Chapter 4: Crown of Smoke: Chapter 4

I’m outnumbered, but I’ve been in this situation before. Just earlier tonight, in fact. Of course, I can’t beat my brothers to a pulp, or Lucy, for that matter. But I will get my way on this.

“Can you give me a minute?” I ask Lucy.

I think she’s going to say no. She surprises me when she rises from the couch and starts to my room. She stops short. Her expression is uncomfortable.

It takes me a minute to realize she doesn’t want to go to my room while my brothers are watching. They could get the wrong idea. I know they will.

“Your coat is in my room. Grab it and I’ll take you home.”

She nods and leaves me alone.

“Jesus, you fucked her too?” Blaise, my twin, asks.

“No. Fucking pervert. O’Brian got a piece of her with his knife. She fainted…” I shake my head. “The point is, she has nothing to do with all this.”

“Actually, your actions have made her a part of this.” My oldest brother, Phoenix, crosses his arms. Ever since our parents’ death, he’s been our de facto parent except now, I’m a grown ass man. I don’t need his lectures.

‘That’s different. I made that choice.”

“She made the choice to do the story. To go into the alley,” Blaise points out.

“She didn’t know what she was getting into.” Although I suspect she knows the Keans are dangerous. I told her as much. But she’s hardheaded.

Ash, the second oldest brother, steps forward. “She could have helpful information that would be worth risking–”

“No.” I don’t know how else to say it.

‘We can protect her,’ Blaise argues. ‘Use her help, but keep her at arm’s length. Give her enough to write her story without⁠—”

‘No. I won’t risk it. Not with her.’ I love my brothers, but good God, are they really willing to sacrifice an innocent woman to get their revenge?

My brothers exchange looks, something unspoken passing between them. I don’t care what they think they understand about my connection to Lucy. I don’t understand it myself. All I know is that I won’t allow her to get hurt because of us.

“The Keans aren’t going to forget what happened tonight. She’s in danger either way.”

In my mind, that’s all the more reason to keep Lucy out of this. But I also know that the four men, while they won’t forget what happened tonight, they’re not going to report it to the rest of the family. Too much pride to admit they got their asses handed to them by little ole me.

“Maybe not, but they’re not going to admit the four of them got their asses kicked by one man, so I doubt tonight will be shared with Hampton or Ronan,” I say of the Kean Boss and his son.

“We heard about it,” Phoenix says.

“Not from the Keans, I bet.”

They all stay silent, telling me I’m right.

Phoenix sniffs, not giving a shit that I have a point. “Still, you’ve fucked things up here, Flint⁠—”

“It’s Flynn, apparently,” Blaise reminds Phoenix.

“Whatever. We’ve spent years setting this up. Years of planning our revenge, and you risk it all for some reporter?’

‘She was going to get herself killed.’ I want to throttle my brother. ‘What was I supposed to do, let them hurt her?’

‘Yes.’ Phoenix jabs a finger into my chest. ‘That’s exactly what you were supposed to do. We’re not cops, Flynn. We’re not the good guys here. The Keans murdered our parents, stole everything from us, and now you’re compromising our chance to make them pay because you’ve got a hard-on for some blonde?’

He’s right, of course. I risked everything for a woman who has bewitched me. And I also suspect Lucy thinks we’re good guys, undercover cops or FBI, working to bring down the Irish Mob. If she knew who we really were, that we’re the surviving Ifrinn brothers, back to destroy the Kean family from the inside out, she’d run screaming.

“If you need to fuck, go find⁠—”

“It’s not that,” I grind out, surprised by how offensive I find Phoenix’s words. Do I want to fuck Lucy? Hell yeah. But hearing how sordid he makes it sound bothers me.

“Fuck, it’s even worse.” Ash shakes his head. “He likes her.”

Blaise’s jaw gapes.

Ash puts his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t go there, Brother. Love fucks you up.”

I feel bad for Ash. Not only did the fire take our parents, but it took the love of his life as well. But I don’t plan to take advice about women from him or any of my brothers.

“It’s not like that. If you were there, you’d have done the same thing.”

“Doubt it,” Phoenix says.

“Well, maybe not you because you’ve completely sold your soul, but⁠—”

‘She could be useful,” Blaise interrupts. “If she’s been doing a story, she might have information or resources that could be helpful.”

My hands curl into fists. ‘No.’

‘Think about it,’ Blaise continues like I didn’t say anything. ‘She’s already doing the work. She’s got press credentials, access to records we can’t get into. And the Keans would never suspect⁠—”

“They just tried to gang fuck her in an alley. They know who she is.” Why are they being so dense? We’ve been through this already. Several times.

“She strikes me as someone who is going to keep investigating the story with or without you,” Blaise says. “So why not let her help?”

‘I said no.’

‘You don’t get to make that call.’ Phoenix steps closer, eyes narrowed. ‘Not after the stunt you pulled tonight. We vote on this, like everything else.’

My jaw clenches. “Right, says the big brother who’s always bossing us around.”

He shrugs. “Right now, we’re all big brothers and think she could be useful. She owes it to you for saving her life.”

The room feels too small, my brothers’ presence suffocating. They’re right. Using Lucy could be helpful. She’s smart, determined, already has connections. But the image of her unconscious in that alley, blood seeping from her wound, is seared in my brain. It sits there right alongside the image of my parents’ bodies burned beyond recognition in the ashes of our home.

“We can protect her,” Blaise says.

Fucking hell. ‘Fine. We vote.’ I meet each of their gazes. ‘But you need to understand something. If anything happens to her, if the Keans so much as look at her wrong, I’ll burn us all to the ground, Keans, Ifrinns… mission be damned.”

Blaise’s eyebrows shoot up. ‘Jesus. You’ve known her for what, three hours?’

I don’t have an answer for that. I don’t understand it myself, this overwhelming need to protect her, to keep her safe, to keep her mine. It’s batshit crazy. The intensity of it scares me.

‘She stays out of this, or I walk,” I say with finality.

“How about we talk to her? See what she knows. Maybe we’ll get what we need, and she can stay out of it. If not, we can vote on whether or not to use her skills in the future.” Blaise’s suggestion is reasonable, but I still hate it.

“I’ll talk to her.” The words go against everything I believe.

“Fine.” Phoenix gives me a curt nod.

“Now get out of my house.”

“With pleasure. This place is a dump.” Ash is the first to open the door.

I shut the door behind them, turning the deadbolt with force. Like it’s all I need to keep them away from Lucy.

When I face Lucy again, she’s sitting on my bed. She watches me with those sharp journalist eyes. I swear I can see the questions forming in her mind.

She’s got her phone clutched to her chest. I imagine she’s taken notes from tonight for use in her article.

‘Let me take you home.’ The words come out rougher than intended. My brothers’ accusations still ring in my ears, making it hard to focus.

‘Not until you tell me what’s going on.’ She stands, wincing slightly from the cut on her arm. ‘Are you going to let me help?”

No. Despite what I agreed to, I don’t plan to let her help. I’m not going to ask her questions about what she’s already found out, either. For the first time in ten years, I’m going to defy my brothers, even betray them.

‘What’s going on is that it’s late, you’re hurt, and you need to get home.’

‘That’s not an answer.’ Her chin tilts up defiantly. ‘You’re working undercover, investigating the Keans. I could help⁠—”

“Not tonight, Princess.” I force myself to soften my tone. ‘Look, you got lucky tonight. Next time might be different.’

‘So there will be a next time?’

Christ. Even injured and exhausted, she’s determined. I jam my hands on my hips, fighting the urge to shake some sense into her. ‘There won’t be if you’re smart and stay away from the Keans.’

‘But you’re not staying away from them.’

‘That’s different.’

‘Why?’

Because I’m not some innocent journalist who stumbled into danger. Because I’m out for blood, for vengeance, for everything the Keans stole from my family. Because the thought of your getting caught in the crossfire makes me want to burn this whole city down.

I can’t say any of that. Instead, I grab my keys from the counter. ‘Car. Now.’

She opens her mouth to argue, but something in my expression must warn her off. With a frustrated huff, she gathers her things and follows me to the door. “My car is just around the block.”

“I’ll drive you there.” I’m being ridiculous. I can walk her to her car. But I don’t care that I’m going off the deep end. She’s safer in my car than walking down the block.

Once she’s sitting in the passenger seat, I take the wheel and drive the two seconds it takes to her car. Then I help her into her car, making sure none of the Keans’ goons are watching.

“Well, it’s been fun,” she says with sarcasm.

I need to pull my shit together. I manage a cocky smile. ‘About that date.” I lean in close to her, blocking her from shutting her door. ‘The offer still stands.’

I lean closer, drawn to her like a moth to flame. She looks up at me, and I’m hit by how beautiful she is with the moonlight catching in her hair and her round, inquisitive blue eyes fixed on mine. My gaze drops to her lips, and for a moment, I let myself imagine closing the distance between us, tasting her, claiming her. God, how I want to. But if she’s going to be safe, not only does she need to stay away from the Keans, but I also need to stay away from her.

I straighten and step back. “You’re right. Probably better that we part ways here.”

Is that disappointment I see in her expression? Is it because we won’t go on a date or because she won’t get her story?

“Good knowing you, Flynn.” She pulls her door shut and a moment later, she drives out of my life.