Page 31 of Liam

Liam’s face tightens, and if possible, he seems to grow even bigger. Danny swallows so loudly I can hear the gulp from where I’m standing as Liam turns to him and wraps a hand around his neck, picking him up off the ground and slamming him against the wall. I wince involuntarily, knowing that must have hurt.

Hearing footsteps behind me, I hastily turn again, then relax when I see Adam coming towards us.

Stopping next to me, he tilts his head, asking curiously, “What’s theamadándone to piss Liam off?”

“Told me I could pay off my brother’s debts with my body.”

“Ah,” Adam nods, “that would do it.”

I was starting to get a little concerned; the last thing I wanted was for Liam to get into trouble, “Do you think we should stop him? Danny boy’s turning purple?

“Nah,” Adam assures me, looking unconcerned. “Liam won’t kill him, but he’ll be sending him back to Big Roy with a message.”

“Okay.” Folding my arms, I decide to wait to see how this plays out. Liam wasn’t saying anything, his face impassive as he played with Danny, letting him get a breath before choking him again.

Out the corner of my eye I see Johnny driving into the car park and reverse into a parking spot. Getting out, he bites into an apple before ambling over to watch the show. It was hard not to laugh; they were so casual.

“Why’s Liam playing with his food?” Johnny queries casually before taking another bite of his apple.

“Danny stupidly told Sera she could pay off her brother’s debt with her body.”

“Mmh, stupid, she’s an O’Shea woman,” Johnny continues. “Maybe we should put out the word that we have women and that they are off-limits to any idiot stupid enough to go against us.”

“Not a bad idea,” Adam agrees.

“I’ll get on that,” Johnny says cheerfully, finally finishing his apple and calling out to Liam, “You may want to let him catch his breath, brother; he’s not going to be carrying any message to Big Roy if he’s dead. I’ll put the word out that Sera is one of ours; I’ll be adding her girls to that list. And if her brother owes anything, they can take it out of his hide.” Johnny slants a look at me from the corner of his eye. “That good with you,deirfiúr bheag?” he asks.

“No idea what you just called me, but yes, I’m good with that. Also, best you let it be known that I can take care of myself, andI won’t be polite about it. The next one who comes at me gets to be used as a pincushion.”

“I’ll let it be known,” Johnny agrees with a cheeky grin. I had no idea how Maya put up with him. He was always so bloody cheerful and loud. So, fucking loud. Give me my broody Liam any day. “Did you get what the lady said, Danny boy? Nod if you understood. Eh, Liam, let the sap breathe so we can send him on his way, will you? Oh, anddeirfiúr bheagmeans little sister,” he informs me, still smiling.

The warmth that fills me from his words surprises me, and as I wasn’t one for words, I gently bump into his shoulder with mine. Johnny just shakes his head and laughs softly.

Liam drops his hand from Danny’s throat, and as it was the only thing holding him up against the wall, he fell like a tonne of bricks to the ground, gasping for breath.

Squatting in front of Danny, I pull my knife from my boot and use it to tilt his head up towards me.

“Now Danny, I don’t know you, but you were rude to me, wouldn’t you say? Talking to me like you did. Nod if you agree.”

Danny didn’t waste any time in nodding. “Good,” I say softly as I slap a hand over his mouth and stick my knife through the hand that is still resting on the ground. His screams of agony are muffled by my hand. “That was just so you know I’m not joking when I say I can look after myself. That’s not to say that I don’t appreciate my Liam and his brothers stepping up because I do.

“Obviously, my brother hasn’t filled you in on where I’ve been the last ten years. Maybe you should ask him because the horrors I’ve seen are nothing on what you’ve even dreamed of. I didn’t get this scar on my face by going to cream teas and dances. Nod if you understand what I’m saying.” When he nods again, tears streaming down his face from the pain, still talking softly,I continue, “Now I’m going to take my hand off your mouth and you’d better not scream, or you won’t be going home, and I’ll pay your boss a visit myself, which trust me he doesn’t want.”

Looking over my shoulder, I see the brothers impassively watching me. “Can you grab the first aid box for me, please?” I ask Adam. “I don’t want him in the office, but I’ll also not send him off so he can bleed to death.”

Adam nods and lopes off towards the office. It doesn’t take long for him to get back with the big medic box that Evie filled for us. Squatting down next to me, he opens it up and whistles when he sees how stocked it is. My friend doesn’t fuck around when it comes to making sure we don’t bleed out.

Pulling my knife from Danny’s hand, he again screams against my hand. Only when I’m sure that he’ll be quiet do I remove my hand, slip on some gloves, and start cleaning and packing his hand.

“There you go,” I tell him when I’m done. Evie would have done a better job, but this will do. “Remember now, anybody comes after me, that’s the type of treatment they’re going to get.”

Standing, I rip the disposable gloves off my hands and ball them up to dispose of them later. Adam closes the first aid box before he stands up. Offering his hand to Danny, he pulls him up.

“Off you go now,” Liam informs him. “We’ll be calling Big Roy, but you’d best make sure that you pass the message on, Danny. And you’d best let anyone know that coming after Sera means taking your lives into your hands because not only is she deadly, she comes with four others just like her, and then there’s us,” Liam waves his hand at Adam and Johnny. “You know what the O’Sheas are like when it comes to those we protect. Just because we’ve gone legal in our businesses doesn't mean that we’ve forgotten where we come from. Best you all remember that. I’dhate for us to come out of retirement. We’ve only just finished cleaning up one mess, but we’ll be happy to start another if it means our family is left alone.”

Silently, we watch as Danny hurriedly gets to his vehicle that he’d parked down the street and gets in before taking off at speed, wheels spinning in his hurry to get away.

“Give me ten minutes and then get Big Roy on the phone for me, Johnny,” Liam orders, turning from his brothers and towards me, knowing that they’ll do what he asks.

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