“He killed a member of the family.” Teagan’s usually stoic face goes pale for a moment, and her lips press together. “Neil was our cousin. No matter what else has happened, we don’t kill one of our own.”
I feel the color drain from my own face as I recall Sean’s words at our wedding reception.
“I’d say next time he’ll know better than to drink anything I’ve mixed for him, but it’s kinda late for that.”
“Deklan?” I whisper as I touch his arm. “I need to tell you something.”
“What is it?”
I bite down on my lip. I don’t want to cry in front of all of these people, but tears threaten to fall anyway. I should have told Deklan about this a long time ago, and I have no idea how he will react when he hears what I have to say.
“Something Sean said to me.” I swallow hard, trying to figure out the right words to say. “Right after we were married, Sean came up to me. He said he never had any intention of marrying me, and that his father was just trying to control him.”
I pause and glance around the room at all the faces staring back at me. Deklan grips my hand for a moment.
“He…he told me that he made a drink for his father right before he died.”
“Kera, what are you trying to say?” Deklan tilts his head toward me. “Sean made drinks all the time.”
“It was the way he said it.” I’m not making my point, but I don’t want to just come out and say it. Even as the words form in my head, I realize it’s all speculation. “I…I think he meant he poisoned him.”
“Oh, fuck.” Teagan sucks in a breath, and Deklan turns toward her. “He was asking about poisons just a month before then. He specifically asked about ones that could be mixed into drinks without detection.”
The room goes silent as everyone looks around for everyone else’s reactions. Teagan squares her shoulders, and her expression goes blank as she focuses on my husband. Deklan abruptly shoves himself out of the chair and heads straight for the warehouse door. He slams it behind him as he leaves.
“Should I go after him?” Brian asks.
“No, Kera should.” Teagan looks at me. “We can’t delay this any longer.”
I stand on wobbly legs and follow Deklan’s path out the door and into the aisle between the storage containers. Deklan is leaning against one of them, vomiting on the ground.
“Dek?” I approach slowly and place my hand on his shoulder.
“He…he killed Fergus. Oh, God! How could he…?” He doubles over with his eyes squeezed shut but doesn’t throw up again. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“I swear, Deklan—I didn’t really put it all together. I suspected, but it seems like so long ago, and so much has happened since then. I’m sorry. I should have told you.”
Deklan stands up straight and leans his back against the side of the storage container. He stares up at the sky and blinks a few times before wiping his mouth on his sleeve and looking back to me.
“No more,” Deklan says. “No more secrets. We tell each other everything. Everything!”
I nod, and Deklan’s brow furrows as he speaks.
“Your father is dead,” he tells me. “I killed him myself while you were working earlier today. I’m going to take care of your mother though. She didn’t know anything about your kidnapping. She’ll retain ownership of two of the legitimate businesses, and that should be enough to keep her going. You don’t have to worry about her.”
I take in this information and try to run it through my head, waiting for myself to react, but I only feel numb. I should feel something. I want to feel something, but I don’t.
“What did you do with him?”
“Do you really want that level of detail? I’ll tell you if you really want to know.”
I shake my head as various options run through my head. He’s right—I don’t want to know the specifics. Knowing he is dead is enough for me.
“I’m glad my mom will be okay,” I finally say.
“Grange is still alive. Once we figure out what happens next, we’ll decide what to do with him.”
I nod, and we walk together back into the warehouse to sit back down with the group. Teagan and Brian both watch Deklan carefully as he settles himself down, takes a few breaths, and then starts talking.
“Sean has to go.”
Teagan closes her eyes and nods.
“He killed Fergus,” Deklan says. “He betrayed Neil, set him up, and then killed him for it. He broke into my apartment and took video of my wife sleeping. The Foley family has been everything to me, and it still is, but that doesn’t change the facts. Sean is unstable, and he’s now a threat to the business and all of us.”
“You know I’m behind ya, Dek,” Brian says. “Whatever needs to be done, I’m with ya.”
“What are you saying, boss?” Mac asks. “I mean, what are you really saying here?”
“This has to end,” Teagan says as she looks at Mac. “We are out of options. Sean dies. The only remaining question is how to do it.”
“Hold on a sec,” Lucas says as he closes his briefcase and stands. “I can’t hear any more of this. I still need some aspect of plausible deniability.”
“Bullshit,” Deklan says as he glares at the attorney. “Attorney-client privilege, and as of right now, you work for Teagan. You aren’t going anywhere.”
Lucas licks his lips as he glances between Deklan and Teagan. Mac comes up behind him, and Lucas sits back down slowly.
“He killed my father,” Teagan says quietly. “Would any of you have me forgive him for that? In my mind, he’s already dead. The rest is a formality.”
“Are we in agreement then?” Dek asks the group.
No one makes eye contact, but everyone nods.
“Who’s gonna do it?” Brian asks.
All eyes turn to Deklan.
“It can’t be you, Deklan,” Teagan says. “Some of the older families still hold on to that code. If you kill your boss, they’ll never let you take over.”
“Who says I’m taking over?”
“Do you think I’m going to do it?” Teagan raises an eyebrow. “I’m just a bookkeeper. I don’t want to run shit. Never have. Besides, this is about the most chauvinistic profession around. I would never be taken seriously. It has to be you.”
“You’re the only Foley left, Teagan. It’s your family.” Deklan shakes his head.
“And you will always follow a Foley,” Teagan replies. “I don’t care what Sean said—you’re family. You’ve been around since I was a kid, and you were more of a brother to me than he ever was. If you want, we can go get your name changed.”
Deklan stares at her for a long moment.
“Is this really what you want?” he asks. “I’m not asking for it. You do understand that.”
Teagan nods.
“Our family is in trouble, Dek.” Teagan reaches over and places her hand on his. “I need you to step up and take over the business when Sean is gone.”
“Yeah, you’re already the boss as far as I’m concerned,” Brian says. “You know Mac agrees.”
“Do I need to do it?” Mac asks. “I’ll do it if you ask me to, Dek.”
“If one of us takes him out, there will be no end to it,” Brian says.
“It can’t be either of you,” Teagan says. “It can’t look like treason, or the other families will rebel. We have to find someone else.”
“No,” Deklan says. He leans forward and presses his fingers into his eye sockets. “I won’t chance this on an outsider.”
“I have an idea,” Teagan says. “You might not like—”
“I’ll take care of it,” Deklan says quietly. He doesn’t take his hand away from his eyes.
“Not you, Dek,” Teagan says. “You can’t—”
“I said, I’ll take care of it!” Deklan drops his hand and stares at her hard. “You want to put me in charge? Fine, but you’ll live by my decisions.”
Teagan takes a half step back and then smiles
.
“Whatever you say, boss.”
Deklan rolls his eyes and pushes himself away from the table.
“I’m going to need to think about this for a while. Let’s meet back here in the morning.”
Lucas, who hasn’t said a word throughout any of this, starts to stand.
“Where are you going?” Deklan asks.
“I was going to go back to my office,” Lucas says.
“Not on your own.” Deklan looks over to Mac. “I want you with him until this is over.”
“Sure, boss.”
“Whatever for?” Lucas asks.
“It’s for your own protection,” Deklan says.
“Protection from whom?” Lucas narrows his eyes. “Do you think Sean will be after me next? I can assure you that he would not do that.”
“No,” Deklan says, “it’s protection from me, because if I find out you talked to Sean and told him what we were planning, I’d have to make sure you suffer. Mac will make sure that doesn’t happen. Now you sit tight until I’ve had a word with him.
Deklan takes Mac aside as Lucas sits back down. I can see the tension in his jaw as he stares straight at the briefcase on the table.
As Deklan has his conversation with Mac, I glance over at Teagan and Brian. They have also moved off to the side and are speaking quietly to one another. Brian nods slowly as he listens closely to Teagan’s words. Curious, I get up from my chair and move toward them.
“Take this,” Teagan says as she slips a piece of paper to Brian. “Call him. Get it all arranged. We’re going to need the backup, and I don’t care what he charges.”
“You got it.”
I narrow my eyes at her as I step closer. Teagan gives Brian a little push on the shoulder and tells him to get going. As he heads toward the door, he glances back at me over his shoulder with an indiscernible expression.
“What was that all about?” I ask.
Teagan pauses for a moment before answering.
“It’s always good to have a Plan B.”
Chapter 37
I’m pressed up against the kitchen counter. We’ve been in the apartment about nine seconds, but Deklan’s hands and lips are all over me.
“I need you.” His words warm my ear, but his pleading tone and frantic hands set me on edge. “Please, Kera.”
“Yes,” I whisper.
He yanks my shirt up over my head and then kisses from my neck to my shoulder as he pulls at the button on my jeans. I place my hands on his shoulders for support as he yanks my jeans down my legs.
He’s been like this before—a sudden, overwhelming need to be inside of me consumes him, and all I can do is give myself to him completely.
Leaving my clothing on the floor in the kitchen, Deklan hauls me into the bedroom and throws me on the mattress as he nearly tears his shirt and pants off. He’s on top of me a moment later and inside of me a moment after that. I gasp and tighten my fingers on his arms as he enters—I’m not quite ready to take him in. He leans his forehead against my shoulder and stills himself. His light kisses against my skin apologize for the roughness of his strokes.
His breaths are labored and accompanied by rhythmic grunts that match my own. I’m bouncing wildly on the bed, and I can’t steady myself enough to get my legs around him to hold on better. I give up, lay back, and just let him fuck me.
He needs it. I need it. It’s the only way to stop thinking about everything else that’s happening.
I try to relax, but he’s going so deep, it almost hurts. It’s a good hurt—a deep and overwhelming feeling of being wanted, needed, desired. I feel my stomach quiver, and it sends a shockwave through my legs. I press my thighs against his hips as the cascade of sensation hits me, and I cry out.
He slows for a moment, adjusts his hand on my hip, and begins to pull me to him with each thrust. With a loud cry, he buries himself and fills me.
Deklan’s hands and arms tremble, and he collapses on top of me. I take the weight and wrap my arms around him, holding his head to my shoulder. After a moment, he rolls off, and I gasp again as his cock slips from me. I’m going to be sore tomorrow.
He lies on his back with one arm under his head, staring at the ceiling. His breathing has returned to normal, but his jaw is still tight.
“Are you all right?” I ask softly. I lay my head against his shoulder and look at his face, but he doesn’t turn toward me.
“No,” Deklan says, “not really.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” Deklan slides his arm under my shoulders and pulls me closer. His chest rises as he takes in a deep breath. “Teag is right—I’ve been blind to Sean’s behavior. I didn’t want to see it and acknowledge it for what it is. I kept thinking he was just…just…I don’t know. Getting his bearings, I guess. Learning to run the family business. I feel like an idiot, and I put you in danger. I’m not sure I can forgive myself for that.”
“I don’t blame you.” I snuggle against his chest and wrap my arm around his waist. “I should have told you what he said to me before now.”
“Fergus was fine the day before he went into the hospital,” Deklan says. “Even when he said he was going to see the doctor, he told me he thought the clams he’d had the night before must have been off and that he’d be fine. The next thing I knew, he was gone. I should have seen it. He had always been in peak health. I should have realized something wasn’t right.”
“How old was he?”
“Sixty-four. Too young.”
We lie together quietly as the room darkens with the setting sun. I can tell Deklan isn’t sleeping, but he doesn’t seem to want to talk, and I’m all right with that. I don’t know what to say.
After an hour of just lying there, Deklan pulls his arm out from under me and gets out of bed. I watch him walk out the bedroom door, assuming he’s going to pee, but he bypasses the bathroom and disappears down the hallway. After a few minutes, I follow.
Deklan’s standing on the small balcony of the apartment, leaning against the rail and staring at the street below. The sliding door is still open, so I walk up quietly, slip my arms around his waist, and rest the side of my head against his back.
“I wish I had some weed.” Deklan chuckles through his nose.
“You smoke weed?”
“Not for a while, but I have.” He glances at me briefly before looking back down at the street. “Usually being with you is enough, but right now, I could use something else to relax me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” He turns and wraps his arms around me. “I’m grateful you put up with me when I’m like that. I don’t mean to take my frustration out on you, but you take it anyway even when I’m a little too rough.”
“I don’t mind.” I smile up at him. “I kinda like it, really.”
“Do you now?” Deklan raises an eyebrow.
“Yes.” I can feel myself blushing. I look away and off to the buildings in the distance.
“I owe you a nice, long bath,” he says. “I’ll even throw in bubbles.”
“I’d like that, too.”
“It will be all about you,” he says as he places his hand on my cheek and turns my head to face him. “Warm water, massage, and at least three orgasms.”
“You’ll have to warm up the water a few times if you are going to keep me in there that long.” I giggle.
“Done.” He kisses me softly and strokes his finger across my cheek. “I really don’t know if I could cope with all of this if you weren’t here.”
“It probably wouldn’t be happening if it weren’t for me.”
“Not true.” Deklan shakes his head. “I’m finally seeing that. You are the excuse, but not the reason. Sean’s crazy, and he would have made this happen with or without you. He would have found a reason to kill his father and take over the business early even if you were never part of the equation. I don’t know if he’s hungry for the power, the money, or if he’s just plain nuts, but do
n’t ever blame yourself.”
I nod and try to believe his words. It’s difficult not to feel responsible, but I also agree with him. Sean is crazy. He will always find a reason to justify whatever he does.
“Are you really going to take over the Foley business?” I ask.
“It’s what Teagan wants,” Deklan says with a shrug. “I never had any plans to do this, but if this is what she wants, I’ll do it. If she ever changes her mind, I’ll give it back. I want to do what Fergus would have wanted, and I think he’d want it to go to her.”
“It sounds like he thought of you as a son as well.”
“I don’t know. Teagan might think of me as a brother, but I only worked for her father.”
“You were important to him.”
“I got the job done.”
“From what Teagan said, it seems like it was more than that.”
Deklan licks his lips and stares up at the sky. It’s a clear night, and though there is a lot of light pollution, a few stars can be seen, and the moon is full and bright. Deklan focuses on the moon for a moment before he speaks.
“I barely remember my own father,” he says quietly. “The only picture I have is the one used in the article about the break-in and murders. Sometimes, when I can’t remember my dad’s face, I have to look at that article.”
“Can I see it?”
Deklan looks at me for a long moment before nodding. We go back inside, and Deklan pulls a small box from the top of the bedroom closet. Inside the box is the faded newsprint article about the Kearney family deaths.
I swallow hard as I look at the picture under the headline. It must have been taken for a Christmas card—everyone is dressed up. Four-year-old Deklan is in a tiny suit and bowtie, and he smiles up at the camera like the world is full of puppies and rainbows.
“Don’t cry,” Deklan says softly.
“I can’t help it.” I wipe the tears from my eyes and sniff as I hand the article back to him. “You look so happy.”
“I remember being happy.” Dek places the article back in the box and the box back on the shelf in the closet. “All those memories are pretty vague now though. I think the next time I felt happy was when Fergus asked me to work for him.”