Page 104 of The Apprentice
“How are you, Fionn?” Donal asked, the tautness in his shoulders disappearing. I wished he wouldn’t relax around me,especially because of what I was about to do to him. “Good?” His attention narrowed on Daire’s hand as he slipped it into mine, our fingers threading together.
I swallowed around the nausea that rose in my throat. This was my future, my job. Sloan trusted me with this, and I wasn’t going to ruin or squander the chance. He’d told me he was proud of me tonight, and I’d ridden a high. Daire’s hold was reassuring, a reminder that he was my backup no matter what, and it kept me centered.
I pressed my lips together. “Why did you do it?”
Donal’s eyes dimmed and I could tell he knew what we were talking about. His chin dipped forward and he sighed. “I was stupid.”
“You’re a traitor,” Sloan said sharply, the slice of his words nothing more than daggers. Right now, he was the cold mob boss, the one who had decided that Donal was no longer useful. He’d made a choice like we’d discussed when we were choosing what to do with Aodhan. “You told Diaz our secrets.”
He fell back into his navy armchair, worn from use. “Not all of them. Some, yes. She wanted more, but I didn’t give them to her. I only told her about certain drug distributions.”
“Enough to affect our profits and make our lives harder.” Sloan leaned forward, elbows on his knees as his dark eyebrows furrowed. “But you didn’t just feed that information to Diaz, you sold us out to Toscani, too. The rogue Italians.”
Donal glanced down at his hands, where he was picking at the skin of his thumb, the only sign that he was nervous. Otherwise, he didn’t have the reaction of a man who knew he was about to die. “I’d hoped it would be a hit to our drug business.” He sighed. “Boss, we could’ve lived on our brothels and other ventures. We don’t need the drugs.”
“No,” I said, drawing everyone’s attention to me. “We oversee all illegal avenues of enrichment on the East Coast. It’s aboutdominance, Donal. The Killough Company owns this side of the US, and that includes drugs. That isn’t going to change.”
Donal smiled sadly. “You are a good boy, but you don’t understand the loss of a child. What it does to you. I don’t regret what I did.”
“We don’t force anyone to buy our product. That’s their choice.” It was supply and demand, and while Iknewwhat drugs did to people, I couldn’t let myself see it that way. “Carolina chose to abuse drugs.”
He laughed, the sound miserable and solemn. “Addiction is an illness, and we feed them their poison.”
“What did you expect from a mob?” Sloan tilted his head. “That’s what we are, and your daughter’s death, as sad as it was, doesn’t change what the Company is. Sex, drugs, protection, it’s always been the same.Youdon’t get to decide when it changes, even if you are an old friend of my father’s.”
Donal shook his head. “You’re not a father.”
Sloan’s gaze slid to me. “I am.”
I sucked in a breath between my teeth, my heart clattering against my ribs.
Sloan’s attention turned back to Donal. He stood, tall and foreboding. “Your grief doesn’t change what you did. Where’s your wife?”
“Gone.” Donal crossed his arms. “I thought it’d come eventually, the closer Fionn got to the truth. I sent her away a few months ago, and you’ll never find her. She doesn’t know anything about the Company.” He paused, swallowing. Shit. He’d told us she was spending time with her sister. We thought they were having marital issues. “She won’t say anything. She’s already lost enough. Don’t go after her. Please. Do me this one favor as your father’s friend.”
Sloan stared at him, and I stared at Sloan. I waited, squeezing Daire’s hand.
“Very well. She’ll be safe as long as she doesn’t open her mouth.” Sloan stepped toward me and unbuttoned his suit jacket. He pulled out a Glock and passed it to me, and I raised my gaze to him. “Get this done.”
“No torture?” I whispered, hoping. There was always time to flay someone’s skin in the future, but this was Donal.
“No. One bullet to the head.” Sloan turned back toward Donal. “Despite your betrayal, you were once a good friend. You guided me when I needed it, and thank you for that, but this is how your life ends.”
I released Daire’s hand and stood. The Glock was heavy in my palm, but not as heavy as the duty Sloan had given me. I wasn’t putting a random man to rest, rather a general, a man who’d worked in the Company longer than even Sloan.
Daire was at my side, saying nothing but using his presence as support as I walked toward Donal.
Donal gave me a small smile as he stood, his kind eyes forgiving. He held out his hand to me, and I glanced at Sloan, who nodded, so I shook it. “You’re going to be a good boss, Fionn. Stand strong and fight. Always fight.”
“It’s been a pleasure, Donal.” I let go of his hand and raised the Glock to his forehead.
He straightened and closed his eyes. He began to murmur a prayer, and I took a steadying breath before I pulled the trigger. Donal’s head flew backward, and his body collapsed on the armchair. Blood splattered across the wall, painting the white with sprays of red.
It was done.
I swallowed, ignoring the ache in my chest as I stared at Donal’s body. Buzzing filled my ears as every sense narrowed in on the old man in his chair.Dead. I did that.
Behind me, Sloan’s voice filtered through the white noise flooding my brain. “Daire, call Caden to clean up this mess. Idon’t want this tied to us. Tell him to make sure no one finds the body.”
