Page 23 of Trust In Me

Just a couple of months ago, he was getting ready for the happiest day of his life, and it was all ruined. They may not have started in a conventional way, but there’s no denying how much he loves Bree. Until that day, I’d never seen him be afraid of anything, but he was scared of losing the woman he loves. Growing up, I was terrified by the slightest of things, but Liam never made me feel stupid. He would just sit with me and give me some of his strength. Now it’s my turn to help him.

“We will do everything to avoid a war. Now, can we go inside cos I swear my left bollock is starting to freeze to death,” I joke, and thankfully Liam starts to smile. Pleased the attention is no longer on him.

Kian jumps in then with his cocky smirk. “What, just your left bollock? Why is your right one okay?”

“Because your mum’s holding it, keeping it warm for me.” It was supposed to be a joke, but as that dimpled smile falls off his face, I realise I’ve crossed a line. I don’t know anything about this kid, and I, of all people, know you shouldn’t pull mum jokes unless you are sure they will be well received.

As soon as he catches us staring, he schools his face, that grin returning, only this time the smile doesn't quite reach his eyes. “Joke’s on you, my mum’s dead. So, if her hand is on your ball, it’s probably frozen to death already.” His voice sounds jovial, but I can hear the edge there. Hell, I’ve used that tone myself. When it’s easier to joke about your pain than face it. I know Liam has been there too. And given Bree was just nearly killed on the instruction of her father, we all know what it’s like to be angry and resentful over your family situation.

Fuck, until this moment, I hadn’t quite realised we’re all so messed up by our parents, or lack of in some cases.

“Shall we go in?” Bree says, as she gestures to the door, slicing through the awkward silence that’s begun to descend.

Walking into the warehouse, I recognise some of it, but there are a lot of rooms darting off the main corridor that I’ve never been in. This place is a maze. We pass a couple of doors; one is where we had the big meeting the other week, the other I know they use for generally torturing people. I also recognise the main security room, as I’ve been in there a few times. There are some rooms set up like normal interrogation rooms and some jail type rooms, one of which will be housing Jimmy, amongst others. As for what the other rooms hold, I’ve no idea.

We follow Kian until he stops in front of a room labelledBoardroom, which seems a little suspicious given it’s the only door with a label on it. Either this Kyle guy really is an idiot, or he knows he’s being played and can’t do anything about it.

As Kian throws the door open, and we all pile into the room, a tall man with broad shoulders is pacing on the opposite side of the room. It really is set up like a boardroom, with a large oval wooden table taking up most of the room. There are four chairs on one side of the table, and one opposite. There’s a carafe filled with water on our side of the table, alongside four upside down cups. At the other end, there looks to be a plastic cup filled with water. Obviously an attempt to make sure he doesn’t have any kind of weapon available to him, which is why there’s no glass in the room, just plastic cups.

Looking over at the man who stops his pacing as soon as we enter the room, I’m shocked to see he’s better-looking than I was expecting. I don’t know why but I had built him up in my head as a loser. Someone who offers to marry a teenage girl, he must only be doing that because he isn't capable of getting girls the old-fashioned way. Obviously that isn’t true. This guy is tall with broad shoulders, and his black shirt is stretched tight across his muscular chest. His clipped short brown hair, and matching beard are all perfectly manicured, and he looks like one of those guys who takes a lot of pride in his appearance. He looks smart in his perfectly pressed suit, and as I round the table, I notice the light glistening off his overly polished shoes. I hate this douchecanoe even more now!

“Miss O’Keenan, or should I call you Mrs. Doughty, how lovely to meet you,” Kyle addresses Bree with his arm outstretched as he walks towards us.

He doesn’t get far before both Kian and Liam fix him with the same stare, reminding him that he shouldn’t get too close without Bree’s permission. She doesn’t move, or give him permission. Instead, she leans forward with her hand outstretched just enough so that Kyle could reach her if he leans forward. Their hands clasped together for only a few seconds, but I still hate that we’re pretending to be nice to this guy.

Bree takes her seat, and we all follow, but it’s not until Kyle takes his seat that Bree begins to talk. “We’re not technically married yet, which is good since we have never really talked about what my name will be. So, for now, we can stick with Miss O’Keenan. Although, I suspect I will change it to O’Keenan-Doughty,” Bree muses, and I catch Liam’s cocky grin.

“That suits you, Miss O’Keenan. I hope you don’t mind me asking this, or see it as me speaking out of turn, but your assistant over there said you wanted to discuss my loyalty to your family. Shouldn’t that be a conversation for you to have with my father, since he still runs my family? I’m just in the background learning the ropes,” Kyle explains, and Bree looks towards Liam for answers. Luckily, he seems to have them.

“We know your father is the current ruler of the Fratacello family, and we will be having a conversation with him at a later date, but we’re more concerned with the future. Your father cannot lead forever, and he’s made it abundantly clear that you will be taking over. So, we’ve brought you here to vet how good a decision that is. If we decide to continue doing business with your family, we have to know it’s a long-term investment. As I’m sure you are aware, there are plenty of loyal families ready and willing to step into your place. We need to know that when you step up to the mark, you aren’t going to suddenly shift loyalties or fuck us over in any way.” As Liam speaks, I notice Kyle appears to be gritting his teeth, as his nose twitches in disgust. It’s almost like he is happy to talk to Bree, as she’s the leader, but talking to anyone else is below him. Kyle’s starting to show his true colours, and I’m suddenly enjoying this a little more. I suspect if we give him the tiniest bit of rope, he’s going to hang himself with it. As I cast glances to the people sitting beside me, I can tell they all see it too.

“So, what are you saying? That if I don’t pledge my loyalty to you today, my family will lose the deals we currently have with you?” Kyle asks, but before anyone gets the chance to reply, he continues to speak. Only this time, his face is starting to tinge red with anger and I can see him balling his hands into fists. “I don’t think you realise how powerful my family is, or the reach we have. Even if we part ways with you, our connections are still strong enough that we could continue operating and ruling the north.” Kyle’s brow furrows and his face transforms into a scowl. Clearly, he doesn’t like being challenged, but neither does Bree.

“Kyle, let me be very clear when I say this. I may rule London predominantly, but we all know my reach extends to the whole of the UK. If I cut ties with you, I will ensure you and your entire family are blacklisted. Nobody will deal with you, or sell for you, in the entire country. Don’t even bother testing to see if I’m that powerful, I am. So, do you want to challenge me? Do you want to see what I am capable of?” Bree’s voice is confident and strong. She doesn’t shout or get angry, but the unwavering determination in her voice, and the harsh tone she uses, almost makes it chilling. This is why such a small girl has gained the support of nearly every male-run criminal enterprise she’s ever dealt with. Bree is always underestimated at first, but she never fails to show them what she is capable of.

Kyle appears visibly shocked by Bree’s comments, and he holds his arms out indicating caution. “There will be no need for that, Miss O’Keenan. My family has, and always will be, loyal to you.” He sounds like he is just reciting the party line through gritted teeth.

“That's good to hear. Now, let’s find out a little bit more about you, shall we?” Bree continues, ignoring the fact that he’s obviously talking rubbish. We already know Kyle isn’t loyal, but his father is.

“I’m an open book, ask away.” Kyle’s voice has a cocky edge as he reaches out to the cup of water in front of him and takes a large gulp.

“That’s good to know. So, are you married?” Bree asks, making it sound as though she’s asking the most boring question she can think of.

“No, I’m not, but I am engaged.” I clench my fists and my jaw, trying to stop myself from laying into this guy. Knowing he’s thinking about Mia while he talks is enough to make me want to kill him.

“That's so great, who is the lucky lady?” Bree asks, as I take a gulp of my own water, desperately trying to calm my nerves. It feels like a million ants are crawling underneath my skin, and I want to scratch at them. As all eyes draw to me, I realise I’m squirming around in my seat.

Kyle looks down his nose at me as his eyes zero in on mine. He just has one of those rich, posh boy faces that you can’t help but want to punch. His reply to Bree sounds forced. “You don’t know her. She isn’t part of our world.”

“Does she have anything to do with the marriage licence you requested a few years ago?” I ask, and his dark eyes flick straight over to me. If looks could kill, I would be dead now.

“How do you know about that?” he snaps, not able to control his emotions anymore.

“It’s our job to know everything about you. We have world-class hackers that work for us, and it’s their responsibility to assess anyone and everyone that is part of our business. There’s a lot at stake in our world, and we can’t have it going all to shit because of some girl you fell for,” Liam steps in to explain, as he places his hand on my knee under the table, squeezing slightly. It’s his subtle way of telling me to calm down. But the more I think about this piss-poor excuse for a human touching Mia, the more I want to slaughter him.

“It is the same girl. Her father and I struck a deal a few years ago. He promised me his daughter’s hand in marriage, in exchange for my family’s loyalty.”

I look over at my friends, wondering which one of us should speak next. The conversation has flown naturally up until now, but with the mention of Mia’s father being involved, it’s like all the air has been sucked out of the room, and we all look to Bree for guidance. But instead of replying, she grabs her cup of water and begins to take a few small sips. It feels like it is taking her forever, and the silence is deafening.

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