Page 67 of Mob Saint

His lips go to my ear. “The gun’s loaded. Never step in front.” He kisses my temple, never lowering his arm. He speaks louder for the assholes to hear. “I missed you, mo stóirín.”

Mu-store-een. My little darling. He knows they understand that. He won’t call me cailín or little one or little girl in front of them. It’s too private, and he knows they’ll assume the same thing I did the first few times he called me cailín.

“Come off it, Seamus. You haven’t been touching her for all of ten minutes. You’re laying it on a bit thick.” Gareth rolls his eyes.

“What part of our conversation so far makes you think I don’t want my girlfriend next to me? What part makes you doubt my feelings?”

“Tiernan, how much are you paying him? I didn’t know Seamus could be on Broadway.” Gretchen sneers at me, and I want to slap her all over again.

Before I can say anything, Seamus does. “Insult her again, and there’s a first time for everything. I will beat you until no one recognizes you, Gretchen. Leave Tiernan alone.”

She goes chalk white. I laugh. Nothing about Seamus right now would make anyone think he’s joking. He hasn’t lowered the gun a millimeter since he pointed it at Gareth. The look on his face right now—the one directed at Gretchen—would make the devil run for cover. Unlike other times when something has bothered him, he’s not tense beneath me. He’s as relaxed as he was when we were lying together in my bed this morning. Dare I say he’s in his element?

“Gareth, don’t think I forgot my question from before we were so rudely interrupted. Who’s been forcing you to keep using Tiernan?”

My distant cousin’s gaze darts to Gretchen, shocked Seamus would bring this up in front of her. I lean back against Seamus, wanting to watch how this plays out. His free hand is once again resting on my hip, and Gretchen’s staring at it. I can’t see him very well from this angle, but I’m certain Seamus looks completely at ease with me on his lap. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure he realizes where his hand is. He must because he does nothing without a reason, so he must be proving a point. But maybe he realized he could make a point after he’d already put it there.

I’m waiting for an answer because I’ve wondered for ages if there was another reason besides Gareth being a douche that’s made him torment me. He wasn’t like this when we were younger. He could be a jerk, and he’d like to show off for his friends, but he wasn’t cruel like he’s been in the past three years. Just when he opens his mouth to say something—anything—someone pounds on the door. This is definitely a guy knock.

What the fuck? Who’s interrupting now? It’s gonna be wall to wall in here soon.

Okay, maybe not quite that full. But it shocks me anyone—let alone two—is dumb enough to interrupt a meeting between Seamus and Gareth. They must really be scared for him.

“Who is it?” Gareth sounds less than thrilled. There’s definitely no hope for someone coming to his rescue.

“It’s Jimmy. It’s time, boss.”

“Time for what?” I ask the obvious question.

“I have a meeting, so this one is going to have to wrap up.”

Seamus had the gun pointed at Gareth’s heart. He raises it to point right between his eyes. He cocks his left eyebrow. It’s so fucking hot when he does that. There’s a wealth of meaning in that one gesture. He shakes his head.

“Jimmy, I still got some stuff to finish up in here. Can you take Gretchen home? I should be done by the time you’re back.”

I stand, and Seamus tilts the gun up to the ceiling, so I can walk past. Once I’m not in the line of fire, he aims it at Gareth’s forehead again. I walk over to Gretchen. I gesture to the door with my right arm as I get in her face.

“Come near my boyfriend again, and you will find out what a real woman raised by the mob can do. I’ll fuck you up so bad even God won’t know it’s you. Fuck off.”

I let her go ahead of me, but I’m at the door the moment her hand touches the knob. I let her open it wide enough to slip out, but when a hand tries to reach around it, I slam my weight against it. The howl of pain is satisfying. Jimmy’s taken Gareth, Keith, and Vince’s disdain for me and run with it. He’s made me cry plenty of times, but I’ve never let him see me.

I ease back a little, bringing the door with me before I lean into it again. This time, I bend all his fingers back since his hand is caught in midair. He’s swearing up a storm, and I just keep twisting and bending.

“Boss, what the hell? Make the bitch stop.”

Seamus is out of his seat in an instant. I barely get out of the way as he throws the door open, grabs Jimmy by the front of his shirt, yanks him into the room, and slams him against the door frame. He puts the gun under Jimmy’s chin as he reaches around to take his gun. Before Seamus can do anything, I wrap my hand around it. He lets me have it, and I turn toward Gareth.

“You keep getting spared, but no more. Who’s been forcing your hand to keep me in line?”

Gareth looks at me, then Seamus’s back. He was standing, but he slumps into his seat.

“Seamus, send Jimmy out. He doesn’t need to know this.”

“Boss—”

“Do as I say.” Gareth may look defeated, but he can still sound like he’s in control.

I don’t know that he’ll ever live down the humiliation of Seamus coming into his house and holding him hostage in his own office. That’s what Seamus is really about. I know he won’t hurt anyone in front of me unless it’s to save me. But he’s making a point so big he may as well have it plastered across most of the billboards in Times Square.

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