Page 106 of Godless Saints

“It is for tonight. Take your dogs and crawl back to whatever hole the Carricks are hiding in. Touch the boy again, or even look in his direction, and I’ll personally deliver your head to your mother in a gift-wrapped box. Tell Declan the Ashbournes still run this game. You’re just playing in it.”

He nodded at his men. “Escort them off the property. If they resist, shoot them.”

Ronan glared at me, then at Moon, but he backed off. Slowly. The Ashbourne men forced them out into the rain.

The second they were gone I dropped to my knees in front of Moon, ignoring the burn in my arm and ribs. I pulled him hard against my chest, hands steady while I checked him for new injuries.

“I’ve got you.” Fury boiled under my skin. “They’re gone. You’re safe.”

Moon’s breath hitched against my neck. His hands clutched at my shirt. “They took photos,” he whispered, voice cracking. “Of everything. The bruises. Me. On my knees. They said they’d send them to my father. To the Court.” His fingers dug painfully into my back. “He can’t see this, Cillian. If he sees those pictures… I lose everything.” His voice shattered completely.

Rage exploded, gasoline on an open flame. They humiliated him. I would kill every last one of them. I held him tighter, my hand cupped the back of his head, pressing his face into my neck.

“I’ll handle it,” I said.

A hard smack landed on my head.

“Ow—fuck!”

Lorcan stood behind me, rain still dripping from his coat, watching me as though I were the biggest disappointment in the Ashbourne bloodline.

“You absolute fucking eejit,” he growled. “Running in here alone like a fucking lapdog in heat. I told you to wait for backup, you thick-headed bastard. And what the fuck were you thinking leaving him here alone in our own safehouse?”

“Food run. Checking for tails,” I said. “Didn’t think the bastard would walk straight through the front door.”

He sighed heavily, then crouched down beside us, his expression softening when he looked at Moon.

“You alright, lad?” Lorcan sounded surprisingly gentle. He shrugged off his own coat and handed it to me. “Here. Get him properly covered. The boy’s freezing.”

I took the coat and wrapped it around Moon’s shoulders, pulling him tighter against my chest. Moon didn’t look up. He just stayed buried in my neck, trembling.

Lorcan watched us for a moment, then shook his head. “We’ll handle the photos,” Lorcan said, more to Moon than to me. “Phones are already being collected. We'll find out what was sent and where. Anything that hasn't spread dies tonight. Declan and Ronan won’t be breathing easy for a long time. You’re under Ashbourne protection now. Nobody touches what’s ours.”

Moon gave the smallest nod against my skin, but I could feel how hard he was still shaking.

I pressed my lips to the top of his head, breathing him in. “No one touches what’s mine. Never again.”

Nothing I could say would undo what they’d done. I pulled back just enough to look at Moon.

“Declan Carrick is fucking dead,” I growled. “I’m going to put a bullet in his skull myself. Him and Ronan. I’ll burn their entire fucking bloodline to the ground for this.”

Lorcan let out a tired sigh behind me and smacked the back of my head again, harder this time.

“Easy, ya mad bastard,” Lorcan growled. “You’re the one sitting at the head of the table one day. I’m the one who has to bury the bodies. So calm the fuck down and let me handle it.”

He crouched down, looking at Moon with a surprisingly gentle expression for a man known for breaking bones.

“You did good, lad. Staying alive. That’s what matters.” Lorcan’s voice softened a fraction as he looked at Moon. “If you ever need anything, a safe place, a chat, whatever, call this number. It’s my wife’s. She’s a real sweetheart. She’ll look after you, no questions asked.”

Then he turned back to me, eyes hardening again. “As for the rest, the family won’t love this. Especially Nathaniel Moon’s son from Aster Court. Old guard will call it weakness. Others will say it paints a target on your back.” Lorcan’s voice dropped. “This is a fucking mess, Cillian. You’re running this family one day. Decide now. Is he worth the noise? Claim him publicly and there’s no taking it back. The Carricks already smell blood. Don’t give them more.”

I looked down at Moon. He was already looking up at me. Everything else disappeared. Just him.

“He’s worth it,” I said, never looking away from Moon. “And if they want to call him weakness, they can choke on it.”

Lorcan tilted his head slightly, studying me. “Then we protect what’s ours. Get him dressed and warm. I’ll deal with the Carricks tonight.”

Lorcan gave me one last hard look, then stepped outside into the rain, already pulling out his phone. I heard him barking orders in rapid Irish before the door clicked shut behind him.