Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 416(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 416(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
The banter dies the second Seamus's fist slams against the desk. The sound cracks through the room like a gunshot, silencing us both.
“One more goddamn word from either of you,” Seamus says, his voice low and lethal, “and I'll give you somethin' real to joke about. Understood?”
Neither of us speaks. The tension coils tight as Seamus leans forward, planting his hands on the desk, his knuckles white against the dark wood, his cheeks ruddy.
“Marcus Crowning says you stole his property.”
“She's not property.”
“I know that. You know that. He sees it very differently, doesn't he?” Seamus's jaw tightens. “He wants her back, Ash, and if we don't hand her over, he's threatening retaliation.”
My hands curl into fists. “He's not getting her.”
“That's what I told him.” Seamus straightens. I look at him, surprised. “I knew you would not have taken her unless you had a very good reason. And it's my job as head of this family to support the decisions all of you make. But it's your job to make sure that every decision you make supports the family.” He meets my eyes. “We need to know exactly why you took her.”
“Crowning was going to kill her.” The words come out harsh. “He's killed two women before her. I couldn't—” My throat tightens. “I couldn't let that happen.”
Lorcan's expression shifts. “Are you sure about that?”
“I have been tracking him. He dates them, isolates them, then they disappear. One was an 'accident,' supposedly. One was a 'suicide.' But his brother, you know who his brother is. He's buried the details, Seamus. That's him. It's always been him.”
Declan lets out a low curse. “Christ. Does she know?”
I nod. “She didn't believe me at first.” I run a hand over my head. “But she's seen him. She looked up the details. She knows who he really is now, and that’s why she came back with me.”
“What do you mean, came back?” Lorcan sits straighter.
“I took her when she was going to marry Marcus Crowning. Took her to the cabin. She escaped. I brought her back. She escaped again, and that time I let her go. He tried to hurt her. She asked me for help.”
Seamus and Lorcan exchange a look. Seamus's sigh is long and heavy. “Right. So she’s with you willingly now. I don’t have to sort out a fucking kidnapping allegation on top of the rest of this shite?”
“Aye.”
“And you're telling me you're ready to go to war with the Crownings over this?”
It's not a question, but I answer anyway. I swallow hard and lick my lips. “I don’t want war. I want his head on a fucking silver platter.”
Silence. Lorcan grins. “Well, shite. I never thought I'd see the fucking day.”
“Fuck off.”
“Really, it's sweet. Kind of. In a deeply fucked-up way.” He looks at Seamus. “We're backing him, right?”
“Of course we are.” Seamus leans back in his chair. “As if we have a choice. Crowning's already made this public. If we back down, we look weak. And if there's even a chance that Crowning is what Ash says he is—” He shakes his head. “Can't send her back to that. Won't have that fucking arsehole here in Ballyhock another second.”
The McCarthy clan is a bit of a legend in Ballyhock. We take care of the citizens, and in turn, they’re loyal and protective.
Seamus cracks his neck. “Gives me a reason to fucking put him six feet under.”
Relief floods through me, so intense it's almost painful.
“But if you think about it…” Seamus strokes his chin. “We destroy Crowning. We take what he's been hoarding for years, aye. This could work in our favor quite well, couldn't it, lads?” He pauses. “There's at least one, two, three families that haven't taken sides. Us versus Crowning.”
“And it's not just that.”
Seamus gives me another look. “What?”
“How I met Bianca. I found her. Some eejits in an alley were trying to take her for god knows what reason…”
“Jesus Christ.” Seamus shakes his head. “We’re not in the habit of saving people, Ash. You know this.”
“Aye, but we keep the streets of Ballyhock safe, don’t we? Could’ve been Kyla or Bronwyn, Seamus.”
“Fucking hell,” Lorcan says, shaking his head.
“But you need to tell her everything.” Seamus's voice hardens. “Who we are. What we do. That her father died serving us.”
“She knows.”
“Good.” Seamus nods. “Now go get your girl before Kyla interrogates her to death.” Lorcan shoots him a look. “You know she will. They all will. Right? You check on her. Make sure she's alright. Then we make our plan. We fortify this house, then strike against Crowning. If we strike first, he won't see it coming. Then we bring everything he's been doing to the news.”
“Aye.” I nod. “Mam still has contacts.”
Back in the day, when my parents were getting married, my mother was an investigative reporter. She's still best friends with people who still work for them. It's been useful having her on our side.