Page 34 of Bound By Darkness

“You saw a gap?”I interrupt, my voice cold.“The Docklands are mine.There are no gaps.Everything that moves through there, every shipment, every deal, is accounted for.You don’t take abusiness opportunitywithout going through me first.”

“I didn’t mean any disrespect,” he says, holding up his hands in a placating gesture.“You know I’ve always been loyal.”

I lean forward, my elbows resting on the table as I lock eyes with him.“Loyalty has nothing to do with what you say.It’s what you do.And what you did was disrespect me and my Syndicate.”

His face pales, and he stumbles over his words.“Eamon, please?—”

I hold up a hand, silencing him.“You thought I wouldn’t find out?That I wouldn’t notice?Do you think I got to where I am by being blind?”

The table between us feels like a thin line separating predator from prey, and he knows it.His hands tremble as he reaches for his glass of whiskey, knocking it back in one gulp.

Right on cue, his phone buzzes on the table between us.He doesn’t move to check it.

“Go on,” I murmur, gesturing toward it.“I think it’s something you’ll want to see.”

Liam hesitates, then snatches the phone with a huff of annoyance.His eyes drop to the screen.Unlock.Tap.The moment the video starts playing, the color drains from his face.

I don’t need to look.I know what he’s seeing.

His house is engulfed in flames.The camera’s steady, too steady to be accidental.A slow pan across the property as fire devours everything.Windows shattering.The roof caving in.Smoke billowing into the sky.

Controlled chaos.Precision-wrapped panic.

Liam’s hand trembles as he lowers the phone.“What the hell is this?”

I take a sip of my drink before answering.“Heard it was a gas leak.Very unfortunate.”

He stares at me, stunned into silence, trying to decide if he’s angry, afraid, or both.

“You son of a—” he starts.

“Here’s how this is going to go,” I cut him off, my voice laced with menace.“You’re going to pull out of the Docklands completely.Every deal you’ve made, every contact you’ve established, you sever them all.And you’re going to make sure everyone knows exactly why.”

Liam leans forward, jaw tight.“You’re asking me to walk away from everything I’ve built there.Do you know how long I’ve worked on those contacts?If I pull out now, I lose face.I lose money.”

I don’t respond.Instead, I slide my phone across the table.The screen lights up with a photo of his wife and two children walking hand-in-hand along a quiet seaside path.The kind of place meant for peace.The timestamp is from this morning.

Liam freezes.Then he snatches the phone, staring at the image like it might change if he blinks enough.“How the hell did you?—”

“It’s a lovely neighborhood,” I say calmly.“Hope they’re enjoying the holiday.It’s a quiet little rental.Right near the beach, yeah?”

His face pales, the color draining fast.

“Nothing happens in my territory without me knowing,” I continue, voice dropping.“No one moves, no one breathes, without it crossing my radar.You should’ve known that before you started making moves that weren’t yours to make.”

He says nothing.Doesn’t have to.I see it in the way his hand tightens around the phone, in the way his confidence collapses in on itself.

“Unless you’d prefer I drop in on their holiday,” I murmur, leaning forward, “I’ll assume you’re ready to do it my way.”

He nods quickly, his head bobbing like a puppet.“Yes, of course.Consider it done.”

My gaze never leaves his as I lean back.“And if I so much as hear your name in connection with the Docklands again, I won’t be as generous as having this conversation.Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Eamon,” he whispers, his voice barely audible.

“Good,” I say, finishing my drink.“Now, get out.”

He stumbles to his feet, mumbling something that might've been gratitude, and practically runs for the door.The tension in the room eases slightly, but only just.

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