Page 105 of The Apprentice
Hands touched my shoulders, and I breathed through the panic that sliced through my chest. I focused on the strong hold, on the scent of Daire’s cologne tickling my nose as he cupped my cheeks.
“Boy, you’re fine. Look at me.”
I opened my eyes again, and he was there. A guarantee. An inevitability. My Daddy.
“You did good.”
I smiled. “I know.”
Daire grinned.
21
DAIRE
Sloan’s glare was sharp as a dagger in my back, and while I wished I could blame him, I couldn’t. He knew the truth now, that I’d used Fionn for my own pleasure, and he deserved to be angry. While he had two other nephews in America—three if you counted Lor, I supposed— Fionn was his pride and joy. Hissonin a lot of ways. And here I was, his right-hand man, having broken his adoptive son’s heart.
“Why did you send Conall home?” Fionn asked as we entered The Gold Coin, a bar in the middle of Manhattan. We’d come here to celebrate Fionn’s victory, and he deserved all the attention. Despite Sloan already knowing who the rat was—and I was still pissed about that—Fionn had found the proof we’d needed. To take out a man like Donal, who’d spent years of his life in the Company, we’d needed top-notch evidence of his betrayal. The men who were loyal to Donal would want to see it.
“Because we’re getting some weird reports of Reyes’s men in the city.” Sloan glared around the bar, as if Reyes would pop up, but there wasn’t anyone other than patrons and a group of ourmen spread across the room as protection. “I don’t want Conall anywhere near here unless we’re sure it’s safe.”
Fionn raised his eyebrows, and Sloan sighed because he was easy to read.
“You matter, too, but you deserve to celebrate this win, and we have enough men. Conall can be back at the house with Vail and Lor. Fallon’s been teaching Conall some self-defense techniques.” By the tone in Sloan’s voice, he didn’t particularly like that very much. “The least I can do for the boys, after everything they’ve done, is protect their man. Between Conall and our bodyguards, he’ll be safe. Vail’s important to Cillian and Aspen.”
“And to Rowen and Fallon,” Fionn said.
Sloan waved his hand as we walked toward a round table and took a seat. Everything about the bar—or it was more like a pub—had an Irish feel to it. The walls were lined with pictures of Ireland, and I smiled as I stared at them from where I sat at the table. I’d never been, despite Sloan going over to the country multiple times to catch up with relatives and the allies who lived over there. I made a mental note to take Fionn one day because I know for a fact that he hadn’t left the US.
The brown brick walls and low lighting would’ve been calming if it wasn’t for the already loud volume of rambunctious drunks. It was past midnight, but the people of New York City were only just getting started. The smell of beer filled my nose, and I would’ve winced if I wasn’t used to it already.
“Did our guys give us anything else other than Reyes’s men being sighted around New York?” I asked, finally drawing my attention to Sloan as he settled into the seat.
“No.” Sloan’s eyebrows furrowed in irritation as he slid off his thick wool jacket and laid it over one of the spare chairs beside him. “Until we get more information, we can assume it’s not entirely safe. Reyes is up to something.”
“Uncle, why not take him out for good? I don’t understand.”
Sloan snorted. “I know you think I’m a god, but I’m not. Even with the best men on our payroll, Ardan included, Reyes isn’t an idiot. His house is a fortress, and his security is excellent. He never keeps to a schedule, which makes him unpredictable.”
“Like what we do,” Fionn murmured.
“His men are loyal to him.” I settled my elbows on the table and glanced at the menu board hanging on the wall behind the bar. “They aren’t easy to turn. At least the ones close to him aren’t.”
Sloan hummed. “Right now, he’s testing his limits, playing with fire to see if he’ll get burned.” His mouth quirked.
“And you enjoy it.” I smirked at him when he glanced in my direction, and his gaze hardened. He’d mostly ignored me up until now. Sloan and I had grown up together, and I knew everything about him. As much as he’d hate to admit it, he usually let his enemies push a little before he destroyed them. Nothing more than a predator playing with his prey. It was a game to Sloan, even if he pretended it wasn’t. “You like the challenge.”
Sloan didn’t answer. He rose from his seat. “The first round is on me in celebration of your success, Fionn. What do you want?”
“I usually drink whiskey, but I might try something else. A beer? A Guiness?” Fionn hesitated, and I reached out to rub circles on his back.
“Maybe a Murphy’s?” He didn’t drink much, and I thought he might like something different from the stereotype. “They’re good.”
“Do you tell him what he can and can’t do, too?” Sloan’s razor-sharp tone had me wincing. I hated it when he was this mad at me.
I raised my chin. “You do the same thing to Conall. I’m only suggesting something he might like, and I’m not going to stop just because you’re angry at me. . . sir.”
“Uncle, Daire is my partner.” Fionn raised his chin toward Sloan. “And I love him. Please.”
