Honored_ An Alpha Mob Romance(73)

It was over faster than I could have imagined. O’Brian had mustered up five other bosses, though the ones who sat out didn’t get involved on Colm’s side, either. The men were armed to the teeth, most of them already killers. We wore bulletproof vests and other paramilitary shit, most of it bought illegally, but a lot of it stolen. We knew we had to move fast to avoid the cops and to take Colm by surprise. He knew that something was happening, since Max had told him that Colin was a traitor, but he didn’t know the extent to which events were turning against him.

Ten black SUVs pulled up outside his place late that night. We stormed Colm’s place, met with minimal resistance, and found him trying furiously to pack a bag, obviously ready to run.

We had learned since the last coup: never let the old boss live.

I was brought back to the present as the car pulled up in front of O’Brian’s place. I climbed out of the back seat, nodding to the driver. A few other cars pulled up, and I recognized some of the men. Colin gave me a tense wave and I nodded back as we walked into the pub. Men were joking, making tense, bullshit small talk, trying to find a way to come down from the adrenaline coursing through our veins.

There was nothing like it. Sex maybe came close, but that was a different thing. When you’re fighting for your life, up against men who know they need to kill you or else be killed, there’s something terrifying and horrible and exciting and more. It breaks some men, and some men thrive on it, can’t seem to get enough of that rush. I didn’t particularly care for it either way; to me, it was just another part of the job. After being a part of something like that, though, you’re never quite the same, no matter how hard you try to forget it. The memories linger and the feelings shift you forever.

But it was almost over. I remembered the look on Colm’s face as I kicked through his door and held my gun to his head. At first it was pleading, but soon it turned to disbelief. He never thought he’d be the one at the end of a gun. He never thought I would be the man holding it.

Frankly, neither did I.

I walked straight through the pub’s main room and knocked on O’Brian’s office door. I was nervous, almost as nervous as I was busting into a firefight.

“Come in,” I heard.

I turned the knob and entered. O’Brian was sitting with his legs up on the desktop, reading a book and smoking a cigar. There was a half-empty glass of whisky by his elbow, and he looked a little drunk. Probably celebrating his victory.

“You look like shit, boy,” he said.

“You look comfortable.”

He grinned. “Come on in shut the door.”

I did as instructed and took a seat in front of him. I felt like my whole body was on fire, like I had just run a marathon. I had done things that night I never wanted to do again, used a weapon in violence against other men, although it was for a good reason. But fuck the reason and fuck the Mob. I had risked my life enough for them. I had done enough shit that I hated, and I was out. Maybe O’Brian didn’t know it yet, but on the inside I was already making a new life with Ellie, figuring out what our plans would be, what kind of man I would be as a civilian.

It was strange to realize that. I would be a civilian soon. I had never really been one, not even when I was a kid. I was always the son of a prominent boss, and that meant I was a part of the life since day one.

For me, leaving the Mob was like being born again.

“It’s done,” I said.

I pulled a pair of keys from my pocket and tossed them to him.

He caught them. “These are?”

“Colm’s keys. His place is yours.”

He studied them. There was blood spattered all over their length.

“Good lad. You did it?”

I nodded.

He sighed and moved his legs down off the desk, leaning forward. His face was grave, despite how much power he had just gained.

“It’s a terrible thing, to have to kill a man.”

“It is.”

“But you did it, because you do the things that you have to do. Even if you don’t want to do them.”

I nodded, saying nothing.

He reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a bottle and a glass. “Interested?”

I accepted, but I wasn’t in the mood to drink. Mostly I didn’t want to risk his anger, especially considering what I was about to ask of him. He poured a glass and held it out, and I took it from him. I took a sip and felt the cold bite of the alcohol enter my stomach. It was smooth and nutty and full, and it left a sweet buzz on my lips. More than that, it helped to calm my nerves a bit, and I took another big sip, finishing off the glass. O’Brian grinned at me.

“Down to business, then,” he said.