AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Siobhan and I screwed around when we were teens, but Da never liked her. He said she was weak and undependable.
He left me to make my decision and, of course, I was in such a banging bliss I ignored the warning and continued to get my rocks off. I didn’t realize what a liar and cheat she was until I was buried in headache and heartache.
Since then, she put her lying to use and became an informant for the Quinn Clan. Which is a nice way to say the bitch is nothing but a snitch. I’m not sure if she thinks she’s earning forgiveness or putting the screws to me by fucking through the ranks of my men one by one, but honestly, I don’t care enough to find out.
Or, at least, I haven’t until Aiden.
Aiden is my best mate and deserves a ton better than to be screwed over by Siobhan Daley.
I wonder if I should tell Aiden the whole truth. He knows that she and I went way back—practically too far to remember—but he doesn’t know the details.
Well, even if I do, it won’t be tonight.
Turning on my heel, I head toward the east wing. “Is everyone here?”
“Sean and Grady were passing the gatehouse when I pulled the car around.”
“And Finn?”
“The moment I mentioned the McGuires, he was on board.”
I grunt. “Nothing like the prospect of a bloody war to snap you out of mourning.”
“It’s good to have goals, I suppose.”
“Aye, I suppose.”
In truth, I don’t care what snaps Finn out of his moping. It’s been five months since Da passed. It’s time to reengage with life.
The war room of the Quinn family castle is nothing short of medieval—a testament to our family’s long and often bloody history.
The stone walls, cold and unyielding, echo with the low murmurs of my brothers—Sean, Brendan, Bryan, and Finn, as well as our clan enforcer, Grady Henessey.
In the center of the space, a large wooden table dominates the room, surrounded by eight sturdy chairs, each filled with a man ready to defend our legacy.
It’s hard not to think about the one open chair.
Da left big shoes to fill and I miss him every day.
I stride into the room, and the conversations quiet. The air is thick with tension, a palpable force that intensifies with every step I take towards the head of the table.
I nod to each man as I pass—Sean, his haunted expression filled with fury; Brendan, his gaze like flint, ready to spark; Bryan, simmering and observant; and Finn, our youngest, finally ready to put some of his hurt and anger into action.
“I take it you’ve heard what happened at Jimmy’s tonight,” I say, taking my seat at the head of the table. “Both with the McGuire mule and then the delivery of Mattie’s ultimatum.”
Sean sits back and curses. “Fuck their ultimatum. Fuck the truce. There’s no way they have the goods to take the north. I say we fuck them up.”
A murmur ripples through the room.
Aiden frowns. “A war will leave bodies in the streets. And not only clan bodies.”
Sean leans forward, his hands clenched. “We can’t let them push us around. This is a test. Da would never let Mattie push into our territory.”
“He also wouldn’t jump at the idea of bloodshed,” Finn says. “Da would look for middle ground.”
Brendan scoffs. “There’s no middle ground in McGuires coming over the river. It’s a power play. They’re testing to see if the Quinns are still strong under Tag’s leadership.”
His words sting. They’re true, but still sting.
