AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Malachy suggests, "Just give me the money. I can give it to him."
I scoff. "Aye. Sure ya will. And I'd be the dumbest bloke in the world giving you—a gambler who can't control himself—cash. No way. Now get the fuck out of the car," I reiterate, then grab the bag in the back seat.
Malachy begrudgingly obeys.
I step out of the vehicle, and we enter the pub.
All the men stand up when they see us.
My pulse skyrockets, and I hold my hand in the air and the bag in the other. I announce, "I'm here to pay off this dumbass's debt."
"Now, why would ya do that?" a man I don't know calls out, and several lads open knives, pointing them at me.
I puff my chest out, declaring, "That's between Oscar and me. Where is he?"
Another man yells, "We should kill ya right now, ya fucking O'Connor piece of shit."
My gut twists. I do my best to keep my confident stance and not speak.
"Ya got a lot of nerve bringing an O'Connor in here, Malachy," another man asserts.
Malachy holds both hands in the air like I do. He announces, "He took my daughter from me, so now he's here to pay off my debt."
I cringe inside. Maeve's da is dumber than I thought.
The thug steps closer, snarling, "He took your daughter from ya? What the fuck are ya talking about?"
I interject, "He owed me money. I took her in exchange. Ya got a problem with that?"
The man moves even closer. Several of his friends circle around us. He points at me. "Ya got a lot of nerve stepping in this pub and then talking about taking our women."
"Your woman? From this piece of shit? Was she really your woman?" I inquire, unable to keep my mouth shut.
They close in on us, and more knives are pulled out of pockets.
My heart races faster. I demand, "Where's Oscar?"
Two more men step next to Malachy. They fold their arms across their chests. The same man who spoke earlier spits, "Oscar doesn't see O'Connors."
"Aye?" I shake the bag in front of him. "I'll let him tell me he doesn't want my money."
"Or we can kill both of ya and take it anyway," the man threatens.
I chuckle. "I've got this place surrounded with O'Connors. If I don't walk out of here, then you're going to have some trouble on your hands. And I think there's been enough bloodshed lately, lads, don't ya?"
Tension continues to grow. No one backs away.
My chest tightens. I add, "I come in peace. All I'm doing is paying off this man's debt. So ya can either show me to Oscar, and we'll finish this deal, or this pub will be a bloody mess in the next few minutes. What do ya prefer?" I threaten, knowing damn well there's no one surrounding the building.
But what do they know? Right now, the O'Connors have leverage. Ever since Alaina's father died and then her brother Caleb, the pecking order of the O'Learys has been in disarray. Her two other brothers, Grady and Dagan, are both fighting for power. Their operations are in chaos, and every O'Leary knows it. And they've lost so many men, they're spread thinner than ever.
A voice calls out, "Let them through."
I glance behind the three men, unsure who said it. They slowly part, and one of them points. "Get in and get out. We don't need your kind here."
I keep my mouth shut. I could say a million things back to him about what I think about the O'Learys, but I decide this time it's best to stay quiet. I nod at Malachy to go first, and he does. I follow, continuing to keep my eyes on the men in front of me.
We get to the back of the pub and go into another room. Several men are playing billiards. One man's at a table, and from the back of him, I already know it's Oscar. His thick, long scar from the middle of his bald skull runs down his neck.
