I glare right back. “Bringing her in here unmarked would be a hell of a lot worse and you know it.”
I sigh and estimate the walk to the bar from the table.
Behind the women come a line of men, fully clothed in tuxes, dancing their way around the women. One comes our way, swinging a cane as if he’s conducting an orchestra. When he sees Fiona, he walks straight toward her, but before he’s within striking distance, I’m in her space beside her. He takes one look at me and keeps on walking by.
“Feckin’ hell,” I curse under my breath.
“Oh, my,” Fiona says. “I have to use the bathroom, Lachlan.” She shoots Calum a look. “I suppose you have bathrooms for women, do you? Or are they not allowed there either?”
“Fiona,” I say warningly, but Calum just throws his head back and laughs.
“Ah, the feisty sort,” he says. “Figures she’s taken.” He shakes his head. “I love a mouthy one to punish.”
Fiona shoots him a glare. I’m about ready to punish her right here, right now, if she doesn’t watch herself. “Close that mouth of yours,” I tell her in a voice I don’t bother to modulate. “Or you know exactly what will happen to you.”
Calum grins. “And won’t I love to watch.”
I lead her to the restrooms by the elbow. “Watch where you’re fucking going,” I tell her. “And keep that mouth in check or I’ll do it for you.”
“Oh no, you bloody well will not,” she mutters. I don’t warn her, but swing her out in front of me and crack my hand straight across her arse. Her eyes widen, and she covers her rear, looking around to see who witnessed her mortifying correction.
“Oh, they all saw,” I tell her. “And they’ll see more than that if you don’t behave yourself. Do you understand me?”
She glares at me. In seconds I have her pinned against the wall, caging her in with my body, one arm flat against the wall next to her. I grab her chin in my hand and keep her gaze fixed on mine.
“Enough.”
I can tell she wants to kick me, but I won’t allow her to misbehave, not when there’s this much on the line.
“That arsehole over there—”
“Is our ticket to safety,” I say in a warning voice. “And you don’t know he’s an arsehole. You don’t know him at all.”
She glares at me. “I’ve seen enough.”
“Have you?” I ask. “You’ve seen Keenan at battle, lass? Have you seen what your own brother can do when he has to? Or your lover?”
Her eyes are wide. Finally, she whispers. “My lover? Is that what you are?”
Her lips part, and before I know what I’m doing, I’m kissing her, and she’s sinking into me, nestled in my arms and moaning into my mouth. I kiss her until she’s boneless, every ounce of resistance gone. I kiss her because I have to, because I need to, because the only way to show her how much she means to me is this public display of affection.
“Aye,” I whisper in her ear. “Your lover, sweet girl, and don’t you fucking forget it.”
She sighs and nods her head against my shoulder. “Okay, then. alright. I can handle this. I can handle myself. I’m sorry.”
I hold her gaze a moment longer to make sure she is, in fact, obeying me, before I lead her to the bathroom.
She opens the door and I follow her in.
“You can’t come into the ladies’ room,” she says, shaking her head at me. “I’m sure I’ll be fine for a moment, won’t I?”
I shut and lock the door behind me. “I won’t take that chance.”
I lean against the sink with my arms crossed while she does what she needs to. She shakes her head when she washes her hands. “You act as if there’s a passel of wild dogs on my heels.”
I don’t bother responding. For all I fucking know, there is.
I go to open the door when a crowd of three women, all of them from the line of women outside that were entertaining us, suddenly swarm the small area. They come straight for me. I try to deflect one, but she’s giggling, and shoving her way up to me, and another’s running her hands along my shoulders.
“Hello, there, handsome,” one begins to purr. I shove her off of me when I notice they aren’t alone. Someone in all black’s managed to sneak in right past them. He shoves his way toward Fiona, but he isn’t quick enough. In seconds, I’ve pushed past the girls and got him by the throat. I shove him against one of the stalls, and the girls scream.
I pull out my phone and call Tiernan.
Seconds later, Tiernan enters. The girls run off, screaming. The guy’s eyes are bugging out of his head, his face purple and contorted.
“Lachlan! Lachlan, stop, you’ll kill him!” Fiona’s shouting, but her voice sounds distant, as if she’s yelling to me from a window.
“Let him go, brother,” Tiernan says. “Calum will deal with him. You’re his guest, and this bastard’s broken the law.” I drop the bastard to the floor, when the armed guards enter.
Tiernan turns to them and explains the situation. “Bring him to Calum.”
The entire club’s gone quieter when I drag my captive bodily to the table where Calum sits. “Explain yourself,” he says, drawing a pistol. “Lachlan. Floor.”
I know exactly what he wants me to do. I shove the man to his knees and drag his arms to his lower back so hard he cries out. I’ve been in this position before, only in the privacy of an interrogation room, not in a room full of people. The guy’s blubbering now, something about being paid for a hit, and how the girl with the red hair’s wanted. Calum looks to me, and I shake my head.
“She’s related to the McCarthys,” I tell him. “And fucking sister to Tiernan.”
Calum nods and pulls the trigger. Fiona screams when the man’s head hits the floor, but I don’t feel regret. Instead, I know we’ve won a victory.
He tucks his gun back into its holster without a word. He jerks his chin to one of the bodyguards that stands behind him. “Get rid of the body,” he says. “Now.”
Calum has chosen his side.
Chapter 13
Fiona
It’s hard to believe what’s happening. It feels surreal, like I’m walking in a dream. I’m surrounded by sordidness that makes the Craic in Ballyhock look tame. A man just tried to attack me. They killed him, and now they’re taking his body to bury in a shallow grave.
Here, in the world of the Irish mafia, alliances are formed and broken. Lachlan came in here looking for an ally. He’s leaving with one, but the blood of a man is on his hands.
I don’t listen to whatever else they say after that. I can still see the cold way Calum pulled the trigger, and the victory in Lachlan’s eyes. He may love me—I don’t doubt that he does. But I can never forget that he’s Irish mob. Ruthless vengeance is his bread and butter.
A knot forms in my stomach. Tiernan’s no different.
No matter what happens between me and Lachlan… if there are children, or a home, dreams we pursue, our lives entwined together in inexplicable ways… no matter what happens, he’ll always be Irish mafia. Once inducted, there is no way out, save death.