He replies, “Thejacksare that—”
I’m seconds away from the threshold when a hand claims the back of my neck. It yanks me into another room. My stomach bottoms out at the sight of the ruddy Irishman with copper hair untended beneath his burly arms. Instincts kicking into gear, my soul craves Kieran. Part of me hoped that he’d be the one who caught me.
For all I know, the man glaring at me works for him. But a ribbon of tension in my gut blares that is false. While Marty was the most respectful of the bunch, the others were obedient soldiers, hoisting their guns as required of them. Not a glimmer of malice in their gazes. And when the guy glaring at me speaks, my weak knees almost cave.
“Clan McFarland never claims anymot.” The tip of a knife draws over the center of my chest.
“What?” A broom propped next to me clatters to the ground as I press my back away from him.
“His girl. You’re the American I saw with McFarland at the pub yesterday. I’m gonna have a brilliant time dicin’ you to pieces.”
9
Kieran
Clan MacKenzie and McFarland have associated themselves for decades. Only in the last ten or so of ‘em has my uncle Ewan tipped the scale, setting himself above our mates. In our world, aye, there are bosses, what have you, but you gotta understand. If the lad to your left and your right aren’t your bloody brothers in spirit and mind, then one of you is dead.
Ewan broke the rules. He tipped the scales, crowned himself, and left the MacKenzies in the dust. He calls them our henchmen, but I’d die for each one of them.
Last week, I found myself in Los Angeles for a wedding that should’ve never been. Ewan tossed his daughter, Erika, at the foot of the oldest MacKenzie boy—there are seven laddies.
The one we call Little Brody ain’t no bit the wee boy, either. He’s bigger than me and two cows on the highland. Brody had no desire for Erika, and Erika would much rather look the same way we do when sharing a warm bed. Nevertheless, Ewan was testing the loyalty of our allies, also going a bitmaddyin the brain too.
But all is right in our world. Ewan stayed on the West Coast with Big Brody MacKenzie as our standoff has come to a reconciliation.
I walk into Citibank to converse with the guy who handles Clan McFarland’s freshly laundered funds.
“You in Boston yet?” Little Brody asks on my cell. I laugh a little. We both know I ain’t there. He helped me get Ava off the hotel roof. With too many eyes around, I couldn’t chance my birdie awakening while I searched out a container for her body. Also, his brother, Leith MacKenzie—smart as a whip—had to clean the surveillance cameras of both Ava and me headed to the roof. I covered all my bases pending someone searching for her.
“Heading there now.”At least, I bloody hope Ava straightens up soon. Depression has tapped my sex life. I could use some.
“You let your littlebirdiego?” Brody sarcastically offers the name I gave him when he arrived at the hotel with a large rollaway.
“Nae.” I roll my eyes. I can hear voices in the background, though it’s a conversation that could easily be discussed later. I deadpan, “My little birdie forfeited her life. She was about to smash like afeckingpancake, remember?”
“Ain’t that her call?”
“Nae because she’sminenow, Brody. She’s a good life. Food—”She’s mine. I’m hers . . . We need each other.
“You’re not raping—” Brody cuts in.
“Fecknae.” Because he took itthere,my lips curve devilishly. “Training—”
“Training?”
I laugh. “Listen, you got me confused with Ewan.”My uncle’s the one off his head in this scenario. “She’s broken. I’m mending her. I lostme mam and da.Now, I’ve me wee birdie.”
“What about yourweesister?”
The part of my heart, which is defective like Ewan called myparents, squeezes at the thought.
“Son,”Ewan always called me,“your parents are defective. Mind your edict, Kieran! Mind the day you saw your father beaten, son.”
I was only seven, the day my father became a McFarland pawn. I’d begged to go to the park. Most times, Little Brody and Leith were there—I didn’t know it then, buttheirfather wasmyfather’s protector.
We were good friends, brothers even, so there was no need to be the wiser. However, Ewan had started sending the MacKenzies to California to take over. So, Clan Mackenzie wasn’t there for us that day. Not that I’d fault them for Da’s shortcomings.
My father didn’t stand half a chance and proved himself to be less than a man. I lost all respect for him, and I understood at a wee, tender age just who thefeckwe were.