Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 78773 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78773 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
“We have to hide this, Megan.”
I groan. “Aye.”
“If I tell Keenan, it implicates the Clan. If this was just something that happened between us, it doesn’t. Stone City’s fucking O’Gregor territory. They’re ruthless. Doesn’t matter if the man was homeless or one of their own. They find out we killed someone on their territory, there will be hell to pay.”
I nod. “Aye.” He’s right.
The words of the others come back to me, reminding me how ruthless the men of the Clan can be. How devastatingly violent they can be.
It’s then that I remember.
The diary.
I bend to the floor so he doesn’t see, open it up, and peer in.
I want to cry.
It’s a sodden mess. And utterly ruined.
Chapter 9
Carson
I’m so angry I can’t see straight. She was here, right here, so close she could’ve seen fucking everything.
She likely doesn’t know that I’m a hacker. That with the fucking click of a button, I can see damn near anything.
I knew her location from the minute I took an interest in her, and without even trying. Keenan demands we keep tabs on all members of the Clan at all times, demanding guards with all of the women when they leave the grounds. The other girls obey this, but Megan balks.
We’ll have a talk about that.
Lachlan said she’d left without a guard. Group text to Keenan, Cormac, and me. Said he’d warned her, and he wanted us all aware. One click of a button was all it took for me to see the whereabouts of her phone. Imagine my shock when I saw her heading straight for me.
To Stone City.
Why?
She was mates with Eve, I know she was. They came here from time to time. But why today?
And Jesus, why now? I’ve got the blood of a man on my hands. It’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last. But I like to be fucking judicious about taking someone’s life.
I contemplate telling Keenan. I hate hiding things from my Chief. And he’s the one that knows everything. All my secrets. The secrets no one else knows. But Christ, I don’t want to put the burden of this on the Clan, the family who raised me.
Still, my loyalty to the Clan means I have to.
I want to bring her back to my flat, strip those sodden clothes off of her, put her over my knee, and spank her to tears. Punish her soundly for putting herself in danger like that. And it won’t be the kind of spanking that ends with her climaxing.
I grind my teeth and breathe through my nose to calm myself down. It’s rare I’m given to temper, but when someone I care about could be hurt, all bets are off.
I have to bring her back home.
Will they think something’s going on between us? My Clan brothers would kill me for touching her, I know they would.
Jesus, there’s no good way to turn.
“You alright?” I ask her. “You’re shaking.”
“I’m cold,” she says. “And I just watched you kill a man.”
I don’t respond, not at first. As much as the two of us can’t be together… as dangerous as this is… I can’t help but want to take care of her. Protect her. Make her mine.
So I reach for her hand and entwine my fingers with hers. She sighs, and I give her a little squeeze.
“You need a good, hot cup of tea laced with the good stuff,” I mutter. “We’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”
She nods. “You sure we shouldn’t tell Keenan?”
I shake my head. “No, the truth is, we’ll have to, but I’d rather do it privately than in front of the whole Clan.”
Keenan will know why I was in Stone City to begin with. The others won’t.
We pull up to the house and drive past the guard.
I’ll be having a talk with them.
I park the car and lead her into the house. Maeve meets us in the kitchen, her eyes widening only slightly when she sees the two of us soaked. She looks down at my hands. Jesus, they’re still dotted with blood.
She’s used to this, though. She’s seen this before.
“Lachlan rang me,” she says. “You two alright?”
So much for keeping things quiet. There are no secrets in the brotherhood.
“Aye,” I say. “Could use some Irish tea, though.”
“Aye,” she says with a sad smile. “Wee Breena’s napping, so I’ll bring it up soon.” She looks to Megan, reaches for her hand and gives her a little squeeze. “You’ll need some too, lass.”
“Thank you.”
“Casualty or retribution?” she asks so softly I can barely hear her.
I sigh. “Casualty.”
She sighs in turn. “Both of you head up to Megan’s, then,” Maeve says. “I’ll tell Keenan that’s where he’ll find you and have him bring up dry clothes for you, Carson.”
Megan’s eyes widen ever so slightly before she looks away. It’s likely the first time she’s been caught in the crosshairs of our work, and I suppose she finds it surprising how matter-of-fact Maeve is. Maeve may be kind and gentle with those she loves, but she was raised in the mafia, and the woman’s made of steel.