Page 22 of Ruthless Reign

I pushed the door open and found him standing beneath the glow of the naked bulb in the closet of my bedroom. He didn’t turn, and as I approached he fingered the sharp corner of a photograph pinned to the wall. The edge sliced into his flesh, leaving a slender papercut. He lifted his finger to the light, rubbing it against his thumb as if mesmerized by the shade of crimson.

“I thought you’d outgrown your…fascination with death, fuil ma chuid fola.”

I didn’t enter the closet. There wouldn’t be space for us both, and I didn’t need to look at the evidence of my depravity tonight.

“You found the key.”

He lifted it without looking at me and I took it from his fingertips.

“So, tell me about this complication.”

He turned to face me and for half a second, I almost lost my nerve, until I remembered who I was. Who he made me. And what would happen if I did.

“Eoghan and Finn are dead.”

A vein in his temple bulged. “Explain.”

“I killed them.”

His knowing eyes scoured my expression for information he might not find in my words. “Why?”

“They were skimming the take.”

“Eoghan?” he asked incredulously.

“I think it was Finn who convinced him.”

“And how?—”

“I’d suspected they weren’t loyal for a while. I confronted Eoghan before they went into the Kents. He buckled. Said it wasn’t his idea. Bastard even offered to cut me in if I’d keep quiet. Finn drew his weapon. I ended them both.”

I had to pray the Saints would want the entire ordeal cleaned, hushed, and buttoned the fuck up, otherwise Da might hear of a certain girl and her exploits behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle just outside Lancaster.

His lips pressed into a thin line.

“Dìlseachd thar gach ni eile,” I said, invoking the old adage he drilled into me from the moment I was old enough to repeat it. Loyalty above all. The words tasted like bile on my tongue.

“And the take?”

“I needed to clean up our own mess. I’ll ring Sam and Reagan. We can collect now.”

I wiped at some dirt beneath my nose, moving to turn back to the living room, but Da stopped me with a rough grip on my shoulder, spinning me back to face him.

“Their lives were not yours to take.”

“They didn’t deserve to breathe the same air we breathe,” I snapped back, letting some of that bottled emotion through in red hot rage that made my da awaken with the shine of approval in his eyes.

There you are, I could almost hear his thoughts as my own. My mad dog of a son. My loyal mutt.

I did it. He bought it.

A slow smile sputtered on his mouth as he lifted his shoulders to look down his nose at me, his head tilted to one side. “You were sent for the take. Nothing more. You overstep, fuel ma chuid fola. Perhaps you need a reminder of your position in my ranks?”

I tasted phantom blood on my tongue and before I could stop myself, my fists clenched.

Da noticed.

“Yes. I can see that you require a lesson.”

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