Shackled Hearts (Chained Hearts Duet 4)

“I dare you to threaten her again,” I say to Joey.

He chuckles and shakes his head. “I didn’t threaten her, I threatened you. There’s a big difference.”

“Is there, though?” I question.

“Keir is pissed. You’ve made him angry.”

“This isn’t news to me.”

“He needs you. You’ve been doing great ever since you left her all those years ago. Now, you couldn’t care less,” he states, leaning against my bar.

“I’m working. You know this. We all know this.”

“You aren’t, though. And you’ve made a mess. A big fucking mess. You killed a doctor whose father is a retired police officer. Keir can’t just sweep this shit under the rug. And now they’re looking at us.”

“He deserved to die.” I smile at him, and the look is sardonic.

“Now Keir wants to make you pay.”

“If he touches a hair on her head, I won’t be stopped. You don’t want me loose, Joey. I’ll kill you all.”

Joey shakes his head, his hand scrubs at the back of his neck. “You need to stop threatening your family, Lucas.”

“It wasn’t a threat.” I smile.

Sergio walks in and around to where I’m seated.

“That sounded like a threat, Lucas,” Joey continues.

“It wasn’t, Joey. Do you want to know why?”

“Because you don’t make threats, right?”

I wave him off. “Oh, hell, yeah, I do. All the time. But that wasn’t a threat. That was just me being polite to family and letting them know that if a hair on Chanel’s head is harmed, I’ll kill you all. Because I can.”

“You know you don’t want to go war with Keir, Lucas.”

“I never started a war, Joey, but I sure as shit will end one.”

Joey looks over my shoulder to Sergio. “If you have any pull with your boss, I suggest helping him see straight.”

Sergio places his hand in front of my eyes and waves it back and forth. I give him an annoyed glare, then he turns back to Joey. “No help needed, Joey. He can see perfectly fine.”

“Death wish, all of you,” he grumbles while shaking his head and walking out.

Sergio moves to the seat that Joey just vacated. He sits, and I feel his stare on me.

“Just say it.”

“You really want to go war with them?” he asks. “I’ll have your back, no matter what, you know that. But Keir is the don for a reason, and he’s not known to give second chances, yet he gave you one.”

“He didn’t give me one. He just knew I was better kept alive, purely for his purposes. Don’t mistake that for him having a weakness,” I tell Sergio.

The doors swing open, and in walks Keir with Joey right behind him along with Piper and a few other of his goons. Keir stalks straight to me, and I see Sergio tense, his hand going to his gun.

Keir sees it as well, and in a flash, his gun is out and pointed at Sergio as his eyes stay trained on me. “You are going to listen,” he tells me. He snaps the fingers of his other hand, and Joey places a phone on the table in front of me. “Marcus,” Keir says.

“Yes, boss.”