Page 84 of The Apprentice

I tilted my chin up to meet him head-on. “Yes, Uncle.”

“Aodhan. Should he die?”

I shifted with unease. Aodhan was Daire’s brother. He would never want him dead, but what did that matter to Sloan? To the Company? He certainly would never run to the police. “No, Uncle. I think he could be useful.”

Sloan made a sound in the back of his throat. “He directly questioned my authority and touched what belonged to me. Did you know that?”

I licked my lips nervously. “Yes, Uncle.”

“What use do I have for a man like that?”

My fingers twitched at my sides. Sloan’s gaze was hard on me, demanding responses. I curled my hands into fists, then uncurled them again. I wanted to give him answers —I had a duty to him and the Company—but I also needed to protect Aodhan for my Daddy. He’d always been alone in fixingAodhan’s mistakes, and now he had me to help. “He kills, right? And he’s good at it. We could always send him out on dangerous assignments.”

“He defied my orders.” Sloan raised his dark eyebrows. “How do we trust him?”

I took a deep breath. “Send someone with him. Someone who can keep him in line.”

Sloan’s mouth curled into a smirk. “Hmm. Good.” He patted me on the shoulder, and a shot of pride joined the terror of giving the wrong answer. “Go wait for me outside my office. I’ll be there shortly.” He flicked a look at the men. “Get rid of the body and clean up. Call Caden.”

I held in a snort of amusement. Caden was a Kings of Men MC biker who worked under Jamie Shannon’s boyfriend, Hunter. A small new chapter was set up in New York, and they had begun to work closely with us. Caden ran acleaningservice that dealt specifically in bodily fluids and corpses.

Sloan slapped me on the back, and I took it as a gesture to go upstairs like he’d ordered. I tilted my head in respect and made my way toward Sloan’s office, where I found Daire and Aodhan waiting.

Aodhan was leaning against the wall, unimpressed by the expensive andvery realPaul Cézanne painting that cost well over two hundred and fifty million beside him. Daire stood straight with his arms crossed. They were in a quiet conversation, and I was surprised to see a small smile on Daire’s face. Maybe for once Aodhan wasn’t causing trouble.

“Hey, Kitty,” Aodhan greeted with a wide grin.

Daire shot me a surprised glance and his face melted into a warmth that made my chest squeeze. I didn’t care who was watching as I strode directly into his waiting arms. I kissed Daire’s jaw, and he gripped my hand. I tilted my head back so hecould slant his mouth over mine in a drawn-out kiss that had my toes curling in my freshly polished shoes.

“Hi,” I murmured against his warm mouth.

“Hey, boy. How did it go?” Daire brushed his nose against mine, and I sighed in pleasure.

“I think I did good?”

He hummed. “I didn’t expect any less. Good boy.”

I shuddered under his praise. “Sloan looked happy when I answered one of his questions. I can’t remember the last time that happened.”

Before Daire could respond, Sloan’s familiar footsteps echoed through the hall. I turned to see him striding down the hallway still wearing his blood-splattered shirt. I’d expected him to get changed, but I supposed he appeared more dangerous to Aodhan if he looked like this. He had washed his hands, though, which left his skin clean.

He paused when he reached us and gestured for Aodhan to follow him with his finger.

When Daire and I went to do the same, Sloan shook his head.

“No. Only Aodhan. We need to have a discussion.” He pointed at us. “You two stay here.”

I hesitated, but Daire placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed it in reassurance.

Aodhan winked at me. “It’s okay, Kitten, I can handle the big bad wolf. Maybe he’ll blow me—I mean blow the house down.”

Sloan rolled his eyes and strode into his office with Aodhan cackling behind him.

The moment the doorclickedshut, I groaned. “Sloan’s going to kill him, isn’t he?”

“No,” Daire said with a certainty that surprised me. I glanced at him, and he gave me a gentle kiss. “If he was going to kill him, he would’ve done it already. What did he say to you downstairs?”

I took a deep breath. “That as the boss we have to choose who lives and who dies based on their usefulness.”