Page 6
DECLAN
F inn leans over Conan, who’s nestled between us, his eyes questioning mine.
Yes, being bundled into the back of a truck by two Italian guys when our jet arrived was not how we pictured this going.
But we have to prove our worth to Enzo.
A pothole causes the truck to lurch, and I instinctively tense up as a protective reflex, Conan’s head hitting the roof.
“Jesus fuck,” Conan hisses.
I whack his arm.
The driver grunts and carries on, the vehicle slowing down on the gravel.
I keep facing forward, even when my door opens to reveal the blinding sunlight and its warmth on my skin.
I turn to a new face, one with slicked-back black hair shining with an oily sheen. Probably mid-thirties.
He extends a strong hand, his grip firm as I accept the handshake.
“Declan. I’m Romeo. Second in command to Enzo,” he says, his rich Italian accent coming through.
“Nice to meet you, Romeo.”
“Please.” He gestures for me to get out of the truck.
Stepping out into the scorching sun, I brush down my dark suit jacket, already damp with sweat.
As Conan shuffles out, Romeo holds up his hand, his head shaking slowly, a silent command to stop.
“No. Just you.” He looks at me sternly.
Conan’s face begins to redden.
“It’s fine, Con,” I say calmly.
He visibly relaxes and I turn to Romeo.
“Just me today?”
He nods, the metallic click of the truck door lock echoing in the stillness as he shoves the keys into his pocket.
“Trust is earned. Three of you and one of me?” He shakes his head with a laugh. “I don’t think so. I’ve seen what you Irish are capable of.”
I frown. But I understand.
Enzo and his men are smart.
“And leverage. If I fuck up, you have my brothers. You know I won’t do anything out of line to harm them.”
He taps a finger against his temple, a slow grin spreading across his face.
“Ah. You get it. Now follow me.” He turns and takes his gun from the holster.
“You’re not armed, but you’ve got a blade, correct?” he says over his shoulder.
How the hell?
“Yeah. That’s right.”
He stops in the gravel and turns to me, his face serious.
“You know a knife makes you armed? Correct?”
I nod.
“And Enzo specifically instructed you to come unarmed.”
Straightening my spine, the extra inches giving me a commanding view over him.
“So why did you defy his order?” He continues.
“Trust. Romeo. You don’t walk into a war zone unarmed when you don’t know who you’re up against. I don’t step foot outside of my house without a blade on me. That never changes.”
I shove my hand in my pocket, my expression remaining neutral.
“Being unarmed is reckless.”
A slow smirk, revealing a flash of white teeth, spreads across his lips. He’s amused, maybe impressed.
“What’s to say you don’t slice that across my throat?” He tilts his head.
“Because you know we need Enzo more than he needs us. And you have my brothers locked in a scorching truck.”
Everything today is a test.
“Let’s go,” he tells me and stalks off.
Following him to the metal unit at the end of the track, I watch as he shoves the door open with a loud screech of metal and fires an echoing bullet into the ceiling.
“Miguel. Get the fuck out here now!” he bellows.
A man in his fifties storms out of the back office, the weight of the world dragging down his shoulders. Sweat drips from his thick, dark brows, and he wipes it away with a trembling hand, like the truth he doesn’t want to say is already burning his skin.
“Declan, go check the back, make sure no one else is inside. Count the crates.”
“Got it.”
I head further through the warehouse. Stacks and stacks of crates, up to the ceiling. Retrieving my knife, I check behind each one and count, the temptation of opening one of the wooden boxes eating away at me.
By the time I get that done and head back to Romeo, a cacophony of shouting in Spanish hits me. As I round the corner, I stop when I find Miguel on his knees with his hands behind his head and Romeo pressing his gun against his forehead.
I approach slowly.
“Thirty-nine,” I tell him.
Romeo’s eyes darken as he glares at Miguel.
“We save you. We pay you well. We give your daughters a new life in Italy. And this is how you repay us? By fucking stealing?” Romeo shouts in his face.
Miguel squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head, his body trembling.
“I-I didn’t. I promise. That is all the deliveries.”
Romeo nods, taking a step back. An evil chuckle escapes him as he runs his fingers through his hair.
“You think I’m fucking stupid?”
He shoves his hand out and grabs Miguel by the neck, slamming him into the wall.
“I had my men watch over that delivery. We saw exactly who you handed it over to. We tracked it down and retrieved it. Fifty thousand? You really risked your life for a measly fifty thousand? On a crate worth a hundred? You are the stupid asshole.”
With a grunt, he releases his grip, sending the man sprawling to the ground, and then brings his foot down on his throat.
With my arms crossed tightly over my chest, Romeo thrust the gun toward me, his wild brown eyes filled with manic energy.
“Show me,” he demands, his voice sharp and cutting through the silence.
“What?” I step forward.
“I’d like to see what you would do, as a boss to a traitor.”
A slow, sly smile curves my lips as I carefully retrieve the heavy pistol, its weight familiar in my hand. Romeo slowly takes his foot off the man’s neck, and he gasps, clutching at his throat.
I stand over him, his eyes wide with terror, his lips trembling as he whimpers.
“Please, sir.” His voice trembles.
He looks at me for pity, and I laugh.
As he tries to sit up, I pull the trigger. The bullet rips through his shoulder. He collapses onto his back, his hand clamping down on the wound as scarlet blooms between his fingers, staining the ground. His wails fill the room like music to my ears.
Stepping over him, I position myself with one foot on each side of his waist, taking careful aim between his eyes.
“I’m sorry. Tell Enzo, I’m sorry. I will do better,” he whimpers.
I don’t even bother looking at Romeo.
“There are no second chances, Miguel.”
His eyes go wide as I shoot a bullet right into the center of his forehead.
The blood, thick and dark, flows across the floor as I step over him, the gun feeling slick and cold in my hand as I hand it back to Romeo.
He purses his lips and nods in approval.
“Quick. To the point. No flinching. No second chances. I like that.”
I shrug.
“Once you lose trust, there is no going back.”
He clasps a firm hand onto my bicep.
“You’ll work well with Enzo.” He slides out a phone from his inside pocket and hands it over to me.
“He will contact you later with a time and location for your meet. You arrive unarmed, on your own, and on time. He doesn’t do slacking. Understand?”
“Yes.”
Sliding the phone in my pocket, I follow him back out to the truck. He opens up the door and I see the relief in Conan’s face when he sees me.
Or maybe it’s the fresh air, now that he can breathe.
“My driver will take you to the resort. Declan, you have the penthouse suite, your brothers are close by. Sit tight until you hear more.”
I extend my hand to him. He accepts.
“I appreciate it, Romeo.”
He steps back and nods to my brothers.
“Look forward to working with the Quinn brothers in the future.”
With that, I hop in the truck and he slams the door closed behind me.
Finn leans forward with a grin. “All good?”
“As good as it can be for us, brother.”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6 (Reading here)
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112