Nine
Avianna
Oh god I can’t believe I just agreed to meet with the mob boss of Boston, who is apparently my mom's cousin.
If it weren’t for Hawk holding my hand right now, I would probably be on the floor.
My knees are shaking so hard. As soon as I give Blade the okay, Hawk leads me to the back room and has us waiting in there while Blade gets the rest of them.
Hawk pulls me to his chest, and I close my eyes and lean into his touch, gaining strength from him. “Hey, we can call this entire thing off if you're not ready for this. I can tell Declan to go the fuck back to Boston.”
I pull back, looking up at him, feeling my heart flutter at the fact he’s willing to tell the mob boss to fuck off for me. “I appreciate that, but I need to deal with this. I need to know why my mom lied to me and what all this means.”
“Alright darlin. But if he disrespects you at all, he and I are going to have problems.” Hawk grumbles out, making me smile.
It hits me at this moment that I love him.
I don't know how it happened, but it did.
It's not the things he's bought me, but the fact that he's gone to bat for me over and over again.
And despite all the craziness in my life, he's still here.
“I love you for wanting to protect me, but I don't think even Declan is crazy enough to do something with all of you here.”
I realize what I said as I look at Hawk and see him stiffen. “Say it again,” he growls as I look at him. His nostrils flare as if he's trying to stay in control.
I could laugh it off as just a saying, but that would be a lie.
So I pull my big girl panties up and tell him how I really feel because if this life has taught me anything, it is that tomorrow is never promised.
“It's true I do love you, Hawk. You've been by my side through all this craziness that is happening. My silent protector, who will do anything for me. I kind of fell for you when you first sat in my section at the diner.”
My heart races wildly in my chest, and I’m sure he can hear it.
I watch as he breathes deeply and cups my cheek, making me lean into his touch. “I've waited for you to see me, Avianna, and to catch up where I've always been. I love you too, darlin.”
He leans down and captures my lips in a heated kiss that takes my breath away.
My hands and knees shake. We just crossed the invisible line, and there's no going back for me.
He slows down the kiss and leans his forehead against mine.
I can hear people talking in the hallway and it makes me stiffen in his arms.
For just a moment, I forgot why we were actually here.
Hawk lifts my chin so I'm looking at him. “Eyes up, darlin you are not beneath them. And just remember, I'm right here.”
I nod my head and take a deep breath before I face the door. My stomach is doing somersaults and I feel like running from the room screaming. You’ve got this, Avianna.
My heart races as the door opens and Blade walks in first, followed by the rest of the guys, then walks in ?who I assume to be Declan, followed by another guy who looks equally terrifying.
Declan is wearing a tailored suit that probably cost more than I’ve ever made, who has to be hitting over 6 feet tall, but it’s his eyes that make me gasp because they are exactly the same as my mom's and mine.
The man standing beside him is just as tall and with the same eye color as us.
Declan walks until he is standing in front of me, and I can feel Hawk stiffen beside me.
He smiles at me, and it eases my fear a little as he looks me over.
He grabs my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze.
His hands are so big they cover mine fully.
“You look so much like your mom, Sadie. It’s good to meet you, Avianna. My name is Declan and I’m your mom's cousin along with Nolan here. I’m sorry for just dropping in on you like this, and it must come as a shock. If you're okay with it, I have some things to tell you.”
“It’s nice to meet you two as well. I do have some questions if that’s okay with you?”
We all take our seats, and Hawk pulls my chair closer, showing the others we are together.
Not that you couldn’t tell, since he’s been practically standing over me since they walked into the room.
Declan and Nolan take the seats across from me.
Joker walks over and places a coffee and muffin from Madison’s bakery in front of me. “Madison figured you could use this.” Joker winks at me and takes his seat.
“Thank you, Joker.” I wrap my hands around the cup to keep them busy. I can see Declan and Nolan watching my every move, and it’s a little unnerving.
Declan sits forward, placing his hands on the table.
His hands are large and covered in tattoos.
“First, I want to say how sorry I am about the passing of your parents. We had no idea what had happened. If we had known, we would have stepped in.”
I can hear his Irish accent. It's not too thick, but it’s still there.
“Thank you. But if you're really my mom's cousin, how did you not know that they died?” I sit up. I know it might have sounded rude how it came out, but I need to know. It's exhausting not knowing what's going on with my family.
“To answer that, I will have to give you some backstory. The three of us grew up together in Ireland. Your mom was older than us, but we were family and stuck together. We grew up surrounded by the kind of family most people in Dublin whispered about but never crossed. We controlled gambling dens,
dock shipments, and debt collections across parts of the city and into smaller towns along the coast. To outsiders, we were criminals. To us, we were simply family: loud, loyal, protective, and always together. Unlike some people, she never hated the life she was born into.
Sadie loved the chaos of family gatherings: the endless stream of relatives through the house. Her father taught her how to read people before she could drive. The family spoiled her rotten,
calling her Princess because she was one of the few people who could walk into a room full of dangerous men and make them soften instantly. Sadie understood early what the family really did, but in her mind there wasn’t black and white.
The men in our family paid neighbors’ rent when they fell behind, covered funeral costs for struggling families, and made sure nobody in their area went hungry. She saw kindness and brutality living side by side, and she loved them despite both. By her early twenties,
Sadie had become deeply involved in the family business — not in violence, but in organization. She handled books, schedules, and communications because everyone trusted her. Sadly, that trust became dangerous.
A rival organization connected to gangs operating between Belfast and Liverpool began losing money after several shipments disappeared. Someone inside their crew blamed the O'Feeney’s, and tensions escalated fast. Threats turned into attacks. Cars were burned. It honestly was a fucking mess.
Then the family intercepted word of a contract. A hit had been ordered on Sadie. At first, she laughed it off. She refused bodyguards, refused to hide, and argued constantly with her father and uncles. “If they want war, then we'll handle it,” she told them. “I’m not running.
” Your mom was as stubborn as they came; it's a family trait. But the older men, especially Granda, knew something she didn’t: the hit wasn’t business. It was personal. Rival crews believed killing her would destroy morale inside the family because everyone loved her.
Granda told her that the family had already arranged everything: passport, money, a place to stay, and she was leaving to stay with family friends. She, of course, argued, but as soon as Granda told her people had already died trying to protect her, that was the only thing that changed her mind.
The night she left Ireland for good, nearly the entire family came to say goodbye at a private dock. No dramatic speeches. No tears in front of strangers. Just hugs, promises, and her uncle slipping a small silver cross into her hand that had belonged to her grandmother.
On the back was an inscription: Mo mhuintir go deo. After that, things escalated, and it took a few years for everything to die down. By then we got word your mom found someone and got married and then had you. Granda was the only person who knew where she was staying; it was safer that way.
And when you guys started looking up Sadie's name, we intercepted that because we still had her name flagged.”
By the time Declan is done telling the story, I'm stunned speechless.
She was always so quiet but had a temper when pushed too hard, and that’s when the Irish accent would come out, which was never directed at Dad or me.
I feel like I'm going to wake up from this and it will all be a dream.
I subconsciously play with the necklace Declan was talking about.
“You have the necklace?” Nolan speaks up for the first time, making my head snap up and look at? both of them.
I smile for the first time. “Yeah, it’s the only thing I have of Mom left that my uncle didn’t sell. Maybe she knew something was going on because she gave it to me a few weeks before they died, telling me to keep it safe.”
“Sadie was smart as hell, so she probably knew something was up. If you don’t mind, I would like to hear more about this uncle of yours. From what we found out, he owes some people some money, and they are now after him.”
I can see the shift in Declan and Nolan, and it’s the same one that Hawk has when he’s mad, but they don’t scare me.
The opposite, really. I feel nothing but love and ?fierce protection from them.
I thought all my family was gone, but it seems it’s growing even more.
I turn my head to Hawk, and he nods ?at me, smiling.
“Uncle Jamie wasn’t always bad; it was after my parents died that the abuse started. I overheard him one night saying once my birthday is here, he was going to get rid of me the same way he did my parents so he could get his hands on my inheritance. That same night I left and never looked back,
but he’s found me and will stop at nothing to see his plan through. He’s also the one who killed my parents. The police stated that someone cut their brakes, causing their car to go over an embankment; killing them instantly.”
I don’t try to stop the tears from falling. Each time I recount what happens, it’s like the wound opens up even more. God, how I miss them so much. I watch as Declan and Nolan stiffen while I recount what happened. They share a look with each other and nod their heads.
Declan looks at Blade, who’s been silently watching the exchange. “If you don’t mind, we would like to stay in the area until the uncle is caught. He killed one of ours, and I want to make sure he answers for it.”
Blade looks around the table to see the others nod their heads. “That’s fine with us. We have an unused house on the property that you guys can use.”
“Thank you, we will set up there. Jamie is not walking away from this. He went after the O’Feeney’s, and that’s something we won’t stand for.” Declan cracks his knuckles, and I can see why he’s the mob boss of Boston.
Hawk speaks up for the first time since we all sat down. His smile is downright feral as he looks at Declan. “He's a dead man for touching what’s mine.” He growls out, making a shiver race down my spine.
As I look around the table, all the guys are nodding, smiling that same smile as if talking about killing someone is an everyday occurrence. I guess in their world it is. My uncle signed his death warrant; he just doesn’t know it yet.