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CONAN

D rago turns his laptop to face us with a stern look.

“I’ve pinpointed some potential members of the Bowens who may be in this state. Hacking Ben’s phone turned out to be a goldmine of information.”

I nod.

“I don’t really give a fuck about them. I want Arthur,” I grit out.

Drago chews his lip.

“I don’t believe Arthur has entered the U.S. at all.”

Finn clears his throat.

“I called my sources in London. I have eyes on the cunt. He’s still there,” Finn confirms.

I turn to Declan.

“So are we going to London?”

He shakes his head.

“We don’t have clearance from the King brothers yet,” Finn tells me.

My mouth drops open.

“Finn. Are the Kings your sources? They talk to you?”

Holy shit.

The King brothers—and their sister—are the most feared mafia in the United Kingdom. We always had a distant truce with them. A mutual enemy, the Bowens.

“Yes. I used you murdering James to my advantage to get a footing with them. Theo King is prepared to assist us, but only when the time is right. And if he can get it passed through the Elders.”

Declan smirks, and I can tell he’s impressed with Finn. Our crazy mastermind.

“And the time is right once we eliminate any footing the Bowens have here,” Declan tells us.

I tap my rings against the table. All I can think about is the disappointment on Hallie’s face.

The hatred.

I want Arthur dead. Now. This whole long process of having to prove ourselves to get to him pisses me off.

My time and effort needs to be on getting my girl back.

“Conan? Any thoughts?” Declan presses.

I snap my head to his.

“No. Not really. Not my priority right now. I gotta get to Hallie.”

Finn kicks me under the table. I don’t even flinch.

“Conan,” Declan warns.

“What?”

“The Bowens’ men are here with one purpose—to kill you.”

I nod.

“Yep. I know. I can take care of myself.”

“And you don’t care if they come after our empire? You know they’re greedy cunts, always wanting what they can’t have,” Finn adds.

I shrug. “We all know we won’t let them take anything.”

Declan tuts.

“This isn’t you. You’re normally the first one itching for a fight. You don’t want revenge against Arthur?”

I stare into Declan’s blue eyes, keeping my expression cool.

“I killed his baby brother. What did we expect?”

This is all my fault. Me killing James in the cage five years ago started a war in Ireland we didn’t need. A war that lost us our father. And has followed me for years since. I just need to speak to Hallie. I need her to hear me out. I need to apologize on my damn knees and beg for forgiveness.

“Cool. Okay. Great, Conan. But see, there is a slight issue with this shitty attitude you’ve got,” Finn tells me.

“Yeah? What’s that?”

He’s trying to press my buttons to get a reaction out of me.

“Hallie. They probably know about her. Ben entered her here, remember? They fucking know. Therefore, she’s now at risk. Now, I’d say you might want to kick yourself up the ass and fucking help us remove them before they become a threat to her.”

I swallow past the lump in my throat.

“I. Um. Fuck.”

I slam my fist into the wood, and my drink spills.

“Maybe she does need to stay the fuck away from me,” I mutter, shaking my head.

“It might be a good idea to get her out of the state for a while,” Finn replies coolly.

Ouch.

That hurts. Fine. They want me to become a monster. I can do that. I guess that is who I am really.

“Just tell me what you need me to do. I’m angry enough to burn them to the ground.”

Finn rubs his hands together.

“Nice suggestion. A good starting place. Let’s burn their club down first and leave Ben there with the message.”

That burning rages through me.

“Yeah. I like that plan. Let’s burn these motherfuckers.”

Declan smirks.

“That’s the spirit, brother. Hallie will come ‘round.”

I’m not so sure. But I’m not giving up.

No fucking way.

“She won’t even take the flowers inside,” I mutter under my breath.

“What?” Finn asks.

“Nothing.”

“I’ll send you locations for the rest of the men I believe to be involved,” Drago tells us.

I snap my eyes to him. He’s someone we want with us.

An absolute tank of a unit with violence flooding his veins, all hidden behind a professional exterior.

“You not coming with us, Drago?” I ask with a smirk.

He glances to Declan.

“Up to you, boss.”

Declan shrugs.

“Why the hell not. Just don’t get injured. Charlotte and Isabella will kill me.”

Drago laughs, and we all fall quiet.

It’s taken weeks for Drago to be back to full health after the torture Vlad—Charlotte’s ex-husband—inflicted on him.

I saw his battered body, and I honestly thought he was dead. But of course, Dr. Quinn got him back.

And made him our weapon.

“I’m good, Declan. I can fight.”

I rub my hands together. I’ve been itching for him to join us out on jobs.

“I have somewhere I need to go first. I’ll meet you guys back here in a couple of hours.”

All eyes are on me.

They know exactly where I’m going. And they all say nothing.