Page 61 of Mob Saint

“Shh, cailín. Let go.”

She whimpers but does as I say. I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her tight against me. I feel her sigh since she’s silent now.

“You do not go farther than my reach.”

“Yes, D?—”

I glance down at her as she catches herself, and she’s looking up at me. She nods. I slide my hand a little lower to her hip. She smiles and knows it’s a subtle, possessive gesture. She tilts her head against my chest for a moment before straightening. The voices go silent when Vince calls out to Gareth.

“Tiernan’s turned traitor.”

I steel myself against reacting, but I tighten my hold on Tiera until I’m the one with the death grip. It’s instinctual. But I also want her to see the marks I leave when she gets undressed later. I want her to remember I won’t let go, that she’s mine to touch however I want.

“Vince, I’d think twice about how you speak about my girlfriend.”

I want to say whether I hear it or not doesn’t matter since I’ll know. Everyone will assume I mean Tiera will tell me. There’s no need to assume anything. We already have spies, and I’m going to plant more specifically to watch out for her.

“Girlfriend?” Keith snorts before shooting Tiera and me a mocking grin.

Brant steps in front of Tiera and crosses his arms. He’s still impressive even if he isn’t as muscular as me anymore. He definitely doesn’t have a dad bod, and his reputation was earned, not given. Gareth promoted him to the position he’s in now as his fixer. Before that, Brant didn’t hold a title, but he’s been the O’Briens’ most feared enforcer for decades. He did lesser jobs most of the time, except for when Darren demanded he do more. It’s why I didn’t know about Tiera. He was only on our radar when he stepped in front of it. I never took interest in his family before I met Tiera and learned of her connections.

“Gareth, don’t waste my time. You wanted me here to discuss my testimony. I came. Either we get on with it, or Seamus and I leave. The three of us have better things to do than wait on you. Keith, you’re just pissed I dumped you before you ever got to call me that.”

Tiera’s tone belies any fear she has. Is she always this direct? Or does she feel more confident because she isn’t alone? Is it me, her dad, or both?

“Don’t be a?—”

“Finish that sentence, Keith, and you know there’s no way on God’s green earth I can stop Seamus. I wouldn’t if I were you.” It’s her turn to smirk.

I flex my fist, and I know Gareth and Keith can see me. When I narrow my eyes, Keith shifts his gaze to Gareth. At least, he has an ounce of sense.

“My office, Tiernan. Brant, Seamus, wait for me.”

“No.”

Gareth took a step forward, but he freezes when I speak. He glares at me, and I notch up my chin. Tiera was right. Nobody is stopping me from doing whatever I want. There aren’t guards nearby, and even if there were, they know it’ll take at least five O’Briens to restrain me. It took seven the time I knocked out Brant.

“This is my house, Seamus.”

“And?”

I can be purposely obtuse. Even people who know my record in the courtroom forget I’m more than just muscle. They see the man who could snap them in half, but they rarely think I’m intelligent. That’s totally fine by me.

“You don’t decide what goes on here.”

I laugh.

I know where his office is since I’ve been in it before. I turn Tiera and face the hallway it’s down. Gareth owns a large home in a nice neighborhood, but it’s nowhere near the size of my parents’ home or either set of my aunts and uncles. It’s not as big as Enrique Diaz’s in north New Jersey, or Salvatore Mancinelli’s or Maksim Kutsenko’s in Queens. He can’t afford that. In my family, my generation’s opted for more discreet abodes anywhere but Queens. Though Dillan, Finn, and Sean have moved into mansions twice the size of this place now they’re each married.

Basically, Gareth has no wealth to impress or intimidate me. This is a dollhouse compared to the other, far more important bosses’.

“There’s not a chance in hell you’re listening to this conversation, Seamus. You were opposing counsel.”

“Were. Now I am Tiernan’s boyfriend. My girlfriend goes nowhere in this house without me. You get nowhere close to her without me. Period.”

“Tiernan, I thought you swore you were done with possessive men. Your taste hasn’t improved.”

“Since your dad never did shit to protect you, I don’t blame you for not knowing the difference.” Tiera’s gaze could pierce ice.

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