Page 69 of Arranged Addiction

In time, I’ll see him subdued and in his place.

“More work,” I say, shaking his hand firmly. “Never stops.”

“That’s why you’ll make a good boss. Here’s to the Clan.”

“Here’s to the Blood.”

It’s late as I walk toward the car. I’m surprised the driver hasn’t started it yet. Norman’s usually reliable and steady. It’s possible he fell asleep while waiting, but unlikely.

I approach slowly. I really do have another meeting at a strip club downtown to speak with Seamus and some of his enforcers. If we hurry, I might be able to make it back into my own damn bed at a reasonable hour for once.

No, not my own bed.

My bed back in the Whelan house. Because that’s where I belong now.

I sigh and stoop down to knock on the window. Norman’s there, but he’s slumped forward. I tap on the glass again, frowning to myself. He doesn’t stir.

That’s when I notice the knife in his chest.

My gun’s in my hand before I even know to reach for it. Adrenaline courses through my veins. Is someone coming at me? Right now of all times? But it makes no sense. Donnell’s meeting went well and he’s got guards in his house. If I call, they’ll come running.

I clear the area quickly. Nobody’s hiding behind the other parked cars and all the houses are quiet. It’s a niceneighborhood. I really doubt this was some kind of carjacking gone wrong.

With nerves jangling, I open Norman’s door.

He falls sideways. I catch his body before it can hit the pavement. There’s blood everywhere, but no sign of a struggle. How the hell did someone sneak up on my driver and stab him in the chest without so much as knocking a single hair out of place?

But I quickly understand what happened.

There’s a note on the wheel. It’s stuck there with double-sided tape. The handwriting is so familiar it makes me sick.

Give her to me.

Nothing else. No name, no signature, but I know who wrote it and I’m positive I know who it’s about.

Fucking Senesi.

I put him out of my mind while I’ve been struggling to take hold of my family. I knew he was out there lurking, but I hoped he wouldn’t make any more moves for a while, at least not when Casey’s at the Whelan house and fully under our protection. I figured he’d bide his time.

I was fucking wrong.

“Sorry, Norman,” I mumble as I pull the corpse of my driver into the passenger seat. I start the engine, sitting in a pool of his blood, and pull out.

Seamus is waitingat the house when I pull up. “Him again?” My brother’s face is grim.

I nod sharply. “I have to check on my wife.”

“I’ll handle the body. Fuck, this is the least pleasant part of my job.”

I hurry past him. No time to worry about his feelings. The Whelan house is big and filled with guards. We doubled our strength, partly due to my father’s passing, but also because of Senesi’s continued threat. I storm through familiar halls until I finally reach her room.

Casey’s lying in bed. I stand in the doorway and stare at her, heart hammering in my chest. She seems so small and beautiful. The overwhelming urge to crawl in beside her is almost impossible to fight against. But that won’t be good for either of us. The second I give in to her is the second all my walls come falling down for good.

But I need those walls. At least for a little while longer.

I turn to leave but she starts to stir. I can’t help myself. I move in closer, watching her shift in bed, her eyes blinking open as she looks at me over the sheets. She suddenly comes awake, pulling back and covering herself with the blankets as if she were somehow indecent.

“Declan? What are you doing?”