Page 18 of Sweet Vengeance (Sins of the Father #2)

Cillian

“So the guy your boys hurt…he’s connected to me, and you know we can’t let that shit slide, right?” I say to the guy sitting on the floor of an empty warehouse outside Ashford. He’s close with the crew going around stealing cars and thinking they’ll set up some kind of business in our state.

“I’m sure they didn’t know. They wouldn’t fuck with the O’Sheas!

They don’t have a death wish.” The guy crawls backward on his hands and feet—crab walking—not stopping until he hits a wall.

Conan found him for us, but from what we’ve been able to figure out, he wasn’t there the night Ollie was attacked, just the easiest to find.

He has a big mouth and likes to brag about the shit they’ve been doing.

“Why the fuck are we wasting time?” Dean walks over and kicks the guy in the stomach. He hunches over in pain, crying out as he clutches himself.

“Doesn’t feel good, does it? There’s three of us and one of you, just like that night.” I follow suit, my foot connecting with his face and making him lurch over the other direction.

Tiernan is leaning against the far wall, watching, dissecting, letting us handle this since we’re the ones with a deeper connection with Ollie.

No. I don’t have a connection to him. I just want to fuck him. There’s a difference.

“Where are they?” I ask.

“I can’t. They’ll fucking kill me.”

“And we won’t?” This time, my foot connects with his ribs, the way Dean’s did, the way they’d done to Ollie over and fucking over again.

“Please,” he begs, face covered in tears, sweat, and blood. The metallic scent fills the air, familiar and strong.

Dean stomps on the guy’s balls, and even I wince, his screams echoing through my head.

Did Ollie cry out like this when they hit him?

But then, I know he did because I fucking heard him through the phone.

Did he lie there and wonder if he was going to die, all because he was trying to do the right thing? Because he wanted to help someone?

I kick the guy again and again and again, both Dean and I letting loose on him.

It’s not until I hear a stern, “That’s enough,” from Tiernan that we both stop, my breathing coming out in heavy, sharp pants.

“He can’t help us if he can’t speak.” Tiernan walks over and kneels beside him.

“I’m bored. Tell us what we want to know, or I’ll leave and let these two play with you all night…

and you won’t like it. I can promise you that. ”

“I don’t…I don’t know for sure.” His voice slurs. “They move around. They’re the fuckups of the crew, okay? They’re not as involved as the rest of them.”

“You better give us something,” I tell him.

He starts crying again, then pulls out his phone and gives us an address. Dean takes a photo of it with his own. Tiernan stands, his black hair hanging over his forehead, perfectly styled, and not even breaking a sweat. He gives me a simple nod before walking away. I pull my gun out and take aim.

“No! You can’t! I told you what you want to—” Pop. One round releases into him, and the guy slumps over, dead.

“Call for a cleanup,” Tiernan tells me, “and let’s go home.”

“Already on it.” One down, however else many to go, until I take out anyone who even associates with the motherfuckers who hurt my kitten.

*

It’s almost ten by the time we get back to campus. I cleaned up before we arrived so Ollie won’t have any idea what I was doing tonight.

At least we have an address now. We’ll have some reconnaissance done before we make a move and eliminate the threat for good.

“I’ll be home by tomorrow night, but you know I’m bringing him with me, right, T?” I say before getting out of the vehicle.

He sighs, but the resigned sound tells me he knows there’s no changing my mind. “He’s gonna make things difficult.” He’s not like Dean was. Even before we let Dean completely in our world, there was no denying he was different, that he would belong. Ollie isn’t like that.

“I know. I take responsibility for him—no matter what happens.” Which means if Ollie fucks up, I’m dead. Tiernan won’t want it to come to that, but he might not have a choice. There are a lot of parts at play here.

“You sure he’s worth it?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Yeah, sure, and Dean wasn’t either.”

Dean just sits back, watching the two of us. He’s probably wondering what the hell is going on with me and Ollie, and the truth is, nothing. It can’t. Not beyond sex, but I’m still not going to let anything happen to him.

“It’s not the same thing.” I get out of the car and close the door.

I use my stolen key card to get into Ollie’s building.

I made a point not to message earlier because I knew Rory would have things under control.

Even if Ollie is…well, Ollie, Rory would find a way to protect him, but there’s not a part of me that doesn’t expect Ollie to be pissed when I go inside.

I left Rory with him, without talking to him all day, basically left him with a fucking babysitter as if he can’t take care of himself.

It’s not that I don’t believe in him; this is just how I’m built.

What I don’t expect is to open the door to his room and see the two of them sitting at the table with a chess board between them and Rory saying, “Give me your queen, motherfucker.”

“You can’t move like that.”

“Why not?” Rory argues.

“Because you can’t.”

Rory drops back against his seat in frustration. “This game is confusing as fuck.” He looks up and sees me. “Oh, hey, Cil. Your boy is kicking my ass. Have you ever played chess? It’s fucking weird.”

I smile, my chest strangely light after what we did tonight. I don’t obsess over it the way Tiernan does, don’t feel the same emptiness he gets after taking a life. It’s not fun for me…it just is.

“It’s not weird. He just doesn’t listen to anything I tell him,” Ollie says.

“That sounds like Rory.” I like seeing them together, like the idea of Ollie and Rory getting closer. It feels right.

“It’s a dumb game,” my best friend adds, then looks at Ollie. “No offense, Bunny.”

“None taken.” Ollie’s gaze shoots to me, then darts away, shy and unsure. What the hell did Rory say to him while I was gone?

“You ice your ribs?” I ask.

“Yes, Daddy.”

My dick twitches.

“That was fucking hot,” Rory says.

“No shit. You probably don’t want to talk to me like that, Kitten.”

“Kitten?” Rory claps his hands together.

“Aww, that’s cute. It fits, but he’s still Bunny to me.

” He stands and stretches. “Anyway. I’m gonna go get laid.

I’d ask if you want to go, but I’m sure you won’t.

Thanks for hanging out with me.” He holds his hand out to Ollie, waiting for a fist bump, but Ollie just looks at Rory like he’s grown a second head. “What?”

“Nothing.”

Rory picks up Ollie’s hand and bumps it with his own before heading my way. He gives me a wink. “See you at home tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Ror.”

A second later, Rory is gone, and Ollie and I are alone. I lock the door behind him. “I’m gonna go change.” I need to get rid of my gun.

Ollie nods, still strangely quiet with me. I grab my duffel and head to the bathroom, putting the gun away first and then stripping down to my underwear. I’ve already changed my clothes, but it feels weird to be here with Ollie after what I did tonight.

When I get out of the bathroom, Ollie is in bed already, sitting up with his back against the wall. “Did you eat?” I ask.

“Yes.”

“What about pain pills? You need one?”

“I’m fine. It’s been a week. I’m healing well and don’t need them.”

“But if—”

“I’m fine, Cillian.”

I chuckle. “You’re grumpy tonight.”

The light is on beside his bed, so I turn off the one overhead. I can’t wait to be in a bigger bed tomorrow night. Sleeping two people in a twin isn’t the most comfortable. I’m also nervous about getting Ollie to come home with me. If I can’t then we’re stuck here for longer.

I go to climb over him, but his hands on my hips stop me. Warmth immediately spreads through my groin, my cock hardening. “What are you doing, Kitten, because I gotta say, my dick is seeing this as something sexual, so if that’s not what you’re going for, I need to know now.”

“I…” he starts, then pulls his hands away. “I’m not good at this. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“You seem like you were pretty good at it to me. I just don’t want to misread the signs.

This feels out of left field.” He’s never touched me.

Sure, his eyes are always on me, looking at me up and down like he wants me just as much as I want him, but touching me like he did tonight is new.

“What did Rory say to you?” I sit on his thighs, straddling him.

It’s not a position I’m used to, but if we’re going to do this, I also need to be careful with him. He’s still healing.

“Nothing. I mean, he did reiterate that you want me, and while I’m still super confused on how that can be true, it’s just…you’re nice to me.”

My heart stops. Nice is nothing. Nice is an act. “I don’t want you to have sex with me because I’m nice to you. I want you to have sex with me because you want me…because I get your dick hard.”

“I do…want you…” He looks away. “I don’t want to, but I do. I’m just not sure how to start this.”

“You’ve hooked up before.” He told me he’s given head.

“Yeah, but that was like…guys at a party who hit on me, or people who took control more. I knew what they wanted, and I’m still trying to understand what you want and why you’re here. But tonight is your last night here, and I…”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t hook up. Plus, you’re coming home with me.”

“No I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. Do you like it when someone else takes control or not?” I cock a brow at him.

He mumbles something that sounds like more than I should.

“What?”

“Nothing. With sex stuff, yes.”