Page 107

CONAN

T his is my first day without Hallie.

Life is pretty much back to normal.

I’m still in pain, but it’s nowhere near what it was. It’s livable.

I’ll be back in the cage in no time. But not yet.

Hallie would spank me so hard I’d pass out.

First, we just have to get rid of this thorn in my side, the one currently hiding out in London.

As we approach the slaughterhouse, Reggie plants his hand on my shoulder, and I stop.

“It’s good to have you back, Con.”

“Yeah. I’m back. But you’ll be seeing a lot less of me.”

“What? Why?” Rowan pipes up beside him.

Reggie rolls his eyes at him.

“Me and Hallie are buying a place outside Decadence. And…we’re having a baby.”

That even earns me an eyebrow raise from Reggie.

“Of course you don’t use protection,” he says flatly.

“Not with Hallie. No.”

“When’s the wedding?” Rowan asks.

That’s the thing that’s been chewing at the edges of my brain every damn day.

I want to be her husband.

I’m just waiting for the right moment to ask.

Or maybe I need my balls checked again.

“Soon. Hopefully.”

My phone pings.

Dec: You’re good. Come in.

I unlock the door to the slaughterhouse.

The twins follow close behind me.

Pushing the plastic flaps aside, I head for the back room, a smile stretching across my lips.

Chains hang from the ceiling, and dangling by their feet are Arthur Bowen’s men.

Every last one of them.

Except Ben.

His body was burnt in his club, but we made sure Arthur got a glossy photo of my knife work.

Wouldn’t want him to miss the craftsmanship.

Declan and Finn stand in the center of the room, their faces unreadable as they speak in low voices to Theo King.

And King of London he will be, if we have anything to say about it.

“Theo, meet Conan. Our youngest brother,” Declan says.

I stride forward and hold out my hand. He shakes it firmly.

“You boys did a good job with this,” Theo says, his thick British accent smooth enough to mask the menace underneath.

It gives me chills.

I remind myself he isn’t Arthur.

He’s the key to Arthur’s final downfall.

“Our pleasure,” I say, grinning.

“Now, when can I take out their leader?” I ask, rubbing my hands together.

Theo smirks, brushing a hand through his black hair.

Everything about him is too perfect—the clean shave, the polished loafers, the tailored black suit.

The only giveaway is the tattoos on his neck and the scars across his knuckles.

“Patience isn’t Conan’s strong suit. But this time I agree with him,” Finn adds, voice low. “We need to act with haste to eliminate Arthur.”

I glance at Finn, surprised.

He never backs me up on this shit.

I nod once in gratitude.

Theo tilts his head, studying us.

“We have one final card to play back in London. Once that’s in place, I’d be more than happy for you to come and finish the job.”

“How soon?” I press.

Declan shoots me a look.

I know what he’s thinking.

You’ve got a baby on the way. Slow the fuck down.

“Within the year,” Theo says calmly. “Declan and Finn have filled me in on the details. I understand. But if I negotiate this carelessly with the King elders, we risk everything. I’m going for a full London takeover. That starts with eliminating Arthur’s father, Charles.”

I blow out a slow breath. He makes sense.

“That’ll cause war,” I say.

Theo’s grin is all teeth. The kind that makes a man’s blood run cold.

“I know. And that’s where you come in.”

“You think the elders will go for your plan?” Declan asks.

“You give me the shipping routes and distribution lines here, then yes. It proves we can work with the Quinns instead of the Bowens.”

Of course there’s a deal. There’s always a fucking deal.

“We’ve got the ports. We run the distribution across the States. We can offer you that,” Declan says. “In return, we want a cut of the profit—and an alliance. One that ends the Bowens’ reign.”

Theo nods slowly.

“Those terms are agreeable to me. I’ll call a meeting as soon as I’m home. My brothers are already on side. My sister will be too. I can be very persuasive.”

Interesting.

Their sister gets a vote.

“We work old school, though,” Theo adds. “There may be further terms to an alliance. Ones I’ll try to avoid. But it may come down to that.”

Finn pulls a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and offers them around. I pass.

The only drug I need is Hallie.

And the occasional painkiller.

“Old school. I like it,” I say. “What kind of terms? A marriage?”

Theo’s face stays perfectly blank.

My grin falters.

Oh.

I turn to the twins, smirking.

“Looks like one of you is up next.”

Reggie sighs in disgust.

“I best head back,” Theo says, straightening his cuffs. “I’ve got an important date. But it was good to finally meet the famous Quinn brothers. I look forward to our future endeavors. I’ll be in touch once everything is set in stone.”

We trade goodbyes, and Declan escorts him out.

I turn to Reggie and Rowan.

“You two doing anything for the rest of the day?”

There’s a dull thud behind me.

I spin around to find Rowan using a hanging body as a punching bag.

“Go to my gym if you need to work out,” I snap.

He shrugs.

“It just looked fun. Okay. I’m done now.”

“I need your help, and I need you to concentrate,” I say pointedly, looking at Rowan.

Hallie has a full shift today.

I want to surprise her after work.

“It involves some DIY.”

Finn rubs a hand over his face.

“And some blackmail,” I add.

Finn’s eyes flicker with something that looks suspiciously like joy.

“I’ll take that one,” he says, voice low.

“I know.”