A strong front.
The O'Donnellys against the fucking world.
Well...
Fuck's sake.
"Where the hell's Conor?" I demanded amid the furor from the crowd.
"Where do you think?" Declan rolled his eyes. "I’m sure he’ll watch this back later."
"Fucking snoop," I groused. "He was supposed to be here."
"That bitch has got him riled up," Declan excused.
"Don’t let Savannah hear you call her that. She’ll slice and dice you a new one."
"No one ghosts our brother," Declan mumbled.
Warning delivered, I ignored him. "Does anyone have any hand sanitizer?"
Brennan tossed me some and I liberally applied it. The stench of alcohol was preferable to the pervasive sourness of vomit.
The four of us watched as the men formed an orderly line, gossiping all the while, and managed to leave the room without causing a stampede.
Only when we were left alone did Finn murmur, "Thought you weren’t going to be like your…ourda."
"What did you expect me to do, Finn? Hold his hand and tell him he was a naughty boy?"
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions," Brennan intoned, but he didn’t sound disapproving, more jaded.
I knew how he fucking felt.
"I can’t do anything unless they respect me and, after Cain’s behavior last night, it seems as if I’m going to have to work hard for that respect."
"You went down in people’s estimations after the shit with your knee," Brennan told me. "Not everyone knew about the drugs, but they knew to come to me instead of you if they needed something. It fucked with your rep."
Brennan wasn’t the kind of guy who’d soften a blow to make me feel better. I didn’t need hot smoke blowing up my ass, just the truth, so I nodded. "Saw that for myself."
"If he’d gone about this differently, Finn, they’d have thought he was weak," Declan concurred. "Aidan might be the natural heir, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a snake in the ranks looking to exploit a weakness."
"You looked good out there too," Brennan complimented. "Your knee not giving you any trouble?"
"Not unless I overexert myself." It was twinging now. "I’ll need to rest it tonight."
"How about the drugs?" Declan prodded.
I couldn’t be annoyed that we were having this conversation beside a puddle of vomit and blood in a cement factory. Even if it was demeaning.
"I’m okay."
It wasn’t a lie. Nor was it the truth.
When Declan quirked a brow at me, I shrugged. "What do you want me to say, Dec? It’s fucking rough. Some mornings, it’s difficult to get out of bed. Some nights, I crave them worse than I could ever crave sleep.
"I’m a recovering addict. That’s what I’ll always be. But I’m strong right now, and I just need to keep it that way."
"Do you really think there are men who’d exploit Da’s death to take over the Points?" Finn rumbled, his mind on business like usual.