Lachlan (Dangerous Doms #5) - Jane Henry Page 0,54

know exactly what he wants me to do. I shove the man to his knees and drag his arms to his lower back so hard he cries out. I’ve been in this position before, only in the privacy of an interrogation room, not in a room full of people. The guy’s blubbering now, something about being paid for a hit, and how the girl with the red hair’s wanted. Calum looks to me, and I shake my head.

“She’s related to the McCarthys,” I tell him. “And fucking sister to Tiernan.”

Calum nods and pulls the trigger. Fiona screams when the man’s head hits the floor, but I don’t feel regret. Instead, I know we’ve won a victory.

He tucks his gun back into its holster without a word. He jerks his chin to one of the bodyguards that stands behind him. “Get rid of the body,” he says. “Now.”

Calum has chosen his side.

Chapter 13

Fiona

It’s hard to believe what’s happening. It feels surreal, like I’m walking in a dream. I’m surrounded by sordidness that makes the Craic in Ballyhock look tame. A man just tried to attack me. They killed him, and now they’re taking his body to bury in a shallow grave.

Here, in the world of the Irish mafia, alliances are formed and broken. Lachlan came in here looking for an ally. He’s leaving with one, but the blood of a man is on his hands.

I don’t listen to whatever else they say after that. I can still see the cold way Calum pulled the trigger, and the victory in Lachlan’s eyes. He may love me—I don’t doubt that he does. But I can never forget that he’s Irish mob. Ruthless vengeance is his bread and butter.

A knot forms in my stomach. Tiernan’s no different.

No matter what happens between me and Lachlan… if there are children, or a home, dreams we pursue, our lives entwined together in inexplicable ways… no matter what happens, he’ll always be Irish mafia. Once inducted, there is no way out, save death.

I’ve known this about Sheena and Nolan. I’ve heard their arguments. I’ve witnessed her tears. Though she’s beloved in the McCarthy clan, it doesn’t mean it’s always easy. Sometimes it’s bloody hard.

One thing I do know is that Lachlan got what he came here for tonight. The vicious men of the Boston Irish have chosen to help him win this battle. Calum in particular is furious the assailant came to his private club and has ordered his most capable men to find out who he is and where he came from.

We leave victorious, though my stomach’s tied in knots. Lachlan holds me by his side like I’m a victory prize as we leave. This time, it isn’t the hotel room of the night before but a different one. My mind’s so far away from anything remotely normal, like the frat party Aisling’s invited me to, or the syllabus emailed to me by my professor. It seems like that is only a dream. This is my reality. The two men I love more than anyone else in the world are mired in the lies, betrayal, and brutality of the Irish mob.

Can I choose such a life?

Do I want to?

We take a ride back to hotel, and Lachlan’s speaking to Tiernan on the phone. His voice rises and falls, but I barely hear a word he’s saying. He’s not happy about something. I stare out the window, when we pull up a few blocks away from our hotel.

Lachlan hangs up the phone and pays the driver, opens the door, and this time, it isn’t wariness on his face, or awareness of every detail, but bold defiance. He’s daring anyone who’d threaten to hurt us now to come at him, as if he welcomes a chance to retaliate. I swallow hard. I bet he’s done just that. And more.

He places a hand on the small of my back, and for the first time since that first night here, I see a shadow of a guard following us at a respectable distance.

“Lachlan?”

“Not now.” His jaw is tight, his eyes narrowed on the door in front of us.

“We’re being followed,” I whisper.

“Hush.”

He speaks in such a harsh whisper; I clamp my mouth shut and look at him in surprise. Oh, my. He’s been stern with me, but this demeanor is something else altogether, almost cold and detached. I’m reminded again of who he is and what he’s capable of.

He leads me firmly by the hand into the hotel, but we bypass