Page 69 of The Apprentice
“Sloan was warned that the Cartel was out for blood, but he never expected them to go for Eoin. We don’t know if they did it on purpose or if they confused him for Sloan. But they took him. We told you that your dad was shot, and he was, but hewas tortured beforehand. He was....” I exhaled loudly, and my breath came out shaky. The truth was that I’d never forgiven myself, either. I should’ve done more, advised Sloan to pull back. I didn’t. Bile rose at the back of my throat, and I had to swallow it down at the memories of finding Eion’s broken body. The things they did to him.. .. No child should know that happened to their parent. “Fuck, I don’t think I can tell you what they did to him, boy. Your dad wasn’t recognizable by the time they shot him. His death was a message for Sloan, and Sloan never got the chance to see him alive again despite what Sloan always told you.”
He let out a shuddery breath. “Oh.” He touched a palm to my chest, above my heart, searching for the beat beneath my skin. “Did Sloan back off?”
“Have you met your uncle?” I shook my head. “No, he pushed the Cartel back to the West Coast where they belonged. It was the Reyes Cartel.”
Fionn sucked in air sharply, rage twisting his features. “What?”
“Thiago Reyes’s uncle—Jesús Montero. You’ve never met him because Sloan killed him. Thiago’s father pushed to try to take the East Coast and that’s why Jesús was over here. They thought they could take New York, but they failed. Montero failed. That’s when the rivalry broke out.”
“I didn’t realize it’d been going on for that long,” Fionn murmured, his fingers falling back into tracing over my tattoos.
“Enemy relationships wax and wane.” I drew him closer to my chest and shivered when his nails scraped over a particularly sensitive spot above my rib cage. “Some years they are more dangerous than others. It always depends on how stupid they want to be.”
He frowned. “I don’t know why Sloan didn’t tell me. That wasn’t his fault. It was the Reyes Cartel’s.”
“Sloan antagonized them.” I laid my palm on his arm and trailed it over his skin, petting him in slow, long strokes. “And what they did to Eoin.... I don’t think I’ll ever forget the state of your dad’s body.”
Fionn brushed the dip of my brow, a sadness passing over his face. “I understand. Is that why Sloan took me in? He felt guilty?”
“Your mother couldn’t handle you because you were acting out. So, she gave you to Sloan.” I smiled because if that hadn’t happened, I would never have met Fionn. I trusted Sloan with him more than his mother. “And then, you became his. His son. His apprentice. I don’t think he wanted to give you back.”
“Well, it was a good thing my mom didn’t want me back then, huh?” Bitterness dripped from his voice.
I hugged him tightly. “Your mother never fully recovered after your dad died. She blamed the Company and Sloan.”
“If she blamed him, why did she leave me with him?”
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “Maybe she didn’t know what else to do with you. The truth is, you have more drive for the business than your dad had. Eoin was good at what he did, but he never loved being in the mob. He never wanted to learn how to be boss one day, which is why Sloan became your grandfather’s apprentice.”
“There’s also the fact that I’ve never been her favorite.” He laid his cheek against my shoulder. “That title goes to Bell.”
“She’s ruined them both,” I said with a shake of my head. I hadn’t seen Fionn’s younger brothers since she left with them, but with everything she’d been asking Sloan for, it was obvious they were both spoiled. “They can’t fend for themselves and never will.” I didn’t know much about Fionn’s brothers. They could walk past me in the street and I wouldn’t recognize them. The last time I’d seen them was at Eoin’s funeral, but I imagined after growing up under the influence of their mother, they wereexactly like her. “You won’t be giving them any more money, boy.”
“But—”
“No buts, Fionn.” I slapped him on the thigh, hard, and he hissed. “Your mother doesn’t need your money. She’s a full-grown adult who must learn to take care of herself. She doesn’t need you to look after her, and your brothers are old enough, too.”
“You don’t understand,” Fionn argued, but I gave him another smack, this time even harder than the first.
“I do—better than you. I’ve known your mom since before you were born. So this is me being your Daddy, boy. You willnotgive her money. None. If you do, I will rat you out to Sloan, and we both know you, or she, won’t like how he deals with it.”
He frowned. “That’s mean.”
“That’s life. She can’t continue to rely on you.” I hooked a finger under Fionn’s chin and tipped his head up before laying a gentle kiss on his mouth. “Trust me, boy, I’m looking out for you. No more money.”
He hesitated but finally nodded. “Okay.”
I smiled, pleased. I smoothed my hand over his ass, fingers delving between his cheeks and teasing his hole with gentle pets around his ring. “I’m going to fuck you again, boy.”
He moaned.
After we finally got out of bed, Fionn said he was going to take a shower, and I made my way to Sloan’s office. Men and staff milled around the house, going about their day and job efficiently. I passed Ronan as he headed down the hallway, and we exchanged short nods in greeting.
When I reached the door to Sloan’s office, I knocked lightly and waited.
“Come in,” Sloan said, voice raspy and laced with pleasure.
I chuckled while opening the door before stepping over the threshold. I wasn’t surprised to see Conall between Sloan’s knees, lips wrapped around Sloan’s cock. Sloan’s hips rocked up, his hard-on driving deep into Conall’s willing mouth as he tipped his head backward against his leather desk chair.
