Chapter 7 Seven
Kian.
I slammed the door shut behind me loud enough for the walls to shudder. This was ridiculous. Everything about the last few days ago has been crazy. My pulse was still roaring in my ears. Everything about that witch just somehow got under my nerves.
When it was about her? I lose self-control.
She does bring out the beast in me without even trying. It was hard to wrap my head around it but Fianna Callahan was in my house. Not a safe house or temporary hideout because of some emergency shit but in my actual penthouse because she was my fiancée.
I dragged a hand down my face as I stalked into the elevator and punched the button for the garage like it offended me. This was fucked.
It was already looking like I didn’t think about this engagement well enough. I should have said no. I could have hunted the Slanes myself without the help of the Callahans, instead I allowed her to wrap me around her fingers. I exhaled loudly as the elevator descended.
No other word, Fianna was a witch. Not in a fairy-tale sense but in a way she warped situations just by existing and I could tell she was going to make my life very miserable. She had made even the smartest men in Ireland do stupid things that made them question their sanity.
The doors opened and I strode into the underground garage, my shoe echoing against concrete. Finn was already waiting by the car with his jaw tight and his arms crossed.
To be honest, I understood Finn’s crash out. He had been my best friend for the longest and has witnessed everything that happened with Fianna. But I genuinely didn't need anyone shitting me over what I did.
I sighed as I walked up to him. “Don’t start, buddy.”
He lifted his head up slowly, his eyes sharp. “You have lost your goddamn mind.”
I unlocked the car. “We are not doing this again. Get it into your head that you need to let it go. Damnit.”
“You brought her into your house,” he snapped. “You remember what happened last time you let that wicked woman near your life? I’m sure no one remembers more than you.”
“I really said ENOUGH!!”
“She framed you, Kian. She shot your fucking shoulder. She sent your ass to prison,” Finn continued, his voice rising. “And now, she is your lovely fiancée?”
“She is a housemate,” I said flatly as I slid into the passenger seat.
Finn laughed, sharp and humorless as he moved to the driver’s side. Fucking finally. “That is the biggest lie you have told in your entire life.”
I shut the door harder than necessary. “Finn. Nothing is going to happen between me and Fianna ever again. It is just impossible, don’t you get it?”
“She will fuck you over and I will be here to laugh at your face.”
I turned to him slowly. “She will not.”
He started the engine, shaking his head. “If this blows up in your face, I won’t say a damn word about it.”
I leaned back as the car rolled out of the garage. “Buddy, we have work to do. Stop acting like a jealous lover, you idiot. I’m into pussy not dick.”
That made him shut his mouth. “What work?”
“The arrangement was because me and the Callahans have the same enemies. Once the Slanes have been eliminated then we are done. Now, they attacked the party,” I said calmly. “They won’t only go for Callahan. They will come for me as well.”
“I need tight security around,” I added.
He nodded once. “I will call for a meeting.”
The NYX club loomed ahead. A dark glass with neon veins pulsing at the edges. From the outside, it was just another elite club owned by me. But inside, it was the heart of my operation. Blood money. Drugs. Brutal torture and crimes.
We walked in side by side as the bass vibrated through the floor. Heads turned at us and men straightened as respect moved through the room. My phone buzzed in my pocket. Once. Twice. I raised my brows, no one ever messages me. I ignored it until the third vibration and then, I pulled it out.
Fianna.
I stared at the screen with my teeth grinding against each other. What the hell does she want when I just stepped out of the house?
I opened the messages.
“Hey. Make sure you come back home tonight. I do not like being in the house alone.”
“Get me burgers, I’m starving.”
“Are you there, Devil?”
“Fuck you. Not replying to me?”
“Kian…?!!!”
I exhaled slowly through my nose. Fuck it. She was not worth my anger. I had to understand that this wouldn’t go on for long. It was for the main time and that was why I would find a way to get rid of the Slanes real quick.
I typed back without stopping to blink.
“No, I’m not coming back home. No, I’m not getting you burgers and you can starve for all I care. And yes, I will stop replying. Witch.”
I shoved the phone back to my pocket and followed Finn upstairs. My office smelled like leather, and smoke. I stripped off my jacket, unbuttoned my shirt and rolled my sleeves up. The weight of the night settled into my bones as I dropped into the chair behind my desk.
Finn took the seat across from me just as two men entered and stood firmly by the door. I lit a cigarette, smoke curling slowly as I spoke.
“I want maximum security in my penthouse immediately.”
“Yes, boss.”
“There is a woman living there now,” I continued. “I will send her picture to you guys for recognition and not for you all to jerk off to. She does not leave the building under any circumstances. Ever.”
“She is very tricky and stubborn and you have to be extra cautious,” I added.
One of them chuckled under his breath.
I raised my gaze.
“Care to tell me what is funny?”
He cleared his throat fast. “Nothing much, boss. Just….wondering how dangerous one woman could be.”
My jaw tightened. “I will patiently wait for the day she puts a bullet through your head. Then you can revisit that thought.”
They stiffened. “Understood.”
“If she causes trouble, do not fucking touch her,” I continued. “Just give me a call. Do not argue with her or try to handle her because you will lose.”
They nodded.
I leaned back, checking my phone and no response from her. It irritated my gut. It shouldn’t have bothered me but it did. I told her I wouldn’t reply and it was reasonable that she stayed in her lane. So why did her silence itch under my skin?
I crushed the cigarette in the ashtray, annoyance crawling up my spine.
Finn’s hand slapped the desk. “Are you good? You zoned out for a minute there.”
I raised my brows.
He stared for a second before he sighed and said. “They need to give reports.”
One of the men took out a tablet. “During the last shipment of the drugs, some boxes went missing. But we are not liable for damages since we handed it over already.”
“Names,” I said.
“Ramos received and I have a feeling he was lying just to get some compensation from us.”
I nodded. “Investigate that old man and if he is truly lying and fucking with me, kill him.”
When they left, I looked at Finn and asked him. “What about the waterfront property?”
“Kian. I’m trying my best to get it but it’s difficult. There are other options—”
“There is a reason I want that house,” I snapped coldly. “And I will get it.”
He held up his hands. “Fine.”
He studied me for a while before he spoke again. “What are you doing tonight?”
“I need a rest. It’s been a long day.”
He blinked. “You?”
“Yes. Any problem with that, Finn?”
“No. But you might want to go downstairs for clubbing. I mean, your rest usually means getting laid.”
I shook my head. “Not tonight."
He stared at me like I had grown another head. “Are you kidding me?”
“I’m exhausted.”
He chuckled slowly. “Kian…..You are fucked up.”