Page 34 of Dark Succession (The O’Malleys #1)

I t went off without a hitch.”

Callie sat next to Papa while John gave his report. There had been significant damage done to the Hallorans’ property, no casualties, and they slipped away into the night before the Hallorans showed up to investigate. She leaned forward in her chair. “The night guards?”

“We incapacitated them like you ordered.”

Her breath left her in a nearly inaudible sigh.

Thank God . The attack had been a necessary evil, but getting a low-level guard killed for no reason would have weighed heavy on her conscience.

They had parents, possibly even children.

They didn’t deserve to be dragged into this.

In an ideal world, no one would die before they got this conflict resolved.

But this wasn’t an ideal world.

She cleared her throat. “Well done. ”

“Get some rest.” Papa waited for the man to leave the office before he turned to her. “You were right.”

Pleasure at his approval threatened to go to her head.

He’d never withheld it from her growing up, but it had always been something she strived for.

She didn’t let it guide every choice she made these days, but the need to make him happy was always there in the back of her mind.

“There are more ways to hurt someone than taking their life.”

“Halloran doesn’t feel that way. He’ll strike back, and he’ll strike back to hurt.” He suddenly looked tired, the lines around his mouth and eyes deepening. “Stay close, Callie. I couldn’t bear it if you…”

One more reason she couldn’t turn herself over to the Hallorans.

If something happened to her, the last of her father’s children, it might actually kill Papa.

She covered his hand with her own. “I’ll be careful, but you know as well as I do that I can’t hide away in the house like a princess in a tower.

This won’t be the last conflict, and the men need to see that I can lead. ”

“I know. Good lord, Callie, I know that.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re more than capable of leading, but I’m human. I want to protect my daughter.”

“I understand.” But there were no guarantees.

Papa knew that. It had been decades since the Sheridans warred with another family.

All she remembered of it was her mother taking her and Ronan out of town and a wonderful summer spent in the country.

She hadn’t understood then the new lines around her father’s face when they’d returned.

She did now.

She squeezed his hand. “It won’t be like before.

” It wasn’t a promise she could make, but that didn’t stop her.

Last time, he’d systematically killed the head of the MacNamara clan, and all three of his grown sons.

She couldn’t allow him to make that decision again. He had enough deaths on his soul.

Hell, she had enough deaths on her soul, and they totaled out at one.

But she would add as many as it took to save her father from more—and to save Teague from adding any at all.

She glanced at the clock on Papa’s desk.

It was approaching noon and she still hadn’t heard from him.

Worry flickered through her, but she firmly ignored it.

When they’d spoken last night, it was clear he was drinking with his brothers.

It was entirely possible that he was sleeping off an epic hangover.

There was no reason for the hairs to be rising on the back of her neck.

She pulled her hair over one shoulder, combing her fingers through it in an effort to distract herself.

“You’re strong, Callie. You’ll get through this.”

“We both will,” she said firmly. She was nowhere near ready to take over the family.

The sheer amount of responsibility her father shouldered on a daily basis was staggering.

She could do it. She knew she could. But it meant her father was no longer strong enough to do it himself.

She wasn’t ready to acknowledge that, even if he was.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. “Excuse me.” She slipped it out, finding a text from Teague. Three little words, but every cell in her body cried out in warning that something was terribly wrong.

I need you .

It was tempting—too tempting—to act like he was talking in a physical way, but instinct said that wasn’t the case. Something had gone terribly wrong. She typed out a quick reply. Where and when?

His answer confirmed her worry was founded. My parents’ home. Now. Callie pushed to her feet. “I’ve got to go.”

“Is something wrong?”

Yes! She made an effort to keep her voice calm and her body relaxed, even though all she wanted to do was tear out of the room and rush to Teague’s side. “I don’t know.”

Papa nodded. “Take Micah and one of the other men with you.”

“I will.” It wouldn’t slow her down much, and the added safety was necessary, even if only to get her to Teague’s side without interruption.

She pressed a kiss to the top of her father’s head and strode from the room.

It took seconds to grab her purse and text Micah to meet her in the garage.

He was there before she was, dangling the keys from the SUV from his fingers.

“Do you want to drive, or should I?”

She was so rattled, it was entirely possible she’d end up wrecking the damn car. “It’d be best if you do. But, Micah, drive fast .”

He nodded and opened the door for her. Another man, one of the new recruits whose name she couldn’t quite place, slipped silently into the backseat. No one said a word as Micah pulled out of the garage and onto the street.

Callie took a deep breath. “To the O’Malleys’.” She kept checking her phone, but there was nothing new from Teague. She resisted the urge to text him again and ask what was going on. Barely. She’d find out soon enough .

That wasn’t nearly as much of a comfort as she’d have liked it to be.

She shouldn’t be remotely surprised that the O’Malleys’ home was on Beacon Hill. They might not be able to have a legitimate claim as Boston’s elite, but they certainly reeked of new money parading as old money. Still…

She stepped out of the SUV, unable to stop herself from feeling intimidated.

The front door towered over her, seemingly ready to gobble her up the moment she missed a step, the tree-lined street giving every brownstone an aura of hushed secrecy.

She tried to dismiss the feeling as pure fancy, but she couldn’t quite shake it. She looked at Micah.

He frowned. “Don’t even think about it. We’re going in with you.”

It might be cowardly to feel the level of gratitude flowing through her at his words, but she had no idea what she was walking into.

She didn’t think she’d be in danger from anyone in the O’Malley family, but she couldn’t be sure.

And, because she couldn’t be sure, she allowed Micah and the other man to fall in behind her as she climbed the steps to the massive door and raised her hand to knock.

It opened before she made contact. Considering the sheer size of the house and how it brought to mind old money, she half expected to see a butler. But it was Keira who stood there, her hazel eyes bloodshot and her face red and swollen from crying. “Callie.”

That was all the warning she got before the girl threw herself into Callie’s arms. She looked over her head at Micah, who shrugged. Apparently he was done helping. She smoothed down Keira’s dark hair, trying to breathe around the stranglehold she had on her ribs. “I’m here. What’s going on?”

“It’s so horrible.” Her body shook. “It’s Devlin. He’s…”

She didn’t need to finish the sentence for Callie to understand. She knew this grief, recognized it on an intimate level. Shock nearly sent her to her knees. No. Oh no, no, no . She hugged the girl tight. “I’m so terribly sorry.”

Keira only cried harder, her entire body a giant clench as she lifted her head.

It only took one look in her eyes to realize this was surface reaction.

There was a part of the girl who hadn’t caught up with the news yet and, when it truly hit, the results would be devastating.

And it could happen at any time. Callie gently guided her into the house. “Where is everyone?”

“The living room.” She sniffed.

“Can you show me?”

“Yeah.” Keira straightened her shoulders, and Callie could actually see her drawing her walls around her. It was slightly terrifying to watch. The girl had lost the shine of innocence that she’d had only last night. Now there was a hardened, brittle feel to her that made Callie’s heart ache.

In this world, everyone had to grow up sometime, but she hated that this happened to any of them—especially to the starry-eyed girl who’d danced and laughed and had the time of her life just twelve short hours ago.

She followed Keira through the house, taking in the dark woods and deep green on the walls.

This place practically screamed overwhelming power, and the feeling of being swallowed whole came back with a vengeance.

This was the place Teague had grown up in?

She couldn’t begin to imagine children playing in these halls, or getting into the kinds of trouble that only young kids seemed to find. It was all so… uptight.

Her home was a similar size, but aside from Papa’s office and the single room they kept spotless to receive important guests, it felt more lived in.

Comfortable. It was the kind of place where a person could prop their feet up and relax.

Exactly the opposite of this place. She glanced down at the floor, half-sure she’d tracked dirt all over the spotless wood floors.