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I turn to Lochlann. “How are the girls?”

“Ashley is still fighting for her life. Emily and Brendan are stable for now.”

I pull my gun and aim at Donnovan’s younger brother’s head. The look on Donnovan’s face says he knows he fucked up. He didn’t really want my attention as much as he thought he did.

“Fighting for her life? Let’s see if your brother is as strong as the lass,” I say through my teeth before I pull the trigger and shoot the brother in the knee.

He falls to the ground screaming as Donnovan screams his name. “Niall, fuck, Niall. I’m so sorry, brother.”

Brendan and those girls do mean something to me. They are my godchildren. All three were safe in Ireland not too long ago.

Their ma and da trusted me to keep them safe here. Brendan was the first to come over. He’s been here for about a year.

When he returned home for a visit, the girls begged for jobs and to come stateside to go to school. I placed the girls at the diamond shop because Brendan would be there. They were never supposed to be in danger.

Lochlann has become very protective of the girls and Brendan has been like a little brother to both Lochlann and Rory. This was very personal to us all. Like I said, not how you want to get my attention.

As rage courses through me, I walk over to Niall and step on the knee I shot through. He screams out as he thrashes against the floor. Not giving a fuck, I grind the heel of my boot into the wound.

“Let me tell ya yer biggest mistake. I bow to no one. Stealing from me will get you my attention, but never my respect.

“I don’t know what kind of backward thinking told ya this would work out for ya but ya were feed lies. I don’t reward disrespect. Since you touched three of my godchildren, I’m going to send ya and yer dear brother here to be closer with ye maker. See if he’ll show ya some respect.”

I put a bullet in Niall’s head to shut him the fuck up and then I send a bullet through Donnovan’s open mouth as he screams for his dead brother.

“I want everyone involved dead,” I seethe.

“And the diamonds?”

“Find them. For every day they are missing kill someone he loves,” I say, pointing to the one who has pissed himself in his seat.

CHAPTER9

Unexpected Find

Ronan

I thoughtI would go to California and turn around to head back to Ireland. My life is never that easy. Business has called me here to New York.

Dayton Hughes has requested my presence. Normally, I would have made him wait for another time at my convenience. However, I’ve been wanting to meet the new horsemen.

I was introduced to all four men ten years ago, but there have been some changes in their organization. Now that the Alliance is sure to happen, I would like to meet Philips’s replacement.

No one will be able to replace the man whom I came to think of as a friend, but I still would like to know all the men who stand among us. Hughes and Givens kept all their promises from the original agreement, even getting Philips to agree to the partnership and contracts with me and my family.

“Where is this guy?” Carrick asks impatiently as we sit in Dayton’s office.

“Patience, lad. If Hughes is late, it’s not disrespect. Something came up.

“It’s different when yer one of the heads of an organization. More fires to put out and responsibilities,” I say as I stand and move to the bookshelves to look at the photos as we wait.

“This isn’t going to be like the visit in California?”

“Ach, not at all. This is a friendly visit. Ya will learn soon that ya will have to change faces multiple times in a short span.

“Yer doing well, yer da would be proud. I meant to tell ya that. Four years isn’t a long time. Ya’ll be taking my place soon enough.

“I’m ready now. I don’t know why da didn’t tell grand that.”