Deklan

Sean stands and then crouches in front of Neil much like he had in front of me just minutes ago. He reaches forward and puts his hand on Neil’s knee before speaking.

“Neil, I don’t care much for spies. I certainly don’t care much for spies I know nothing about. Now, this Grange guy is tied up in the warehouse, and I need to know just how far you’ll take this shit.”

“What do you mean?” Neil presses his back against the couch cushion.

“I mean, Deklan is going to drive you over there, and you’re going to put a bullet in your fuck buddy’s head.”

“Fuck you!” Neil yells. “He’s a valuable informant, and we’re not just going to off him!”

Sean smiles, and my skin goes cold.

“Are you saying, dear cousin,” Sean says slowly, making each word count, “that you are refusing my request to kill your lover?”

“Yeah,” Neil says as he folds his arms across his chest. “I’m not doing it, and you’re not having that fuckhead over there do it, either. I’m getting a little tired of you making the decisions all the time. Uncle Fergus always asked for everyone’s input, and you’ve been going off half-cocked since he died. This is a family decision and not just yours.”

Neil settles back with a smug expression as Sean nods with that disturbing smile still on his face. He stands, walks over to Deklan, and puts his hand on his shoulder.

“Dek?”

“Yeah, boss.”

“I need you to perform your job.”

Lucas looks up from his papers, quickly closes his briefcase, and exits the room without a word. Teagan stands up a little straighter, tight-lipped and eyeing her brother, and Brian shifts nervously beside me on the couch. I sit completely still and try not to make eye contact with anyone, completely regretting my insistence on coming along.

I’m about to see my husband kill someone. I’ve known it, but I’ve never witnessed it. I’ve never even allowed myself to imagine it.

I’m not prepared for this.

“Boss?” Deklan looks at Sean through narrowed eyes.

“There is a completely and totally useless member of my team. There’s no software for hiring and firing. In fact, there’s only one way to get out of this business, and my cousin over there is getting out of it right now.”

“Sean, be reasonable for once,” Neil says with a sneer. “You aren’t going to kill me. I’m a member of this family, and I haven’t done anything wrong. You rely on the information I gather for you, and Charlie is a part of my network.”

“Charlie is your whore,” Sean replies. “Apparently, you tell your whore as much as he tells you.”

“I only tell him what he needs to know to do his job.” Neil glances at me out of the corner of his eye.

“You refused an order,” Sean says. “I’m pretty sure that’s a court martial offense in the military. I’m pretty sure the sentence is execution. In fact, I’m positive it is.”

“This isn’t the fucking army.” Neil is doing a good job of keeping his voice firm, but his hands are starting to shake.

“Sean, what the hell are you talking about?” Teagan takes a step forward. “Neil’s right—he’s family. Dad apparently knew what was going on, and it’s not like you ended up marrying her anyway, so what difference does it make? We need to move on.”

“We are moving on,” Sean says. “Neil just isn’t moving on with us.”

“Boss, are you sure about this?” Deklan asks.

Sean replies by stomping over to Deklan and punching him in the face. I gasp and quickly cover my mouth, but Dek takes the blow without a word.

“Are you going to fucking kill him or not?”

Deklan stands completely still for a moment before slowly nodding.

“Kera,” he says, “go into the back office.”

My knees shake as I start to stand.