Page 32 of The Apprentice

I frowned. “If you have, then why are they still here?”

Ronan glanced around the narrow hallway we were in before he touched my upper arm, leading me closer to the wall. “Men like that enjoy feeling powerful,” he said, voice lowered. “But when you get them in front of the boss or his pet, they are nothing but cowards. Mr. Killough and Conall are aware of the issue. I keep them updated. They allow these men to say what they want, to an extent, but it’s my job to make sure they don’t get out of hand.”

“You’re essentially a spy,” I murmured, in awe of the simple strategy. Our men were never guaranteed to be one-hundred-percent loyal, even if they came from families that were, sohaving a mole among the soldiers who kept an eye on them made a lot of sense.

“Yes, sir.”

“That’s smart.”

Ronan quirked a half smile. “It was Conall’s idea for me to show my respect to our bosses, while also listening to what the men have to say or what they may plan.”

I should’ve hated that it was Conall who came up with making Ronan a spy hidden within our own men, but I couldn’t. Instead, I nodded. “Thank you for explaining.”

Ronan startled but inclined his head.

I ignored his surprise at my gratitude. Being considered a joke had lasting effects I didn’t enjoy. They’d been right to assume I’d only been fucked by Daire, and that made the hole in my chest even wider. It made me seem like a fool. I didn’t have the experience most guys did. By the time Sloan was my age, he was already the boss and making a name for himself in the organized crime world. Then, there was me.

The Little Bitch.

“You’re welcome, sir.” Ronan inclined his head. “Now, if you’ll excuse me?—”

“You have the rest of the night off, don’t you?” I asked abruptly. I gave Ronan a slow once-over, taking in his wide shoulders and high cheekbones, with a sharp jaw and nice eyes. Ronan was beyond handsome, but appreciating someone who worked for us wasn’t a good idea.

“I do, sir.”

“Call me Fionn. At least... while we’re alone.” I didn’t have many friends. Outside of Sloan and Daire and Conall, no one really called me by my first name. I was sir to everyone else. How pathetic was that? “Would you like to come out with me tonight?”

Ronan blinked at me and opened his mouth.

“I want to go to a club, and I know my uncle wouldn’t want me to go unguarded.I trust you....” A huge thing for me to admit, though I wasn’t sure if Ronan knew that. “And you don’t have to babysit me. You can do what you want, but at least I could say I took someone with me to appease him.”

Ronan exhaled and a small smile stretched across his mouth. “I’d like that, Fionn.”

Warmth spread through me.

“You’ve got clothes, right?” I asked, ashamed that I wasn’t sure. I thought all the personal bodyguards had rooms of their own in the mansion.

Ronan laughed, and the genuine, deep sound made me grin. I couldn’t remember making someone laugh like that before. “Yes, sir. Fionn, I do. Should I meet you at the front with a car?”

“Yeah, sounds good. I don’t drive.” An embarrassed flush flooded my cheeks.

“I’m aware.”

“In an hour?”

“In an hour,” Ronan agreed.

I let out a breath. I was actually going clubbing. With someone. With a...friend? Was he a friend?Oh, fuck. I didn’t know how to dance.

More than a few hours later, we arrived at Club Bellissimo. While someone in my position might have informed the manager of the club and taken the VIP way in, I decided to experience the nightlife like everyone else. Ronan didn’t seem to mind, and as we waited in line, Ronan talked about his life in high school with Conall. It was strange to hear that Conall wasan outcast who’d preferred to spend time by himself than with other people.

“It doesn’t really make sense until you know about his home life, you know?” Ronan said as we got closer to the front of the long line. He was dressed in a nice pair of jeans and a crisp white T-shirt. The jacket he wore on top was brown leather. “I guess when you get treated like a punching bag by your father, you don’t want any human contact.”

I frowned. I’d suspected there’d been some abuse there, but I’d never asked Sloan about it, and I’d certainly never talked to my uncle’s pet.

“His father beat him?” I didn’t know why I cared. I fucking hated Conall, didn’t I? He made Sloan happy, and that was something, I supposed. Maybe I didn’t hate him completely.

Ronan winced. “I thought you knew.”