Page 117 of The Apprentice
Daire’s eyes sparkled with pride and he smiled. “Yes, sir. I’ll let the men know. We also have men outside your room now, protecting you.”
“What?” My mouth popped open in surprise. “Since when?”
“Since they moved you here. Sloan’s orders.” He shrugged. “He loves you. A lot.”
I fell back against the pillow behind me and rubbed my face. “Call the lawyers. I’m going to start making plans. I’ll need to talk to Conall, too.”
“Yes, Boss.” Daire cupped the right side of my face and kissed my left cheek before laying his mouth across mine. I moaned, returning the soft kisses that turned my insides warm and as wobbly as jelly. I touched his wrist, and he stared at me with a look that would’ve had me naked if I wasn’t in the hospital.
“Daire, that gun they found. I know it was Sloan’s, but did you touch it? Could they find your fingerprints on it?”
He sighed. “Yes. They could. We didn’t have time to dispose of it the right way. You were hurt. Dying. It was chaos. We had no men around, and we were going to get one of the guys to come and retrieve it, but you were rushed into the operating room and we weren’t thinking clearly.”
His words were a sucker punch to the chest, and I gasped harshly. “We need to get rid of it. Find someone in the department who can make it disappear, right?”
He exhaled. “Yeah. We still have some friends there. I’ll see what they can do for us, but even if they take it, they still arrested Sloan on obstruction, something that they can get all of us on if they want.”
I nodded. “We stay strong. It’s obvious they’re gunning for Sloan. They want him, but they’ll come for you, too, because you’re important to the Company. They’re just getting started.”
“Maybe.” He shook his phone at me. “That’s why we call in the experts. I’ll get the lawyers down there immediately.”
“Okay. I trust you to do what’s necessary.” Despite the worry that played on my mind as I thought about my uncle being taken to the precinct, a sudden onslaught of tiredness hit me and my eyes began to burn. I yawned, and Daire sifted his fingers through my hair gently.
“Take a nap, boy. We’ll sort everything out. I promise. Nothing will bring this company down. Nothing.”
I smiled. “Thanks, Daddy.”
EPILOGUE I
DAIRE
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The blood hitting the floor echoed around the basement. The steady beat was an applause for Fionn. I smirked, a deep-seated and revenge-fueled satisfaction sliding through me until it settled low in my stomach. I couldn’t tell if I was horny or not from the sight in front of me.
Sloan was in jail after being officially arrested, which was what we’d expected to happen. He’d had his arraignment where he’d plead not guilty, and the judge had set the indictment for forty-five days, giving us time to make somearrangementswhen it came to the grand jury. Since then, Fionn and Conall had taken over as the bosses like Sloan wanted.
Fionn flicked his wrist, dancing the knife he was holding in a circle. The silver blade gleamed under the low lights as he stepped in closer to one of his victims hanging upside down by a rope attached to his ankles. The man struggled, but the more he moved, the more blood trickled from the slice in his neck onto the floor.
“What did you call me last year?” Fionn tapped the handle of the knife against his bottom lip in thought.
He’d never looked hotter than he did now, outfitted in his blood-spattered white dress shirt with a predatory glint in his eyes. He was hungry for vengeance. Since Sloan had gone to jail, he’d stepped up and taken control of the Company alongside Conall. They were unstoppable together, and I couldn’t be prouder.
“Hmm, I believe it wasThe Little Bitch, right?” He turned to look at Ronan, who stood beside me with the stoicism of any good bodyguard. “I did hear them correctly, didn’t I, Ronan? They called me a little bitch and said I wouldn’t last a week as boss.” He idly grabbed the man’s hip and pushed him, letting him swing.
Ronan nodded sharply, the corner of his mouth twitching as though he was holding back a smile. “They did, sir. You heard perfectly.”
The guy Fionn was standing in front of—Hopkins—whimpered. “I’m...I’m sorry, sir. I’m sorry. Please.Please.”
Fionn hummed and rocked on his feet in thought. “No, I don’t think I’ll forgive you. You mocked me. Men have died for less.”
“I won’t do it again. I won’t.” Hopkins sobbed, tears joining in with the blood on his face. He struggled against his restraints, wriggling and attempting to kick, but we’d tied him too tightly for all that. “Please, sir.”
His friend, Miller, groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. He was taking longer than Hopkins, and he had yet to find out what waking up would entail. I suspected he’d react like Hopkins had—crying, begging, believing the entire situation was one big mistake.
“Too late.” Fionn pressed the knife against Hopkins’s neck again, effectively stopping his twisting, as if that would save him from another slice in his delicate meat sack. “You should’ve shut your mouth from the beginning.”
Pride struck me firmly in the chest, making my lungs swell with emotion. A week and a half after Sloan had been arrested, and Fionn had truly stepped up. He’d shown his true strength, and I knew Sloan would be as proud as me. Fionn didn’t need me to guide him. He and Conall did an amazing job by themselves. They had both been paying attention to Sloan all this time. I was only here for support.
