Conall didn’t know what else to do but nod.
Killough fell back against the seat, while Fionn knocked on the privacy glass behind him, signaling the driver to start heading back. He dragged Conall closer until he was half sitting on Killough’s lap. Leaning in, his breath tickled Conall’s ear. “I adore you very much already, pet, but if you ever argue with my decisions, I will not hesitate to slit your throat.”
Conall swallowed around the fear that lodged itself in his throat. “Yes, sir.”
Chapter Six
When they arrived back at the mansion, Sloan told Conall to go to his room. His pet opened his mouth, but then nodded and did as he was told. He was quieter than usual, and if Sloan was honest, he felt bad for scaring his pet. He hadn’t actually planned on hurting Conall, but his anger had gotten the better of him and he’d taken it out on his pet too. His nephew knew not to threaten what belonged to Sloan, yet he’d taken a step out of line.
Fionn trailed behind him as Sloan strode to his office. When Fionn had moved inside, Sloan slammed the door shut, making his nephew jump.
“I’m sorry,” Fionn muttered, swallowing.
“Sit.” Sloan waved at the chair in front of his desk and moved to his own leather one. He fell into it, crossing his legs and entwining his fingers over his lap. Looking at Fionn carefully, he sighed. “You know the rules. You shouldn’t have threatened him.”
Fionn sat down tentatively, fear flashing in his eyes. “I know, I’m sorry. There’s something about this one. He’s frustrating.”
“I think he’s beautiful,” Sloan admitted, smirking. “And he’s mine. That means I won’t tolerate any disrespect toward him.”
“Yes, sir. I’m sorry.”
“Good. I believe you’ve learned your lesson. Don’t let it happen again.” He leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk. “Now, what are we going to do about Detective Diaz?”
“You said Ardan was on a hit. Could we call him back? We can still get rid of Harold’s sister, but this is more important, don’t you think?”
Sloan nodded. It was more important, but killing Harold’s sister to send a message was also vital. He needed to show his men that betrayal wasn’t accepted. Ardan was their best assassin. Quiet, as though he wasn’t even there to begin with. “It won’t take him long to kill the sister. She’s not trained. Send a message to him that he’s needed for another hit, so he needs to finish up with what he’s doing.”
“I can do that.” Fionn was already on his phone, tapping. “When do you want him back by?”
“The end of the week. We need to get on top of this ASAP.” Sloan stroked his chin, humming. “In the meantime, we’ll need to do damage control.”
“Want me to find out which Italians killed our guys?” Fionn sat forward in his chair, eagerness in his face. He was so young, innocent, but he was good at his job. It’s why Sloan chose him as the apprentice.
“No need. I’ve seen that handiwork before. They sent Mancini to do the job. He’s mostly killer-for-hire, but a lot of his jobs are paid directly by Toscani.”
Fionn squinted at him. “The bastard son of Folliero?”
“Exactly. He wants to make his way up the ranks. What’s the best way of doing that?”
“Taking out his father’s rivals.”
Sloan smiled proudly. “Correct, boyo.”
“So what are we gonna do?”
He played with one of the gold rings on his fingers. His father had given it to him before he died, with a promise that Sloan would take care of the family business. “Finding Mancini would be suicide unless you’re someone like Ardan. I’ve tried to recruit him before, but he’s loyal to his blood. We’ll leave him alone for now. We want Toscani. He’s an eejit, who’s getting too big for his boots.”
“Ardan’s only one man, Sloan. He can’t do everything,” Fionn said carefully.
“Right you are. So we send in the cavalry.”
Fionn’s eyes widened and he shot forward in his seat, hands clasping the edge of Sloan’s desk. “You’re talking about a full-blown war with the Italians.”
“We’re already at war with them.” Sloan shrugged.
“Not with Folliero.”
“His son killed our men, Fionn. I’m not about to let him get away with that. I don’t take prisoners,” he growled angrily.
