I just do?
I look up at my mother’s forever smiling face. How I wish she was here to tell me the right thing. How I wish I could go back in time and tell her not to fight my father trying to save me.
I can’t change the past, no matter how much I want to. This is what I am.
Turning, I find one of the few mirrors I didn’t throw away. It’s covered by a thick sheet. I quickly tug the sheet away and stare at the man in the reflection.
Brenna may have tried to convince me that I’m not just this scar, and maybe I’m not, but there’s no way she can convince me that the man staring back at me in that mirror isn’t a monster.