Page 10 of Crown of Smoke

"Could what? Get yourself killed? Do you have a death wish? Because if that’s the case, I should have just left you to them.”

I’m both struck by the intensity of Flynn’s statement and hurt by it.

“This isn't a game, Lucy. These people, what they're capable of…" He shakes his head. "You need to stay away. Far away."

Frustration wells up inside me. Here's my chance to crack open the biggest story of my career, to finally expose the truth about the Keans, and he's trying to shut me out. But beneath that frustration lies something else. Like he’s truly fearful of what could happen to me.

The blond one seems intrigued by the situation. “Maybe we should consider?—"

“No. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s a hard no.”

The room goes silent. Flynn clearly isn’t going to hear anything that doesn’t suggest that I give up the story. But I have a sense his partners want to know what I’ve learned. We’re at a stalemate because I don’t plan to let go of the story. Sure, I’ll try to be safer in my investigation, but this moment has proven that this story is bigger, more explosive than I could imagine. Nothing is going to keep me from telling it.

4

FLINT

I’m outnumbered, but I’ve been in this situation before. Just earlier tonight, in fact. Of course, I can’t beat my brothers to a pulp, or Lucy, for that matter. But I will get my way on this.

“Can you give me a minute?” I ask Lucy.

I think she’s going to say no. She surprises me when she rises from the couch and starts to my room. She stops short. Her expression is uncomfortable.

It takes me a minute to realize she doesn’t want to go to my room while my brothers are watching. They could get the wrong idea. I know they will.

“Your coat is in my room. Grab it and I’ll take you home.”

She nods and leaves me alone.

“Jesus, you fucked her too?” Blaise, my twin, asks.

“No. Fucking pervert. O’Brian got a piece of her with his knife. She fainted…” I shake my head. “The point is, she has nothing to do with all this.”

“Actually, your actions have made her a part of this.” My oldest brother, Phoenix, crosses his arms. Ever since our parents’ death, he’s been our de facto parent except now, I’m a grown ass man. I don’t need his lectures.

"That's different. I made that choice.”

“She made the choice to do the story. To go into the alley,” Blaise points out.

“She didn’t know what she was getting into.” Although I suspect she knows the Keans are dangerous. I told her as much. But she’s hardheaded.

Ash, the second oldest brother, steps forward. “She could have helpful information that would be worth risking–”

“No.” I don’t know how else to say it.

"We can protect her," Blaise argues. "Use her help, but keep her at arm's length. Give her enough to write her story without?—”

"No. I won't risk it. Not with her." I love my brothers, but good God, are they really willing to sacrifice an innocent woman to get their revenge?

My brothers exchange looks, something unspoken passing between them. I don't care what they think they understand about my connection to Lucy. I don’t understand it myself. All I know is that I won’t allow her to get hurt because of us.

“The Keans aren’t going to forget what happened tonight. She’s in danger either way.”

In my mind, that’s all the more reason to keep Lucy out of this. But I also know that the four men, while they won’t forget what happened tonight, they’re not going to report it to the rest of the family. Too much pride to admit they got their asses handed to them by little ole me.

“Maybe not, but they’re not going to admit the four of them got their asses kicked by one man, so I doubt tonight will be shared with Hampton or Ronan,” I say of the Kean Boss and his son.

“We heard about it,” Phoenix says.

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