Page 33 of False Heir

“No,” I replied, feeling the weight of leadership heavy on my shoulders. “But we act smart. No rash decisions.”

I could almost hear their thoughts churning, the trust that bound us being tested. I wished I could hear their thoughts, but I definitely couldn’t. I couldn’t ascertain anything from the way they were looking at me except that they were angry.

“Secure everything,” I ordered. “And trust no one outside this room.”

The nods were solemn, the mission clear. But there was a mole among us, someone feeding our secrets to the enemy, and until I knew who, we were all dancing on the edge of a knife.

“Should we just off Killian, then?” Ray’s voice cut through the thick air of unease. He was a blunt instrument, always ready to swing.

Kieran and I exchanged a glance.

“Killian will get what’s coming to him,” I assured them, “but not yet. Timing is everything.”

“Boss,” Ronan interjected, his voice steady but his brow furrowed, “if we wait too long, it’ll look like weakness.”

“Or strategy,” I countered, locking eyes with him. “We’re not to be hasty. That’s what they expect from us.” My voice was even, but inside, every nerve felt like a live wire, humming with the tension of potential betrayal.

“We’ve got to be surgical about this,” Kieran finally said, breaking the silence that had settled. His tone was calm but carried an edge that made everyone at the table sit up a little straighter. “Precision over brute force.”

“Right,” I agreed. “We tighten our circle, keep our eyes open, and when the time comes, we strike hard and fast. No mercy.”

“Understood,” they all murmured in agreement.

I stood up, signaling the end of the discussion for now. They needed to see me composed, in control. The Irish Rover pub was our ground, where we made the rules. But tonight, it felt more like a battlefield than ever before.

I stepped out into the cool night air, the noise from inside The Irish Rover muffled as the door swung shut behind me. Liam was already there, the glow of his spliff lighting up his face in the darkness.

“Thought you could use a drag,” he said, the corners of his mouth turning up as he offered the spliff to me.

“Cheers.” I took it, inhaling deeply, letting the smoke fill my lungs before passing it to Kieran, who had walked out right after me. We stood in silence for a moment, the familiar ritual momentarily bridging the gap between us.

“That new girl of yours,” I began, nodding towards the pub, “she seems...spirited.”

Liam chuckled, his eyes following my gaze through the pub’s foggy window. “She’s a handful, but worth the trouble.” He shrugged off the comment as easily as he shrugged off everything else.

“Speaking of trouble,” Kieran interjected, “how are you holding up? After Diamond?”

I knew he meant “after Dad died, you almost saw Tristan die, and then you watched one of Tristan’s closest friends shoot a man to death in front of you after you’d been kidnapped and bound”, but he couldn’t exactly say that.

Liam’s carefree mask slipped just a fraction before he regained his composure. “Aye, I’m alright,” he said, a hint of steel in his voice as he glanced back at the pub, where the redhead was. “Got more important things on my mind.”

“Like keeping your head straight?” I pressed, not quite ready to let him dodge the question.

“Exactly,” he replied with a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

I passed the spliff back to Liam and leaned against the brick wall of the pub. “We’ve got to talk about what’s going on with our men,” I said, my tone grim. “There’s been too many betrayals lately.”

“Malachy would have made an example out of them by now,” Kieran mentioned, his voice low.

“Malachy wasn’t afraid to rule with an iron fist,” I acknowledged, rolling my shoulders in an attempt to ease the tension building there. “But I don’t want to lead the same way he did. Yet, if that’s what it takes...”

“Betrayal can’t go unpunished,” Kieran agreed, his gaze sharp.

“Right,” I said firmly. “We can’t afford any more stabs in the back. It’s not just about retribution. This is about survival. Our name, our family—it hangs in the balance.”

“Whatever you need us to do, we’re with you,” Liam said, tossing the spent spliff to the ground and stamping it out with his boot. The flicker of loyalty in his eyes was a small comfort in a sea of uncertainty.

I looked at him for what felt like a long time. “I wish you wouldn’t be. Can’t you go to university instead?”

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