He doesn’t even hesitate. “No, Boss.”
I nod just as I did to Simon. “Are you part of the operation to unload the shipment?”
“Yes, Boss, I have been since I’ve been part of the family.”
Well he won’t be part of the family much longer. I search the rest of Lawrence’s men and see Liam shifting on his feet, he and a few other men look uneasy. “Liam McCarthy.” My voice is sharp like a whip. I’m getting angrier the more these fucking bastards lie to me.
“Yes, Boss,” he says as he steps forward and Peter takes a step backward.
“Are you part of the operation to unload the shipment?”
He nods, “Yes, Boss.”
“Did you unload that particular shipment?” He opens his mouth to say something and I hold my hand to stop him. “Lie to me and your ma will be planning your funeral.”
He swallows harshly and I know that it’s got to be hard. If he tells me the truth he’s ratting on his boss, but if he doesn’t he’s betraying the family.
“Yes, Boss, I unloaded that particular shipment,” he says honestly and I beckon him forward and he moves toward me with trepidation.
“Stand beside Patrick and Cian,” I instruct him, then turn back to the other men. “Anyone else agree with Liam? If you do, go stand beside him.” I wait and I’m not surprised that half of Lawrence’s men come to stand beside Liam and the other’s stand by their boss. Okay, we’re getting rid of half of them. At least the other half are fucking loyal.
“Lawrence?” I call out, wanting him to answer for himself.
“Those fucking bastards, lying and betraying me. Maybe they’re the ones that took that shipment.”
Dante shifts beside me, his body humming with anger.
“Last chance for you to change your mind. Pick which side you’re standing on, boys.”
A few more men move to stand with Liam and I nod to Finn, he’ll take note of them and ensure that they’re monitored.
“Fine. You have made your choice,” I say and turn to Romero. “Play it,” I demand and he hits play on the laptop I had Patrick bring earlier on, he’s hooked it up to a big projector screen where everyone will be able to see.
As soon as the footage starts playing, my other men move away from Lawrence, not wanting to be standing near the traitorous bastards. The men that stood with Lawrence shift as guilt fills their eyes. They realize they’re fucked.
Da’s grin can only be described as menacing as he glances at Lawrence. They’ve known each other for years. Been friends for a hell of a long time. “Why, Lawrence? Why betray the family? Something that you have been a vital part of for so fucking long?”
Lawrence glares at my da, then turns his hate-filled gaze to me and then to Dante. “It was bad enough that I had a fucking woman dictating to me, but I dealt with it, she is your daughter after all. But a fucking Italian? No, I will not bow down to the mutt.”
The heat at my back tells me that Dante’s had enough, I glance at my da and he’s looking at Lawrence like he’s never seen him before.
“Gentleman.” I turn to Liam and the others that told the truth. “Honesty and loyalty is what this family is about. You have shown everyone in this room that you belong to the Clann.” There’s nods of agreements around the room. I raise a hand and they quiet down, “As for you,” I tell Lawrence and the traitors. “You have shown everyone here that you are not part of this family. You will be dealt with.”
The fear in the men's eyes is enough to settle my rage for now. “Anyone betrays the family and they’ll pay for doing so. Today you all have learned a valuable lesson. Never betray the family. Never steal from us, and don’t fucking lie to us.” I continue and the other men in the warehouse nod. They know that Lawrence went too far. We’re very lenient in what we allow our men to do. They are free to run their cities as they please, as long as it doesn’t reflect badly on the Clann and they are loyal to us.
“You show your loyalty to the Gallagher family and you’ll be rewarded handsomely.” Da speaks up for the first time, his voice vibrating with fury. “Those who betray us will be treated with the same respect they showed us. Zero. Good luck having your family recognize you.”
Both Da and I glance to Dante. It’s his time to show why he’s the Boss. Da and I have proven ourselves over and over again. Now it’s Dante’s time to play and he wastes no time in getting down to business. He interlocks his fingers and the sound of his knuckles cracking is harsh in the silence. Romero, Finn, Patrick, and Cian step forward. There’s seven men that need to be taken care of. But they’re just there for backup, Dante is more than capable of taking care of them.
Everyone is silent as they wait for Dante to make his move. Every single man’s eyes are on my husband, anxiously waiting for him to dole out the punishment to the traitors.
Dante doesn’t even hesitate, he unsheathed his knife and with a flick of the wrist cuts through the first man’s throat. I’ve never seen him in action before and fuck, he’s gorgeous. He moves like he’s born to do it as he stabs the next man in the heart. I know how much force is needed to break through the skin and bone to get to the heart and Dante made it look easy.
Heat pools between my legs as Dante effortlessly takes care of the men. He’s not even breathing hard as he moves from man to man. I never thought I’d find killing someone be so fucking hot and yet here I am, panting as my husband murders the men that stand before us.
“You don’t deserve to have the loyalty of my wife,” he growls as he steps up to Lawrence. He’s left him for last.
Six men lie at Dante’s feet, all dead from various stab wounds. The coppery scent of the blood is heavy in the air, clogging the back of my throat. “My wife is a better leader than you could ever hope to be.”
I bite back a smile as a cheer goes around the warehouse. My men are truly loyal and have my back even though I am indeed a woman.
“She’d have died for you and you fucked it up.”
Lawrence stands up straighter and I’m itching to end the bastard's life as is my da, but we don’t, we stay where we’re standing and let Dante deal with him. “You’re nothing but an Italian inbred mutt and you’ll never have our respect.”
Dante shrugs, “I have my wife’s and that’s all I give a fuck about.” He lifts his knife and I watch on in sick fascination as he stabs Lawrence in the eye, blood pools from the socket as he squeals like the pig he is. “You on the other hand will die with everyone knowing that you are a traitor; that you betrayed the family and stole from your Boss.” He nods to Romero and Finn and they step forward to hold Lawrence upright. Dante jabs his knife into Lawrence’s other eye and I can’t hold back my smirk this time.
“Your wife will be shunned, your sons considered traitors too.” Dante informs him and it’s true, their father’s betrayal will always look bad on them. “You’ve ruined their lives and they’re going to hate you for it.” With that parting message, Dante slices through the fucker’s throat.
Finn and Romero step back quickly, dropping Lawrence to the floor to escape the blood splatter. Once Lawrence hits the ground, there are cheers and hollers. The men are happy that the traitors are dead.