Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

DECLAN

When I walk into the club, I find all my brothers waiting in the lounge.

"What the fuck was so important I had to get down here right away?"

"This." Tris holds up a piece of paper with words scribbled across it in thick, black marker. Tristan hands it to me as I take a seat in the upholstered chair beside him.

You shouldn't have killed my father. Unlike him, I won't be stopping at the red-headed whore.

"Fuck!" I angrily crumple the paper into a tight ball and toss it across the room.

"Your reactions clears up a lot about the text I got as you pulled up."

"The text?" I ask.

"So, Layla wasn't fucking with him?" Liam blurts. "She reallydid walkin on you and Quinn."

I shake my head. "Fucking death threats left on the door, and the lot of youare still entirely focusedon your unhealthy obsession with my sex life."

"You did!" Conor exclaims. "You fucked Quinn."

"It's about fucking time the two of you got back together," Finn announces, and jaws drop around the room as everyone falls silent. All eyes fixate on me before darting back to Finn. "You lot can't be fucking serious!"

Everyone continues to stare at Finn in disbelief, me included. "And I'm the one that never knows what's going on? Why do you think I always give you so much shit about her?" Finn asks rhetorically.

"How the fuck did you know?" I ask, inadvertantly admitting to his claims.

His eyes span across the gathering of chairs, looking at each of my brothers before asking, "How the fuck didn't everyone else? Have you fucking seen the way he looks at her? The way he's fucking looked at her since we were fucking teenagers. If you missed that, maybe you noticed how fucking miserable he was when she left for Ireland? Or when he took that trip to visit,"—he air quotes—" Mam . He went to see Quinn. Fuck, he was barely gone long enough to get through customs."

"You actually picked up on all that and figured out they were together?" Tristan huffs, confused.

"I mean… A few weeks before Quinn left for Ireland, I may have also caught them once when I broke into Dec's place in the middle of the night to,"—he air quotes again—" borrow the keys to his car ."

"You fucking twat." I shake my head. "And all this time, you didn't say a thing?"

"Not my fucking place." Finn shrugs. His response gives me a newfound respect for him. Maybe he isn't the impulsively reckless twat I've always thought he was. His seriousness subsides, and he chuckles, "But I need to know. When you came, was it actually dust?"

Nope, respect gone, just like that.

Still a juvenile fucking twat.

My eyes fall to the crumpled paper on the floor. "They're going to come for her?—"

"We'll put more men on her," Conor interjects.

"I won't let anything happen to her," I grit through my clenched teeth, angry at myself for putting her in this position once again with my recklessness. Killing Akim has only put a bigger target on her back. On the backs of everyone I love. "I'll do anything to keep her safe. And a stóirín. Everyoneyou all care about. And eventually, all of you."

"We will all do anything to keep her safe," Liam imparts as he gives my shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I shoot Rory a quick text.

I need you at my apartment.

*Inside* my apartment.

RORY

I can be there in five minutes.

Inside, sir?

Yes. Use discretion. Fiona isn't to know anything is going on.

Of course.

No one comes inside that isn't me or one of my brothers, understood?

Understood.

I'll explain more when I get there.

Swiping through my contacts, I fire off another to Quinn.

Are Layla and Jorge still there?

QUINN

Yeah.

Tell them to stay with you. All of you stay inside. Do not leave the apartment, Quinn. Rory is on his way up to you.

You're scaring me.

Good. That means you'll listen.

I'm leaving now.

"Layla is still at my place," I inform Tristan as I rise from my chair. "And Rorywill be watchingover them until we get there."

Tristan and I head to my Suburban, leaving Liam, Finn and Conor behind at the club. They will follow us to my place after sending the cleaning staff home and ensuringthings are securely lockedup. The last thing we need is the Bratva infiltrating our club, putting our livelihoods at risk—in addition toour family.

Reaching my apartment building, I am relieved to find everything appears to be normal. My relief doesn't waiver until I walk through the front door and am met with Quinn's anxious eyes. After crossing the room, I place a reassuring kiss on her forehead as Fiona excitedly shows me the picture she's drawing. "That's beautiful, a stóirín! I want you to tell me all about it after I talk with Rory, okay?"

"Okay, daidi ." She returns to her drawing, oblivious to the surrounding tension. Turning my attention back toQuinn,I whisper, "I need to talk to Rory, and then I'll explain everything. You, Fiona, Layla… All of you are perfectly safe here."

The anxiety in her eyes subsides slightly, but when I place a kiss against her tremblinglips,it's clear that she is still afraid. The last thing she needed was more to worry about. She doesn't need more fuel to add to her nightmares. Tristan and I spend about an hour getting Rory up to speed and devising a plan for increased security for the girls. By the time we finish, Conor, Liam and Finn have all arrived. The three of them graciously occupy Fiona while Tristan and I fill Quinn and Layla in.

"You promise they won't get to me?" Quinn asks, the nervous tremble still present in her voice.

"I promise, mochéadsearc ," I cup her face and stare down at her. "That is a promise I will never break to you again. I will die protecting you."