Chapter 12

Tag

Fucking hell. And things started out so well. Why the fuck did the McGuires pick tonight to come after me? Couldn't I have one night of amazing sex with a stranger? Not that I think one night with Laine would be nearly enough.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown.

Perhaps she's right and me bringing her here is slightly kidnappy, or at least kidnapping adjacent, but my reasoning is sound. She could be in danger…and not just from me taking an interest in her.

Aiden is waiting for me at the top of the stairs. When I get to him, I gesture up toward the second floor. "When we're done here, go to the Gilford Inn and get her things. She's registered under the name Laine O'Neill."

He arches a brow. "She's staying?"

"For the time being."

"Is that wise?"

I fight the urge to lash out. It's been a clusterfuck of a night and I'm on edge. "Why not?"

"Because you just met her, didn't you?"

"Your point?"

Aiden scowls. "My point is she doesn't belong here. She's a tourist and shouldn't be dragged into whatever happens next."

"She's already been dragged into it. That's why she's here. Declan made a point of taking notice of her. She could be in danger."

Aiden flashes me a skeptical look. "That's a reach and you know it."

He's probably right, but I don't want to look too closely at it. There's something about Laine that speaks to me. I don't know what it is yet and I'm not willing to let her walk out of my life until I find out.

"Look, Tag, I'm not trying to cockblock you or anything. We just don't know her and she's inside the family home during a time when the McGuires are making a move."

I meet his gaze and hear the tension in his words. "She isn't a plant to infiltrate our organization, mate. She's a woman who came to the bar to have a send-off drink with her mam's ashes."

"On the night when the McGuires hit the pub."

"She just flew in this morning and had the bad luck to get sucked into my wake."

"If that were all it was, she wouldn't be here."

I stop and take a step back before I clap him one. "What are you saying?"

He frowns at me. "I'm saying you need to check her out and keep your eyes open. You're a target now and you don't usually get led around by your cock."

I hold up a finger in warning. "If you don't want to end up with my knife in your belly, now is the time to let it drop. And while we're on the subject of unsolicited advice about dipping our wicks, why was Siobhan in the truck tonight? Tell me you're not fucking her."

One side of his mouth quirks up in a smile. "I could tell you that, but being your second means I don't fucking lie to you."

Wonderful. That's a clusterfuck waiting to happen. "Take it from one who knows. Nothing is worth wetting your cock in that well."

"She told me you'd say that. People change, brother."

Not fucking likely.

Siobhan and I screwed around when we were teens, but Da never liked her. He said she was weak and undependable.

He left me to make my decision and, of course, I was in such a banging bliss I ignored the warning and continued to get my rocks off. I didn't realize what a liar and cheat she was until I was buried in headache and heartache.

Since then, she put her lying to use and became an informant for the Quinn Clan. Which is a nice way to say the bitch is nothing but a snitch. I'm not sure if she thinks she's earning forgiveness or putting the screws to me by fucking through the ranks of my men one by one, but honestly, I don't care enough to find out.

Or, at least, I haven't until Aiden.

Aiden is my best mate and deserves a ton better than to be screwed over by Siobhan Daley.

I wonder if I should tell Aiden the whole truth. He knows that she and I went way back—practically too far to remember—but he doesn't know the details.

Well, even if I do, it won't be tonight.

Turning on my heel, I head toward the east wing. "Is everyone here?"

"Sean and Grady were passing the gatehouse when I pulled the car around."

"And Finn?"

"The moment I mentioned the McGuires, he was on board."

I grunt. "Nothing like the prospect of a bloody war to snap you out of mourning."

"It's good to have goals, I suppose."

"Aye, I suppose."

In truth, I don't care what snaps Finn out of his moping. It's been five months since Da passed. It's time to reengage with life.

The war room of the Quinn family castle is nothing short of medieval—a testament to our family's long and often bloody history.

The stone walls, cold and unyielding, echo with the low murmurs of my brothers—Sean, Brendan, Bryan, and Finn, as well as our clan enforcer, Grady Henessey.

In the center of the space, a large wooden table dominates the room, surrounded by eight sturdy chairs, each filled with a man ready to defend our legacy.

It's hard not to think about the one open chair.

Da left big shoes to fill and I miss him every day.

I stride into the room, and the conversations quiet. The air is thick with tension, a palpable force that intensifies with every step I take towards the head of the table.

I nod to each man as I pass—Sean, his haunted expression filled with fury; Brendan, his gaze like flint, ready to spark; Bryan, simmering and observant; and Finn, our youngest, finally ready to put some of his hurt and anger into action.

"I take it you've heard what happened at Jimmy's tonight," I say, taking my seat at the head of the table. "Both with the McGuire mule and then the delivery of Mattie's ultimatum."

Sean sits back and curses. "Fuck their ultimatum. Fuck the truce. There's no way they have the goods to take the north. I say we fuck them up."

A murmur ripples through the room.

Aiden frowns. "A war will leave bodies in the streets. And not only clan bodies."

Sean leans forward, his hands clenched. "We can't let them push us around. This is a test. Da would never let Mattie push into our territory."

"He also wouldn't jump at the idea of bloodshed," Finn says. "Da would look for middle ground."

Brendan scoffs. "There's no middle ground in McGuires coming over the river. It's a power play. They're testing to see if the Quinns are still strong under Tag's leadership."

His words sting. They're true, but still sting.

Mattie's actions are a sharp reminder of the doubts that linger because of our father's death. "I know what this is, and I understand the importance of responding with the appropriate strength. So, let's hear some ideas."

Bryan nods. "We need a measured response. Escalation could lead to all-out war, but we have to at least push back for the dealer and for Jimmy's."

"We can start with the two we've got locked down," Grady says.

"Are you thinking torture, killing, or a combination?" Brendan asks.

"We just dumped their drug dealer on their doorstep," Aiden says. "That's going to set the stage."

As my brothers and my two clan captains toss around ideas of how to best fuck up the McGuires, my mind wanders the halls back to the guest room upstairs.

The soft leather of my chair creaks as I lean back and close my eyes. Aiden's observations are still stirring in my mind. He's right. I don't let my cock lead me into decisions.

So why is she sleeping upstairs in my bed?

The idea of that sends a jolt to my cock and my body responds immediately. Not my bed, exactly, but a bed in what is now my home.

Still, the damage is done and now all I can do is imagine her in my bed…still wearing my t-shirt…only wearing my t-shirt.

Laine seemed more angry than afraid about me not being honest about being a restauranteur. She also handled the violence tonight remarkably well. She speaks like a well-educated lady and yet I've glimpsed a roughness within her.

She has an iron core.

Laine O'Neill is a puzzle I want to solve and I can't wait to get my hands on a few more of her pieces.