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“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.”
