Page 14 of Intense (Beneath The Blaze #3)

FINN

“ D rink?” Declan asks before I even take a seat.

“Large one.”

As I drop down onto the couch, his wife, Charlotte, appears with a sleeping Noah in her arms and little Isabella trailing behind.

“Uncle Finn!”

“Come here. I need a hug.” I open my arms and she barrels toward me, launching into my lap like she’s been waiting all day.

“How was jail? Did you have to pick up any soap?” Charlotte smirks.

I knew I wouldn’t live this down with her.

“You’re a wicked woman, Charlotte.”

“Heartbreaker, are you picking on my brother again?” Declan steps in with two whiskeys, kissing her cheek as he hands me one.

“Always,” she purrs.

They’re sickeningly sweet. Both of my brothers are married, trying to be softer versions of themselves. They’ve found peace in places I can’t even look too long without flinching. They’re just like Mom and Dad used to be.

And me? I’m still the jagged piece that doesn’t fit the family frame. Watching love from the outside, pretending like I don’t want it, like it wouldn’t burn straight through me if I ever tried to hold it.

But then Isabella curls her arms around my neck and presses her head into my shoulder. Her weight anchors me. Calms the rage always simmering beneath my skin.

She’s, so far, the only person alive who can do that.

“Please don’t leave us, Uncle Finn,” she whispers.

I pull her tighter and kiss the top of her head.

“Like I could ever leave my niece and nephews. I love you too much.”

“Come on, Isabella. Drago’s waiting for you!” Charlotte calls.

“Tell Drago I’ll be stopping by his later.”

Charlotte flashes a knowing smile. Drago’s her best friend. Her savior, really. And I know she’s happy we’re accepting him in the family. He’s proven to be useful. Loyal. And the only one in the room right now who can handle my kind of chaos.

When they leave, Declan slouches into the chair across from me. I take a sip of Dad’s whiskey and let it scorch its way down my throat.

“I need filling in, Finn. I know you like your secrets, but we’ve gotta be on the same page now.”

I nod. He’s not wrong. He’s the eldest. The boss. But even bosses get tired of blood on their hands.

“What do you want to know?” I ask.

“Why were you arrested?”

I shrug.

“Until I speak to Drago, I can’t confirm. My gut says this is retaliation for killing one of The Preacher’s men in Ohio.”

Declan’s jaw tightens. “The Preacher?”

Exactly my point. He doesn’t know. Not yet.

“Yes, brother. The Preacher. One of the contestants in Conan’s games—Abigail— warned me.

But I had no choice. Enzo gave the name.

You know the rules. So I took Reggie and Rowan, made it look like suicide.

But who ever got me arrested? They wanted me to know I’m not untouchable.

That they can find me anywhere. Even at work. ”

Declan spins the rings on his fingers, processing.

“And you don’t think it’s Arthur?”

I shake my head.

“Arthur’s neck-deep in war with the Kings. We’ve already wiped out all of Bowen’s men here. This… this is different. We’ve got more than one enemy now.”

Declan swallows hard.

I rest my foot on my knee, letting the weight of my body lean into the conversation.

“What do we know about this Preacher?” he asks.

“Look, Declan. I love you. But right now? I don’t have the full picture. I just need permission to act on behalf of the family.”

I stare him down. Waiting.

His jaw ticks, eyes meeting mine. There’s still steel in him. He hasn’t gone soft, not entirely.

“I trust you, Finn. Just keep me in the loop, okay? And if you need me, I’ll be there.”

I scratch at the stubble on my jaw.

“Your kids need their dad, like we needed ours.”

He narrows his eyes.

“That isn’t how this works. I’m not stepping down. I’ll fight to protect this family—which includes you. So yeah, you’ve got my permission to deal with Arthur and The Preacher. But you’re not getting yourself killed. We do this together.”

I tap my thigh, absorbing it.

“Okay. Then first, I’m going after a man in Pennsylvania with links to The Preacher.

I want him tortured. If he talks, great.

If not, he dies. But I need to see what Drago found from the hospital.

The patient I’m accused of killing? Died from surgery complications.

Still, the CCTV was wiped. I need to know who has the skill to do that. ”

Declan nods.

“Keep pressure on Theo King. As soon as he gives us the green light to go to London, I’ll head there with the twins. Settle that score once and for all. Then we focus on this cult.”

I pause.

“If we kill Arthur… Conan has to come with me. After what they did to him and Hallie, he deserves it,” I tell him.

He nods in agreement. We all hate the Bowens, but Conan needs this to heal. And that’s all that matters to me, that my brothers are safe.

Declan sighs. “This is gonna get messy, isn’t it?”

“When has our life not been?”

We were born into this. Raised in fire. Survived off of grief.

Declan nearly lost everything. Conan nearly died. I saw what no child should ever see—and did what no child should ever have to do.

Still, the memory haunts me. The girl, whose name I can’t even say. Her throat slit. The blood. The scream caught in my lungs as I bled for her. As I killed for her. As I became the monster that’s still hiding under my skin.

I shake my head, trying to shove it back down.

“Well, maybe we should try for a future that isn’t messy,” Declan says, his voice softer. “Wouldn’t it be nice to live in peace?”

“Peace sounds boring.”

I knock back the rest of my drink, just as the door swings open and Conan storms in looking like hell but happier than I’ve ever seen him.

“Finn!” There’s panic in his voice, under the grin.

“Worried about me?” I grin.

“Damn right. I’m usually the one getting picked up by the cops, not you.”

“Ha-ha.” I roll my eyes. “How’s Liam? And Hallie?”

“They’re both doing amazing. Just napping. So I thought I’d check on my favorite brothers.”

“Only brothers,” Declan laughs.

Conan looks between us, suspicious.

“You two better not be plotting without me.”

I arch a brow.

“Shouldn’t you be playing happy families?”

“Finn,” Declan warns.

“Easy,” Conan growls.

Hallie softened him, yeah. But under it all, he’s still fire. Still the fuse. The killing machine that we need.

“I was just filling him in. Now sit.”

He does, grabbing the whiskey.

“Well? Now it’s my turn,” Conan says.

“Declan can catch you up. I’ve got lives to save. But when we’re ready to go after Arthur, I assume you’ll be joining me?”

Conan’s eyes flash.

“Fucking too right. That cunt won’t be identifiable once I’m done with him.”

I nod, standing.

“Good to see fatherhood hasn’t dulled your edge.”

He punches me in the arm and I clench my jaw.

“You know, some of our guys think you’re a psychopath, Finn,” Conan says.

“They’re probably not wrong.” I flash him a smile that doesn’t quite reach my eyes.

“Oh—and go take a nap. Drink some electrolytes. You look like shit,” I order him.

It’s habit now, worrying about him. I’ve never really stopped. Even now, I still see his blood on my hands every time I scrub in.

That moment of helplessness will never leave me. I couldn’t save him.

No amount of training can ever get you ready for that moment you have to use it on your own family.

“How’s work? With the doctor that saved me?” Conan asks.

I groan.

“Still as painful as ever. I lost points on the leaderboard for her saving your ass.”

“Leaderboard?” Declan asks.

“Yeah. We’ve got this weekly tally. Points for complex surgeries, comebacks, whatever. Keeps her riled up. Motivated.”

What I don’t say is that the leaderboard is our version of foreplay.

Because watching her fury when I win? It's the only thing that makes me feel alive during the week.

And when she gains on me, those rare, rare moments she does? It’s chaos. Beautiful, addictive chaos. She glares like she wants to slit my throat, and I can't help the smirk that always comes after.

Every point I take from her, I get just a little deeper under her skin.

Every loss stings for her and for me.

Because I’m not just addicted to beating her.

I’m addicted to the game she doesn’t even realize we’re playing.

“Ooo, does Finn have a crush on a co-worker?” Conan teases.

I smack him in the back of the head. Hard.

“Shut the fuck up. No.”

Declan and Conan exchange that look—the one that makes me want to flip the table.

“Oh, fuck this. I’m out.” I flip them off as I head to the door, their laughter following me like a curse.

“Tell her I said thank you!” Conan shouts.

God, I knew I’d regret asking her to save his life.

Because now she owns that win. She has power over me, and I handed it right to her.

“Oh, I’m heading to Vegas tomorrow,” I throw back over my shoulder.

“Vegas? What for?” Conan asks.

“To win some awards,” I say bluntly. Then I’m gone.