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CHAPTER SIXTEEN

FINN

“B ut who?” Roman asked, rubbing his chin. I had tucked Una into bed and set up a private video call. Niall joined us.

“Someone who wants to take over. These rogue gangs aren’t that rogue. And it wasn’t Brian in the photo, but I think you were right. He’s part of this.”

“You’ve put out the word?” Niall asked.

I knew what he was asking. Brian Murphy now had a price on his head. “Yes.”

“No more leniency?”

“None.”

“I’ll get some inquiries out there,” Roman offered. “Discreetly, of course. Luca will reach out too.”

“I need him alive to find out who is behind this and why. I’ve spent years building bridges, peace.” I scrubbed my face in anger. “Why?”

“Some people don’t want peace. They thrive on conflict. They believe in taking what they want and will do whatever they need to in order to get that. Can you think of anyone you’ve been at odds with?”

“Lopez?” Niall questioned.

I snorted. “Hardly at odds. I paid him his money, so he didn’t continue to make his ridiculous interest. Hardly a reason to go after me.”

Roman looked thoughtful. “He’s an unknown. Worth checking into. You said yourself he was a cold bastard. Maybe he takes things to the extreme.” He rubbed his chin. “Let me handle that part. I have an incredible hacker. The dark web is his specialty.”

“Fine.”

With a nod, he signed off.

“I’ll be there tomorrow,” Niall informed me. “Mum is home, and all is good. I think she wants me gone. She says I’m hovering too much.”

“Sounds like her.”

“This is serious, Finn. You need me. You look like hell.”

“My territory being torched is keeping me busy.”

“Well, now you know to concentrate everything in the one neighborhood. Maybe we’ll catch them and can work our way up the chain.”

“I hope so.”

I signed off, called one of my captains, and rearranged the schedule. “Keep it on the down-low, but we’re sticking to the Waverly area.”

“Got it.”

“They see anything, they move. Anything. Better safe than sorry. And be on the lookout for Murphy.”

I hung up and went to check on Una. She was curled into the bed, huddled under the covers, asleep but not peaceful. I felt exhaustion bearing down on me, and I decided to lie down. My phone would wake me when I was needed.

And I had no doubt I would be needed soon.

* * *

I woke to the feel of Una on my chest, her hair tickling my nose. I glanced at my watch, shocked that five hours had passed. I grabbed my phone, scrolling. I had messages, but no calls. No emergencies.

The sleep had rejuvenated me. I brushed the hair from Una’s face, pleased to see she seemed to be deeply asleep. I wondered if the fact that we were together and close helped us both find the rest we needed.

I slipped from the bed, heading to my desk. I ordered coffee and food, suddenly starving. I made some calls, checked in with my men, pleased all seemed quiet, but I worried about what would happen when night fell on the city.

A short while later, I heard Una get up, and she appeared by my desk, her hair a mess of curls, looking incredibly sexy in a T-shirt of mine that hung down her thighs and off her shoulders. I smiled at her sleepy expression. “Hello, mo chroí .”

She ran a hand through her hair, smiling ruefully. “Hi. Did you sleep?”

I reached for her, wrapping my arm around her thighs and pulling her close. “Very well. You?”

She nodded, covering a yawn. “Yes.”

“I sleep better beside you,” I acknowledged.

“The same for me,” she said with a shy smile.

“I ordered some sandwiches and coffee. Do you want me to get you some tea?”

“No, I’m good right now.”

“Let me know if you change your mind.”

“I will.”

We gazed at each other, the air around us beginning to warm. I traced the soft skin of her thighs, smiling as she shivered. “I’m glad you’re here,” I murmured.

She bent, pressing a kiss to my mouth. “I love you.”

I smiled against her lips. “The same for me.” I pressed back to her lips, groaning as she opened for me, and our tongues slid together. I pushed my chair back, pulling her to my lap so she straddled me. I held her tight, kissing her harder. Deeper. Letting her feel how much I loved her. How glad I was that she was there with me. She whimpered, tugging on my hair, gripping my neck, slowly undulating as my cock grew stiff between us.

“Finn,” she whispered, a plea in her voice.

“Una,” I groaned. “You need to eat.”

“I need you more.”

One moment, I was sitting in the chair, her astride me. The next, she had shimmied from my lap and was between my legs, tugging on my pants. I lifted my hips even as I shook my head.

“You don’t?—”

“Hush,” she replied. “You said I needed to eat.”

Then she wrapped her lips around my cock and drew me in.

I let my head fall back. The heat and wetness of her mouth surrounded me. She sucked and teased. Licked up and down my shaft, cupping my balls as she hummed. Teased the crown then took all of me in, swallowing as I hit the back of her throat.

Then she started again. I was lost in a vortex of sensations. The warmth of her mouth, the cool of the air when she would pull back. The glide of her tongue on the underside of me. How she suckled the crown in the sweetest way possible. The way she lapped at me, sucked me in. The vibrations as she hummed, singing a love song deep in her throat as she took me to heaven. The gentle tugging of her fingers on my balls, the grip of them when she cupped me.

I wound my hands into her hair, loving the feeling of the silk as it fell through my fingers. I gripped a fistful of her tresses, praising her, cursing, begging. Wanting more, needing more of everything she was doing to me. Begging her for relief, yet never wanting the experience to end.

Until it became too much. “Una,” I gasped, tightening my hands. “You need?—”

She swallowed around me, taking me so deep I climaxed, my back arching, her name falling like a symphony from my lips as I thrust into her mouth, riding a wave I never wanted to reach shore.

Then I collapsed. Gasping, out of breath, shocked by her actions, but delighted at the same time.

I stared down at her, then bent, pulling her back to my lap. I kissed her, tasting the sharpness of my release in her mouth. Her stiff nipples rubbed on my chest, and I dropped my hand between us, feeling her slick folds.

“You liked that, Una?” I groaned. “Sucking me off at the table? Are you aching, needing your own release?”

“Yes,” she panted. “Touch me, Finn. I’m already close.”

I plunged two fingers inside her, her gasp loud. I pressed on her clit with my thumb, and she began to ride my hand, our mouths fused together, her whimpers and moans swallowed by me. I went faster, strumming her clit as she cried out, her body primed and ready. When I added a third finger, she let her head fall back and cried out, her muscles locking down. I kissed the arch of her neck, licking my way to her collarbone and sucking her breasts through the material of the shirt. She rode my fingers to completion, whimpering when the sensation became too much. I pulled her into my arms, her head tucked under my chin, her ear pressed to my pounding heart. I could feel her pulse racing under my touch, and I stroked her hair.

For a moment, we basked in the stillness, our bodies sated, minds at peace, and souls entwined.

Then she lifted her head, smiling.

“Tea now.”

I kissed her.

“Okay.”

* * *

The night was quiet. Not a fire, a robbery, or a sighting of the gang that had suddenly appeared. I slept fitfully, checking my phone, certain I was missing alerts. I spoke to my men, and, like me, they were surprised by the quiet. I was sure it was a temporary lull and advised them to be vigilant.

In the morning, I showered, planning on leaving a sleeping Una in my bed. She woke as I dressed, sitting up and looking startled.

“I need to get ready!”

I shook my head, meeting her gaze. “You aren’t working today,” I stated firmly. “Your shift has been covered.”

“What am I supposed to do, then?”

“Read. Sleep. Relax. I’ll be in the office or here at my desk once I’ve done some rounds.”

“Can I come with you?”

I frowned. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“You’ll keep me safe.”

I pulled on my suit jacket as I thought it over. “You promise not to leave my side and do exactly what I say?”

“Yes.”

“Fine. You can come. I’ll go do some work until you’re ready.”

“Oh.” She looked down. “My clothes are in my locker.”

“I’ll get them sent up.”

She toyed with the blanket. “Everyone will know I was sleeping up here.”

I bent and kissed her. “I don’t care. You’re mine. I don’t give a shit who knows and what they have to say about it. Unless they’re disrespectful, then they’ll feel my foot in their fucking arse.”

“Well, okay, Mr. O’Reilly. No need to get all sweary about it.”

I began to laugh. “Go shower. You have an hour.”

“I only need thirty minutes.”

* * *

UNA

It took me forty, but Finn didn’t seem to mind. He had toast and tea waiting for me, and I ate as he spoke to his men and updated Roman.

“He is being very helpful,” I commented.

He sipped his coffee. “This was his brother’s city. His as well. They still care. They want the neighborhood back and thriving.” He stood. “Ready?”

“Yes.”

He held out his hand. “Beside me, Una. I tell you to duck, you duck. I tell you to stay in the car, that’s where you stay. You won’t be alone a moment—if I have to leave your side, a man will be with you. And you listen to him since he is there to keep you safe. You got me?”

I squeezed his fingers. “Got it.”

His gaze softened. “Okay, then. Let’s go.”

* * *

We arrived, Rory pulling over and cutting the engine. “You want me to wait here, Mr. O’Reilly?”

Finn glanced around. “Yes.”

He looked my way, intense and focused. “Remember what I said.”

I nodded, taken aback by his sudden demeanor change. He tapped on the window, and the guard with us opened the door. Finn stepped out, his shoulders back, head held high. He scanned the area before offering me his hand. I stepped out, and he gripped my fingers with his. “Walk close. Tom will be behind you. John is in front. They will protect you.”

“Who will protect you?” I asked.

He flashed me a quick smile. “I can protect myself, but they can handle both of us.”

I was fascinated watching Finn as we went around to the shops and spoke with people. I knew him as my Finn. The loving, passionate man under the fierce exterior. I saw him daily as the owner of the hotel—charming and handsome, confident. I had seen glimpses of the syndicate boss, but he was front and center today. Calm, in control, intimidating. He spoke intelligently, choosing to listen intently, rushing no one who approached him. He nodded as people told him of their worries. Assured them quietly of taking their concerns seriously. Stressing the added security and the desire to end this sudden situation and restore calm to the area.

The older couples, especially the women, made me smile. They offered him sweets, drinks. Fussed over him. He accepted their flutterings with a patient expression, never refusing anything they offered. It would, I realized, hurt their feelings, and he had no desire to do that. I hung back as he spoke with his men, had a long, low discussion with a fire marshal who was on-site checking into one of the buildings that had been on fire. Finn looked furious, shaking his head, his fists tight. He was determined to end this, and he was frustrated it was even happening.

What I saw opened my eyes a little. I recalled my dad talking about rounds with Finn. The people. Brian only ever talked about the darker side, almost reveling in it. Dad liked what Finn and his generation brought to the table. Coexisting with other families, looking out for their people, and not fighting over territory. Not everyone saw it that way, but so many did, and today, I was observing it firsthand.

And most of all, I saw the mutual respect. He treated people as if they mattered—from the old man still rolling dough in a bakery he’d owned for years, to the younger woman running a small convenience store, trying to raise her kids. There was no one ethnic group in this area. Portuguese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Italian, and other shops all existed here, their worlds mixing and creating a beautiful harmony. One that Finn wanted to restore.

As Finn spoke with the fire marshal again, I sat on a bench across from the bakery, eating a sweet bun a woman had insisted I take earlier. It was buttery and soft, the filling a rich cream. A group of four young men strolled past me, a pair of bright-red sneakers catching my eye as they headed across the street and into the bakery, loud and boisterous. A moment later, another group walked in behind them, this one with three. In a short time, they filed out, and for some reason, I counted them. Six. The one with the bright-red sneakers wasn’t with them. They went past me again, talking, eating buns, and a few moments later, I noticed someone walk out from the alley down the street. He was empty-handed and headed in the opposite direction. It could have been a different person, but the red on his feet caught my eye again. I wasn’t sure why I noticed it, but I did.

I turned and watched the young men enter the convenience store. A few moments later, they came out, a couple of them carrying bags. I counted again, noting a missing body. I waited, but he never appeared. I realized he could work there or maybe he was taking longer than the others, yet somehow it struck me odd again. I took another bite of my bun, wondering why I had noticed anything.

Tom noticed my gaze. “Everything okay, Ms. Murphy?” He looked around. “Something bothering you?”

I sighed. “No. Just watching the locals.”

Finn shook the fire marshal’s hand and came over, sitting beside me. He leaned over, touching the side of my mouth and drawing his hand back. A little cream sat on the end of his finger, and with a wink, he licked it off. “Delicious.”

I rolled my eyes, offering him the bag. “Have your own.”

“Won’t taste as good,” he teased.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been to this part of the city,” I mused.

He sat back with a sigh. “When I lived here, it was pretty bad. Mostly immigrants like me, lots of violence and no structure. Fighting over the neighborhood. The Italians wanted it to be theirs. The Koreans wanted to claim it. Same with the other groups. My cousin was one of the first to suggest they work together and make it everyone’s. There was already a Little Italy, a Portuguese part of town. Chinatown. Why not have a melting pot? Make it safer. Let the businesses flourish.”

He huffed a laugh. “There was a lot of pushback, but others agreed. And so, it started. The neighborhood got cleaned up. Crime went down. The streets were safer. Businesses did well.” He waved toward downtown. “You can see where our territory ends. Housing prices go down. More transients. Less employment and stores. More graffiti.”

“I love the murals here.”

“We hire local kids to paint them. Most street artists won’t destroy others’ works. We keep them busy changing things, and it keeps the locals happy.” He sighed. “Usually.”

I turned to him, meeting his eyes. “Finn,” I murmured. “I know you think people are losing confidence, but they’re not. I saw how they reacted to you. The way you treat them. You’re still their hero. They know this is upsetting you as well. They know you’re working on it.” I leaned closer. “And you’re my hero. Forever.”

He smiled and touched my cheek. “Thank you, mo chroí . I needed to hear that. You always know what to say.”

He stood and held out his hand. “Time to go.”

I let him pull me from the bench, and we headed to the car. A flash of red caught my eye, and I saw a man hurrying away, his back turned. It made me think of the groups I’d seen earlier. I was about to say something to Finn when his phone sent him an alert.

“Niall just landed. I need to get back to the hotel. Roman is going to meet us there.”

“Okay.”