Page 46 of The Apprentice
Daire held up his palms to them, laughing, as he gave in to their playful scowls. “Okay, fine. The boss makes that decision. Rory is better equipped to be his personal doctor than anyone else.”
Meredith shook her head andtskedagain before she turned her attention to Daire. She stared at him over her glasses, a friendly smile curving her mouth. “So, why’s the young Killough here? Not that I don’t appreciate the broody big boss. He’s very delightful to stare at when he’s scowling at everyone. And that pet of his is cute as a button.” She shook a finger at me. “But you are even more adorable.”
“Thank you?” I didn’t know what else to say. The snappy banter between the nurses and Daire had my head spinning. They were obviously good friends, and it was the kind of interaction that I hadn’t thought Daire could have with someone.
He stepped closer to me. “Don’t listen to a word she says, Fionn. She only compliments you when she wants something.”
Her jaw dropped open and her hands were back on her hips again. “Thatwas rude. Now I’m not going to tell you what your men have been gossiping about this morning.” She pursed her lips smugly at him, and he sighed. “They’re like a bunch of old ladies getting together for morning coffee tospill the tea.”
“What did they say?” he asked, straightening.
She huffed. “What makes you think you deserve to know after that?”
“Really? You want an apology.” It wasn’t a question, rather a statement. He cocked his head, and when he realized he obviously wasn’t going to get what he wanted, he gave me an incredulous look that made me chuckle. “Fine. I’m sorry, Meredith. You’re always the sweetest, most informed person in the building. No one else could find the gossip like you. You are just...a diamond. You blind me every time I walk through those doors. I need to wear sunglasses to look upon your beauty.”
She dropped her hands from her hips. “That’s much better. Nowthe teaI heard is that you threw Mr. Prodigy here—” She gestured at me with a small giggle. “—over your shoulder like a man possessed and carried him right out of some nightclub.” She grinned at him, amused. “They called it a lover’s tiff. You wereveryjealous of your boy toy talking to another man apparently.”
“Please tell me you’re joking.” His voice hardened.
My spine went stiff. Fuck. I wasn’t surprised. Mobstersweregossipers, and even though the Italians and Irish weren’t entirely friends, more like acquaintances, some of them met up on occasion.
“Am I the type?” she asked, and it was the first time I’d heard her tone serious since we’d arrived.
Daire rubbed a hand down his face. “No. No, you’re not.” He offered her a small tilt of his head. “Thank you, Meredith. If you’ll excuse us, we need to go educate some Company men about respect.”
She fluttered her hand at him. “Have fun. Don’t spank their pretty bums too hard. We’re nearly at capacity and can’t afford any more beds for them.”
Daire spun on his heel and stalked down the hallway, and I was quick to follow him. We went through another set of locked doors that he used a key card—it seemed like a master key—to get through. This hallway looked like any other, except there were no doors leading into patient rooms. At the very end of the narrow hall was one door to the right, and he slammed his way through it.
Inside were ten men, all dressed in different styles of suits. Six were sitting around a circular table, two standing beside a coffee maker, and two were seated on a couch against the wall to our left. As soon as we entered, they all jumped in surprise but settled back into their chairs when they saw Daire.
I recognized one of the guys as Irving. With short brown hair and hazel eyes that always seemed angry, he wasn’t the friendliest man to be around, but Sloan believed he could be trusted. He’d always told me that just because a man wasn’t liked, didn’t mean he was wrong for the job.
Irving grunted and hooked his thumbs in his pants pockets, standing tall. “Sir.”
I didn’t know which one of us he was talking to, but there was a touch of disgust in those hazel irises as they settled on me.
Daire stared around the room. “Sit down.Allof you.”
The men around the table and couch sat immediately, but the soldiers near the coffee maker walked over to join the others on the couch. When they were all seated as ordered, Daire stepped farther into the room. He opened his mouth to speak, but I grabbed his arm, effectively stopping him.
I shook my head at him. “It’s my turn.”
His eyebrows rose, but he tilted his head in acknowledgement and shifted out of my way.
I clasped my hands behind my back and straightened, moving closer toward the men. I kept my chin raised, hoping to look powerful. Inside, I was a mess. My stomach churnedand my heart thumped rapidly. I’d never spoken this way to my uncle’s men. I’d let them say what they wanted behind my back, and I might have this time, too, if I hadn’t been told by the nurse that they were gossiping. I couldn’t be seen as weak any longer. It was time for me to step up and be the person I wanted to be when I was boss.
“You think you have the right to disrespect me.” I stared around the room, focusing on Irving, who seemed to be the ringleader. “You think I’mweak.”
The silence was heavy in the room.
“You’re wrong.” I gritted my teeth. “I’m not my uncle, but you’d be a fool to think I’m frail.” I crossed my arms. “How I enjoy my personal time is no one’s business, but I’m going to tell you this so you canpass it onlike the twelve-year-olds you are.”
Daire made an amused sound close to a stifled laugh.
“I’m young, but I know what I want, and I know what I am. Yes, your friends did see Daire throw me over his shoulder and carry me out of that club last night, but what they didn’t see was him taking me home and fucking me.” A lie, but an easy one to tell. They didn’t need to know the truth. I stopped pacing and did another take of each of their faces. I tamped down a grin at the sight of their shocked expressions.
One of the men swallowed deeply, his Adam’s apple bobbing. His eyes widened.
