Page 4 of Problems

"Not me, you. I want you to take Jack out to the property in Arizona. It's far enough away from here that no one should come looking for him."

"I'm not going!" Jack shouted.

"Stop," Ronan whispered.

I ignored the two of them. "What do you want me to do?"

"Not just you. Ronan and Cian will go along. The three of you are the most trustworthy men I have. I don't want my son in the hands of just anyone." Declan passed over a bag. "Cash. By the time you arrive I'll have TSA agents who only work for me. You'll get through without question. I want you all to pack a single bag and go. Now. The plane takes off in three hours."

"What?" Jack whispered. "You're sending me away? I'm not a child!"

"Then do not act like one!" Declan snapped. "This is for your own good. For your safety. Besides with you here and my worry for you, I can't concentrate. That's what I need right now. You're going. And that applies to everyone. Do I make myself clear?" He asked as he glared at us.

"Yes," Cian said. "Anything you need."

"I go anywhere Jack goes," Ronan said.

I frowned. "What about you? Who's going to make sure you're safe?"

Declan grabbed my shoulder and squeezed it hard. "I have people to watch my back. Thank you for giving a shite about me."

I laughed. "When have I not?"

Declan and I weren't close in age, but we were close nonetheless. I'd grown up under him, studied everything he did, learned from him and grew. My job was to look after him as much as it was to look after the organization. Being separated from it and him wasn't something I looked forward to.

I took the itinerary. "You heard him. Let's get going."

"Who the fuck said you're in charge?" Cian asked. He grinned. "I know more about this shit than you do. Why don't you--."

"Finnian is in charge," Declan said. "He'll make sure everything is in order like he always does. Listen to him. All of you."

I stuck my chest out a bit.Yeah shut the fuck up you twat.Cian looked at me as if he'd somehow read my expression and knew exactly what I said, but I didn't give a damn. No one liked to challenge Cian, and I kept my cards close to my chest, but if there was one person I wanted to knock down a few pegs, it was him.

"Like I said, let's get going." I tucked the itinerary into my pocket. "One bag. Everyone lives fairly close so forty minutes and then we're racing to the airport."

Cian's eyes narrowed. "Asshole," he muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

Cian grinned at me even harder. I lived for the day when I wiped that look off his face and put him in his place. Someone needed to do it.

"Come on, Jack," Ronan said as he stood and smoothed his suit. "We should pack."

Jack however wasn't looking at Ronan or any of us. He glared at his father. The two of them hadn't taken their eyes off of each other. A storm brewed between them threatening to break at any moment. I stepped in.

"Enough," I said carefully. "Jack, we have to go."

"I'm not going anywhere," he said through gritted teeth. "I've been saying for years that I can take care of myself."

"You're young," I cut in. "Barely a man. At twenty-two I didn't know my arse from a hole in the ground. Neither do you. Your father wants what's best for you. Why don't you respect his worry and go quickly and quietly?"

His dark gaze cut to me. "I'm not going to go."

I groaned internally. Leave it to Jack to be a pain in the ass. I could already see Declan was struggling and that he didn't really want to send Jack away. The more he stood there, the more I could see the worry, fear, and hurt. However, he was right. We were caught in the middle between dangerous factions that would have no problem destroying us from both sides. Even if he chose, things would still be dangerous. No, we needed to get Jack out of there.

"Come with me or be carried," I warned Jack.

"You're not going to lay a hand on me," he growled. "Do it and I’ll end you.”

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