12. Cian

I glance around the bedroom,taking in the wreckage and feeling a surge of anger. This is our turf, our claim, and someone has decided to piss, or rather, come all over it. My eyes settle on Victoria, fiery determination blazing in her gaze. She's right. We need to make a statement.

"Fuck yes, I'm in," I say, voice low and menacing.

Gianluca moves towards the door, already anticipating our next steps, no questions asked when orders come down the line. Luke follows, his usual composed veneer giving way to an edge of excitement. He lives for this kind of shit. We all do. We are effectively waging war on the bosses, but they brought it on themselves. And no one, I mean fucking no one, puts Cian Gannon on ice. It's taken Victoria to make me see that dealing with own family shit isn't enough. This is bigger than that, and them leaving me on the sidelines is a punch in the face they will wish they hadn't administered.

"Grab what you need," I order. "We're heading out in ten."

Victoria doesn't hesitate, gathering her things quickly before looking back at me with a smirk that promises chaos. That's what I love about her—she's as ruthless as she is loyal.

Less than ten minutes later, we are in the entrance hall, ready to move out. I only need Clyde. I'm not here to make a splash. A simple statement that I run this faction now, and I'm not being shafted. As we pile into the cars, the air is thick with anticipation. Gianluca takes his bike, needing the speed and the ride to let off the steam that is about to blow his lid off. I don't know what has got his balls in a bunch, but he is seriously dangerous right now. The rest of us pile in Luke's sedan, seeing as I can only fit two in my dumbfuck penis enlargement. It makes me wish I'd gone for the four-door instead. That shall be rectified the second we can catch a breath. G is off like a shot fired as Luke revs the engine but doesn't go anywhere.

"What?" I ask from the passenger seat.

"Should we leave this place unattended? It seems every time we do, some fucker does something."

"We don't have a choice," Victoria pipes up from the back, leaning between the seats. "This is way more important than some idiot wanking in my bathroom."

The snort that escapes me is unavoidable. She giggles in return, and I'm glad to see her back to her old self where nothing fazes her. Or if it does, it's buried under a pile of unhinged darkness that makes my cock so hard, it hurts.

"Right," Luke mutters and backs out.

The drive is tense but focused; every minute that ticks by is endless.

"Do you think they'll see this coming?" Victoria asks, after a long stretch of motorway where nobody said a word.

"They better hope they don't," I respond darkly.

Luke keeps his eyes on the road, and a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth is the only sign that he's not completely calm. He's always been like that—an ice-cold genius with a dark side that occasionally peeks out. I don't know if it's Victoria getting under his skin or just the thrill of what we're about to do, but either way, it makes him sharp.

"Do you know where you're going?" I ask him.

"Of course," Luke replies curtly.

I nod, satisfied. Knowledge is his forte. Mine's making an impact that shakes bones and sends messages straight through the marrow of anyone stupid enough to cross me.

Victoria shifts in her seat, leaning forward. "What's the plan once we're inside?"

"We find your dad and anyone else who thinks they can fuck with us," I say, without turning around. "We make them remember why you don't sideline me."

Her hand slips onto the back of my neck, squeezing just enough to remind me she's there—my wild card, my equal in this game of power.

As we near her father's estate, Luke kills the lights and coasts quietly towards a hidden spot behind some overgrown hedges. Gianluca is already there, leaning against his bike. He straightens up when he sees us cruising up.

Luke rolls to a stop, and we climb out.

"Ready?" I ask.

"Always," he replies, eyes cold as steel.

Turning to Victoria, I say, "You're up."

She nods and pulls out a set of keys, which she uses to unlock the side gate built into the massive wrought-iron electric gates. We slip inside and move up the driveway in silence. The house is enormous, built like a fucking fancy castle, which makes Luke snicker. I have never been here before either, and I smile.

"Seems someone else has a castle as well," Luke says, pulling Victoria closer to him. "Kept that quiet."

"Nah," she says with a shrug. "This is faux. Yours is the real deal."

He chuckles, and then we sober up again, and the lights beam on as we get close enough to the door.

I'm not as surprised as you'd think when the door swings open to show Charles standing there with a fierce glower.

"Guess that answers that question, then," Victoria says. "Hey, Dad. We're here to make a statement."

"About what?" he asks, crossing his arms and planting his feet.

I step forward, matching his stance. "About remembering who the fuck runs this part of the Gannon family now."

The old man doesn't even flinch, but I can see the gears turning behind his eyes. Charles is a tough bastard, that much is clear. He's been in this game longer than I've been alive and is not the type to back down easily.

He nods slowly as he takes in every inch of me, head-to-toe. "You mean you? I'd be more inclined to take you more seriously if you weren't standing on my damned doorstep uninvited."

"Whether you take me seriously or not isn't my problem," I retort. "But you will respect the position I'm in, or I'll make sure you regret it."

A flicker of something—might be amusement, might be recognition—crosses Charles's face. He looks over my shoulder, eyeing G and Luke. "And what do your companions think about this power play?"

Victoria steps forward, her face a mask of ice. My girl has my back. Now and always. "We're unified in this, Dad. You're not pushing Cian aside. Not now, not ever. If you want to play hardball, we can do that. But don't underestimate us. We've got more leverage than you think."

Charles tilts his head slightly, considering her words. "Leverage? You mean besides your misguided loyalty to these ass… ociates?"

"More than that," she replies, her voice steady. "We have secrets. Alllll the secrets. We are the next gen, after all. But keep us down, and we will fight like cats in water to get the upper hand."

He narrows his eyes, but doesn't respond immediately. His silence speaks volumes; he knows exactly what she's talking about.

"So," I say, breaking the tension. "Are we going to do this civilised, or should we make a mess out of your nice entrance hall?"

"What exactly is it you're trying to do here?" Charles asks, dropping the defensive stance, but don't be fooled. He's not relaxed. He's preparing for the offensive.

"We want answers about these Red Reaper fuckers," I say as Victoria steps back, letting me have the floor. "You have shut us out. Nah, that's not right. You've shut me out, and that's all kinds of disrespectful. I get that you might forget about me, but there is no way you can forget my dad isn't here anymore, so I'm all you've got when it comes to the Gannons in this sector. So, Charles. What's the play?"

Charles's glare tightens, but he gestures for us to follow him inside. We step through the grand entrance and into a hallway that seems to stretch forever, lined with family photos. The atmosphere is thick with tension and mistrust.

He leads us into a living room that oozes old money—dark wood panelling, leather furniture, and a massive fireplace that's crackling, keeping the winter chill at bay. Charles takes a seat in an overstuffed chair and motions for us to do the same. No one does.

"Let's cut the bullshit," he says, leaning forward. "What do you want to know about the Red Reapers? And why should I give a damn about sharing that with you?"

I stay standing, arms crossed. "Because this is about us."

Charles laughs, but it's devoid of humour. "Exactly. You. You chose to stay at BlackBriar, that makes you not one of us."

"Dad!" Victoria hisses. "That makes zero sense."

"Is what it is."

"Are you forcing my hand?" I growl.

"Can you be bullied, Cian? I didn't take you for the one to cave to peer pressure."

"Oh, fuck you," I snarl and watch as his face goes hard, but then weirdly, also a sign of respect crosses over his features.

"You're bold, you know that?"

"I've had to be."

He nods slowly. "Yes, I can imagine you did."

"So, Red Reapers," I snap, drawing the conversation back on course. "Why are you keeping the next gen in the dark about it? Who are they, and what are you afraid to tell us? If they're attacking mafia kids, your legacies, we need to know what the fuck is going on."

Charles sighs. "You are too late. A calculated strike against them has already been made tonight. We were trying to keep you all safe. Going straight to the enemy to be massacred is not the right move, and you know it."

"Excuse you?" Victoria hisses. "Massacred. We do the massacring."

"So I've heard." His eyes bore into hers, and for the first time ever, I see her flinch.

Grabbing her hand, I give her a look that speaks volumes, and she nods, knowing there is no hiding this anymore. She has to come clean.

"This isn't over, not by a long shot," I say to Charles. "We need to have a serious fucking conversation about my role and how I won't stand for being left out because I choose to stay at BlackBriar with your daughter."

"Is that the only reason?"

The question hangs there, but there is no hesitation.

"Yes."

Victoria's furious expression is hard to ignore, but I do, focusing only on Charles's icy eyes.

"I love your daughter. Whether that's something you want to hear or not, I love her. She loves me. The four of us have come to an arrangement that works for us and will solidify our family's way into the future. This isn't just about the now. It never was. She is my future, my eternity. You have my word that I will protect her, die for her if that's what it takes to keep her safe. So, if that means staying at BlackBriar for the rest of this academic year, then that's what I'll do, regardless of what you or the others think. But make no mistake that this means I'm out of the loop or out of the game. If anything, I'm in it more. Do I make myself perfectly fucking clear?"

Charles's gaze is arctic as he tries to stare me down before flicking it over to Luke and Gianluca who have stood by and let me have my say. After a long moment, where no one says anything and no one backs down, Charles returns his focus to me. "Is that so? You don't think Victoria is safe with these two?"

"I know she is. But she is mine. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her."

Victoria sucks in a breath as we wait. She holds it and I start to worry she's about to pass out as the seconds tick by.

"Very well," he says. "But I'm holding you to that, Gannon. One scratch, and I blame you."

"So will I."

His eyes narrow. "Go. I think Victoria and I need to talk."

I nod, still not happy about the Red Reapers, but right now, I have to back down for Victoria's sake. She needs to do this. I kiss her forehead and gesture for Luke and Gianluca to leave them alone. We stride out, closing the door behind us, and then we wait.