Page 7 of Iron Crown (Will of Iron #3)

Chapter four

No One Lays Hands On A Green

Kira

I held his hand like my life depended on it. Like he was the only life raft in an empty sea.

When I re-entered this house with my son in my arms, I’d been in too much shock to observe all the changes.

The infamous blood paintings hung outside his father’s office, facing the foyer. It was imposing. Downright menacing. Eoghan, in his devilish form, his enemies screaming as they fell into the fires of eternal damnation, greeted everyone who entered.

The walls, too, had changed from forest green to various shades of cream, tan and brown.

The wood furnishings were re-painted with a dark stain, tables dotted with familiar white orchids.

The borders, board and batten, and the wooden beams above were an ash black, the paint making obvious textured waves that caught the light.

This was no longer the haunted home of Alastair Green. Now it was something softer… except the painting, of course. That was still creepy.

A flurry of black uniforms with the logo of Green Fields Enterprises on their breast pocket shuffled around, their radios letting off audible static or beeping with transmissions.

Everyone here was dressed for war.

The walkie-talkies, the helmets, the body armor… the sheer, aggressive competence of Shiny and the men she ordered about with a wave of her hand did not compute with an organization that allowed five—or was it six?—men into the house without a trace.

What the hell had happened?

Shiny was halfway down the steps, one hip cocked out, her arms crossed. She turned her head, telling Eoghan, “I saw nothing on the feeds, but the cameras were cut before the first shot.”

A man trotted up beside her, his thick lips pulled in a dazzling white smile, his smooth umber skin a contrast to the paler faces around him. He wore jeans and a long-sleeve black shirt with a yellow Brazilian Jiu Jitsu logo. He casually placed an arm around Shiny’s waist, tugging her to him.

She didn’t pull away from him, their casual affection speaking volumes about their intimacy. On their fingers were two simple gold bands. She was married!

“Did you see anything, Ajax?” Eoghan asked the man.

“No. No one came through the woods, and I checked with the men at the gate. They saw nothing unusual either.”

“Fuck,” Eoghan swore under his breath. “No closer to figuring this out.”

Our men entered the foyer from the bloodied hallway in pairs, carrying a black bag between them. Each sack bore the weight and outline of a human body. They were carrying out our dead. The Italians were given no such courtesy and flung to the back of the truck like the garbage they were.

“That’s your kitchen staff.” Shiny casually nodded her head to the corpses that were piled on the porch just beyond the double doors. “I’ll get with O’Malley so we can take care of their families. What do we do with the Italians?”

“Dump them on Durante’s driveway.” Eoghan’s hand tightened just a fraction before he took in a sharp breath, and slowly let it out.

He tugged me into him, his arm wrapped around my waist. His fingers pulled me in so tight, I winced.

“How the bloody hell did they get in?” Eoghan’s eyes followed the bags. “Who did we lose?”

Shiny pursed her lips, her eyes drifting to a figure sitting on a loveseat, a blanket around her shivering shoulders. Both Ajax and Shiny took in a deep breath, letting it out at the same time, the sigh heavy with implication.

I’d recognize the red-haired weeper anywhere… bitch.

I’d never forgive her for having hearts in her eyes for my husband.

“That’s… what I was going to talk about,” Shiny said quietly, taking a step up the stairs, lowering her voice so only we could hear her. “They came through the kitchen. The other maids, and the cook, were killed, except…”

Shiny’s eyes darted to the sniveling wretch.

“Malinda.” I finished for her. “What’s her excuse for being alive?”

It better be a good one.

“She says she hid in the pantry, and they didn’t see her,” Shiny said it flatly, but even I could tell that she was less than convinced.

What did Shiny think of her? If I knew anything about these mafia families, it is that they held bloodlines sacred. She would have grown up with Malinda. They all would have. Like a cult.

“Do you believe her?” I asked, trying to keep my voice neutral, even though I was envisioning several ways to snap her skinny neck.

The last thing I wanted was to show my husband that I was jealous. Judging by the way Eoghan squeezed my hand, I wasn’t successful.

“How’d she get to work today?” Eoghan asked, ignoring the possessive anger boiling beneath my skin.

“She drives her van in,” Shiny explained, her eyes on me, obviously understanding what I was saying. There are supplies in the back, and they’re supposed to check every time, but I guess–”

“I know what happened,” Eoghan interrupted.

He didn’t say anything else. He didn’t explain. He simply let go of my hand and walked towards Malinda like… like he was going to talk to her. To comfort her.

“Those men were sent to kill me and my son, weren’t they?” I snapped at Eoghan. “They wanted to go upstairs and shoot my son—”

“ Our son,” Eoghan corrected as he turned to me, his eyes fiery with agitation. “He is our boy. Yours and mine, Love.”

Fucking semantics.

“They didn’t want to kill you.” Eoghan had stepped off the stairs and turned to look up at me. For once, I could look down on him while I spoke. “If they had wanted you dead, you would be. They wouldn’t have just held you at gunpoint. We’ve been here less than a day and…”

He turned back to me, one brow raised, his deep black eyes now amused. “What is it you want to say to me, Love? Say it outright.”

Heat flushed my cheeks. My body shivered with barely contained rage like the lid of a pot that was about to boil over. “I’m saying handle this. Quickly.”

Kill the bitch.

I had never considered myself a bloodthirsty woman. A small— very small—part of me worried that it was all the power at my fingertips going to my head. I was ready to breathe fire and burn the world if it meant that I could keep my son safe.

“Do not doubt me now, sweet Muse,” he commanded, before he closed the gap between us, stopping one step below me so we were eye to eye.

He put his lips on mine. The kiss was deep, hungry. It was meant to mark me in front of his world—the soldiers, the servants. To everyone in Green Fields Enterprises. As I moaned into his mouth. His teeth grazed my lower lip as he sucked the air from me, making it his own.

He broke the kiss as violently as he started it, pulling my head away from him by the hair, then letting me go so quickly, I almost stumbled. He stood straight, controlled, and every bit the man in charge of the Irish Underground.

He had made his point.

“This is… super cute and shit… but what do you want us to do now?” Shiny said, her eyes averted, as her husband put his lips to her hair, hiding a small chuckle.

“You know the consequences for betrayal.” Eoghan took my hand, brushing his lips against my knuckles. “But I need confirmation.”

He dropped my hand, and marched down the stairs to Malinda.

What were the consequences of betrayal? Banishment? Imprisonment? Interrogation…?

I went to follow Eoghan, only for Shiny to put out her hand to stop me.

“Nuh-uh, hon.” She shook her head. “You don’t want to be anywhere near this, I promise.”

“Why?” I narrowed my eyes, the burn of jealousy overwhelming my heart as he stepped closer and closer to the woman who I was sure was at the heart of this.

When Eoghan took a knee in front of her, my eyes went red with rage.

“Nope.” Shiny popped the p. “Stay and watch.”

She looked at her husband, Ajax, casually leaning on the banister, his muscular body almost ripping through his black shirt.

“Do we have popcorn?” Ajax snorted, giving Shiny a sly wink.

Eoghan gently placed his hands on Malinda’s knee.

“It’s weird seeing him act like this,” Ajax said quietly.

“You’ve never seen him question someone before?” Shiny said, her brows lowered in disbelief. “He could beat the answers out of her, but he’s going the soft route. It’s more disturbing innit?”

Ajax chuckled as his eyes lazily drifted to me.

“No, I meant, act like that, ” Ajax said, making a very obvious nod to indicate to me, and the recent public display of affection. “I’ve been hearing about you for as long as I’ve known that mad Irish. He went from rabid dog to puppy cuddles in the blink of an eye.”

“He is pretty moody. He always has been. He was insufferable through puberty.” Shiny said with a snide laugh. “I hope he chills out now that he can get laid.”

“I am standing right here,” I said, shaking my head in disbelief.

“We know,” the two of them said in unison.

Assholes . I was going to say something back, but then the drama before us began to unfold, and I was enthralled.

“Are you okay?” Eoghan’s voice was low, soothing, as he stared gently at Malinda.

I didn’t catch the rest of what he said.

I was so focused on his fucking hand on her god damn knee!

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to burn his hand on a stove, or to tattoo my name on it so that everyone knew it belonged to me .

Maybe I should amputate Malinda’s thigh, so I could burn the parts of her he touched.

Then I remembered that he’d slept with her, and I wanted to incinerate her whole. Cremate the bitch alive.

I could kill her right now, and they’d be able to clean up her blood with the rest of what had spilled along the floor.

“I’m sorry Eoghan. I didn’t know what to do. I just hid!” Malinda looked at the body bags, and the men who carried them. “I didn’t know how to help. I heard them scream… I heard the shots…”

She had let her colleagues die. Did she feel any guilt about that? Probably not.