Page 25 of The Professional
Killough waved his hand. “Of course. You can leave.”
They left out the door they’d entered through, walking straight to the grand foyer. The moment they had the front door in eyesight, Rourke let go of Forrest and his hands curled into fists. He let out an animalistic sound, quiet enough that no one could hear him.
“That fucking bastard. I fucking knew he’d say something.” He paced from one side of the grand staircase to the other, working his hands into fists and releasing them again. Forrest had never seen him so angry, and he wasn’t sure he could do anything to calm Rourke down.
“Why would Killough make him chief advisor? He’s a dickhead.”
Rourke snorted then, the first time Forrest ever heard the sound from him. “Sloan’s father asked Sloan to do it.”
“But why would he? Lee’s clearly an idiot.”
“Family makes you do things you never would have otherwise, Forrest.” Rourke paused in his pacing and massaged his forehead.
Forrest slithered closer and hooked his finger under Rourke’s chin, raising his head so that he looked at him. “What happened with your father?”
“He was a fool who got too greedy. He made a name for himself in the Killough Company. Sloan trusted him. That kind of trust… it doesn’t come easy. And Dad ruined it. We lived the high life, with luxuries I couldn’t comprehend as a teenager. We went from living in this two-bedroom home to a mansion. It was everything a kid could dream of. He earned that out of hard work. Sloan paid him well.”
“What did he do to earn it?”
He shook his head. “I can’t give you the details, Forrest. You’re….”
“Just a whore,” Forrest finished for him. For the first time, shame of his profession made his face flush.
Rourke shook his head and clasped Forrest’s face between his palms. He caressed Forrest’s cheekbone with his thumb. “No, not just a whore, but you’re not in the Killough Company. Being in that meeting means you know more than what most guys who actually work directly under Sloan know.”
“Okay.” He smiled. “So your father worked for Sloan and got paid well.”
“Yeah, but then the fucker got greedy. Mom looked past the sluts he fucked when she wasn’t around. She looked past the drug use. She looked past all of it because she loved her kids and she wanted us to have a good life. Dad spiraled out of control, though. He wanted more because nothing was ever good enough for him. So he decided to double dip.” Rourke sighed. “I can’t give you the specifics, but what I can tell you is that he turned into a rat. It cost Sloan a load of money.”
“And they found out.”
“Yeah. They found out when he gave out details to the Russians. I just remember being about seventeen. Sloan’s men flew through our front doors looking for Dad. They destroyed the house, and Mom and my little sister were crying. Sloan, the man himself, came in, and weknewDad had done something really bad. Mom begged Sloan not to hurt us. She gave him permission to kill her, but not to hurt us. Sloan’s a tough man, but he’s not cruel unless you give him a reason to be. I knew what I had to do. I needed to step up and be the real man of the house.”
“What did you do?” Forrest asked.
“I talked to Sloan. I told him that we didn’t know what Dad had done, but I would make up for it. I’d quit school and work for him. I’d do whatever he needed me to, but I begged him not to hurt my family. I’d even help him find my father.”
“And he agreed?”
Rourke stayed silent for a moment, his gaze distant, before he nodded. “Yeah, he agreed. I did shit jobs for him, things that a lot of men didn’t want to do. I wanted to prove my loyalty to him. I didn’t quit school, Sloan didn’t want me to, but when I wasn’t in class, I worked my ass off for the company.”
“Did they find your dad?” Forrest laid his head on Rourke’s chest. He smelled like spicy cologne and the aroma teased Forrest’s nose in all the right ways.
Rourke curled his arms around Forrest, dragging him as close as they could physically get. “Yes, they found him.”
“Sloan killed him?” Forrest asked quietly.
“No.” Rourke played with Forrest’s hair, his fingers twirling through it. “I did.”
He sucked in air with surprise, but he didn’t pull away. Everything about Rourke felt comforting—his warmth and smell gave Forrest a sense of home. What started out as lust spun into something deeper. Forrest didn’t care that Rourke’s hands were stained with blood, or that he’d done things Forrest would have never dreamed of. He just wanted Rourke to hug him like this and comfort him. “Are you okay about it?”
“No,” Rourke whispered. “I don’t think I ever will be because I killed my father, but I did what I needed to in order to protect my mom and sister. I would do it all over again. I protect what I care about, Forrest.” He grabbed Forrest’s arms, pushing him away so he could stare into his eyes. “If someone’s putting those bruises on you, I need to knowwho.”
Forrest hesitated and then smiled, his heart thumping against his ribs. “No one’s intentionally hurting me, Rourke.”
Rourke’s gaze said he didn’t believe him. His lips thinned. “Forrest—”
The doors on the right opened, cutting Rourke off. Killough and Conall walked into the foyer and stopped near them. The other men followed, leaving out the front doors. Lorcan smirked at them as he strode past, and Forrest resisted the urge to rush at him and give that jaw a good, solid punch.
