Page 5 of Illicit Heir

She grabs a bar towel and pulls the shard out of her hand, wincing. Fresh blood oozes down her arm. She wraps the towel around it and states, "I'm going to tend to this."

"Mum—"

"Time to call it a night, lads," she shouts.

The O'Learys stay quiet.

Mum disappears into the kitchen, shooting daggers at the bloody men with her glare as she passes.

Fresh anger fills me. I'm tired of these animals disrespecting our property and putting my mum and others in danger. I've had enough. I jump up, yelling, "Everyone, get out. Now!" My voice shakes with rage, and I pin my eyes on Caleb.

He smirks through his swollen face, demanding, "Go get your bag."

"Get out," I say through gritted teeth, pointing at the door. I nod to our bouncer, who gives me a look of distress.

It's a bad position to put him in. He's part of the O'Leary clan, but his job is also to protect this pub.

There are few rules that the head of the clan still has to obey, and one of them is listening to security in our pub. It's always been that way, and it's for the good of the clan.

Yet it's no secret that at any time, Caleb could not obey the rules. He's the ruler now. And not a moment goes by that he doesn't let everyone know he has all the power and can change any situation to his advantage. And that means there is nothing I put past him.

Ronin, the head of our security, pats Caleb on the back, stating, "Best if you go now."

He gives him a look of death, and Ronin does his best to stand tall, but he shrinks under Caleb's dark scowl.

Again, I scream, "Get out, all of ya! You're animals!"

My statement only makes the O'Leary clansmen prouder. They don't move, but the other patrons do. One by one, the bar slowly empties until all that's left are O'Leary men.

Caleb steps closer to me, demanding, "I said to get your bag."

I cross my arms. "Last warning and then I'm banning ya from the pub."

He grunts. "Ya can't ban me."

"I can, and I will."

"It's against the rules. Or have ya forgotten the O'Leary ways?" he challenges.

My insides shake so hard I feel queasy. He's right, but I'm not backing down. I do everything in my power not to flinch or back away.

Dagan quietly states, "Let's go. This place is a dump."

"Aye. This place is a mess. Fucking clean it up," Grady adds, picking up a pint that somehow didn't get broken, and downs the rest of it. He slams it on the counter, belches, then saunters out of the pub.

Caleb's gaze follows him, then he pins it back on me.

Tension fills the air with neither of us moving.

Relief fills me when Caleb finally budges, walking toward the exit, but he stops at the door and warns, "The next time I come back for ya, I'm not going to ask nicely. I won't forget this, Lauren."

"Go," I repeat. My insides quiver harder than ever before. They finally leave, and I glance around the pub, grimacing. My gut drops even further.

Glass is everywhere, lying in puddles of bodily fluids and alcohol. Scattered broken chair pieces lie all over the wood floor. Half of a table is missing. I look around and find it smashed against the back wall.

Mum reappears with a broom and dustpan. Stress fills her worn, tired face. She frets, "This is going to cost a fortune."

I angrily shake my head. "You should send the bill to Caleb."

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