Tiernan: A Dark Irish Mafia Romance (Dangerous Doms)

by Jane Henry

  There’s a sickening thud, but he rolls and is on his feet again, slower this time as the tranquilizer kicks in. He growls and lunges at Aisling, falling to one knee, but I grab him by the back of the shirt and knee him. He doubles over, clutching his stomach, when I punch him again, and again, until his face is a bloodied mess and his eyes are swollen shut.

  I take off my belt and fasten his wrists behind his back, barely tempering the need to wrap it around his neck and strangle him.

  I want to kill him. I want to end his fucking life, but Lachlan pulls me off just in time.

  “Call Keenan.” He’s got Vivian in a choke hold. He twists, and she slumps over, passed out.

  He pulls out his phone and makes a call. Keenan answers on the first ring. He tells him where we are as I unfasten Aisling’s bonds.

  “Aye,” Lachlan says, looking at the two restrained before us. “Motherfucker.” He jerks his head to the back.

  “Back there, Tiernan. Leads to the changing rooms. Wait there with Aisling until we come to get you.”

  I lift her in my arms. She struggles, trying to get down.

  “Put me down,” she says. “I can walk.”

  Why is she fussing at me like this? Jesus.

  “No. I want to hold you.”

  “Put. Me. Down.”

  Lachlan’s eyes go wide at the tone of her voice, and he nods to me. I put her down. She stomps out in front of me, but she’s trembling. Bloody hell, what the hell is it? Is this how she reacts when she’s traumatized?

  “Aisling?”

  “Go away,” she says, her voice muffled. I shut the door behind us, crouching into our hiding place. I feel like a teen again, being back here in this room. I once played a part in a musical we performed here at the school and remember this room well.

  “Sit down,” I order.

  She stands, her back to me, and her shoulders are shaking. I walk toward her, but her voice arrests me.

  “Leave me alone,” she snaps.

  “No.” I try to keep my temper in check, but I’m furious. I damn near had a heart attack when I thought she was harmed, when I thought she’d been taken from me. And now this.

  I grab her shoulder and spin her around. She’s crying, tears flowing down her cheeks, her lips wobbling.

  “Is it because of what just happened?” I ask. “Are you… traumatized?” I didn’t kill either one of them, though I bloody well wanted to.

  “You!” she says, pointing a wobbly finger at me. “You! How dare you pretend as if you care for me?”

  “What?” I want to take her by the shoulders and fucking shake her. “What?”

  “I heard you,” she says, her voice trembling. “I heard you with another woman.”

  I blink. What the bloody hell is she talking about?

  “When?” I ask. “Jesus, I haven’t been with a woman in months.”

  She was damn near killed, and this is how she responds?

  “You didn’t mean to dial me,” she says. “But as soon as I left the room, I heard you. You said, ‘she’s gone now,’ and then I heard you… kissing her.” Her face contorts in disgust. “And… and fucking her.”

  The broken, shattered mobile…

  I blink in surprise. “Jesus, Aisling. I didn’t. You’re out of your bloody mind, woman.”

  She wags her finger at me. “Don’t you dare! How dare you try to pin this on me?”

  She takes a step toward me and shoves at my chest. “You lied to me. This was all a lie. You were only trying to protect me. Why? What was in it for you, Tiernan, hmm? What was it? Recognition? Approval from your Chief?” Her voice catches. “Someone to warm your bloody bed?”

  I grab her shoulders and try not to shake her. I’m tempted to fucking hurt her, but I can’t let my anger and frustration get the best of me.

  The door bursts open the next moment, and Keenan stands in the doorway, his eyes blazing.

  “Jesus Christ,” he says. “You two are okay.”

  He looks at my hands on Aisling’s shoulders, then looks to me, question in his eyes. “Let’s go,” he says. “The police are here. But we have evidence.”

  Fear glimmers in Aisling’s eyes.

  “Tiernan, I…” her voice trails off. “I don’t want to go to jail.”

  Keenan shakes his head. “It will come alright in the end, Aisling. Come now, let’s get the two of you seen.”

  Even though his words and gestures are paternal, I can’t help but want to pull him away from her.

  I’m the one that’s supposed to comfort her.

  Aren’t I?

  And why the hell did she think she heard something on the mobile? It isn’t possible. Someone’s framed me, or she’s mistaken. I mean to find out which. I go to pull her away from Keenan, but he looks at me and shakes his head. He lets her go ahead of me, stays back, and whispers in my ear.

  “She’s traumatized, Tiernan. She’ll be alright. Let her be seen and let her go answer the questions. Brady and Lachlan have been talking, and this will be okay. You’ll see.”

  I blow out a breath. I bloody hope so. I watch her walk away from me. She looks so little, but her head’s held high and she walks with purpose.

  My Aisling.

  Chapter 18

  Aisling

  I feel numb. I feel… I don’t know how I feel.

  Right now, if the police were to put those cuffs around my wrists and cart me away, I might welcome it.

  How? Why?

  I feel as if I’m out of my body, like my physical being is down here on this earth, but I’m rising above it somehow. The woman that was just threatened with death no longer resides here. I’m… detached, somehow. Apart from it all.

  When I reach the main auditorium, uniformed police officers wait for me, but Keenan puts up a hand when one of them comes to take me away.

  “No. She’s innocent. You won’t take her away today, please.”

  One of the officers looks at Keenan sharply.

  “And you are?”

  Keenan crosses his arms on his chest. “Keenan McCarthy.”

  The officer visibly swallows. “Aye. Heard about you. Walsh called me about you.” Walsh, our trusted advisor, is the Ballyhock police chief and on our payroll.

  Keenan nods. “Aye. This woman was on your wanted list, and we’ve evidence she’s not the one you want.”

  The officers look at one another, and one answers his phone. He comes back a moment later. “Walsh on the line. We’ll let her go, under the condition that she’s in McCarthy’s custody.”

  He tosses cuffs to Keenan. “She’ll be on parole until we take her to court.”

  This definitely isn’t how things are typically done here in Ireland, but the McCarthy Clan has clout. Keenan nods, takes Aisling’s wrists, and cuffs them in front of her.

  I want to whip those out of his hand and hit him for touching her.

  Jesus.

  I’m so eager to rectify this, my heart hammers in my chest. I feel someone put a hand on my shoulder, and look to see Lachlan’s gaze on me in concern.

  “Y’alright, Tiernan?”

  I nod. But I’m not.

  “Take her, then,” Lachlan says. “Take her in one of the cars. Bring her home.”

  Home.

  Bring her home.

  How I’ve longed to do just that. But I need to know what’s gotten into her before I do another damn thing.

  “She’s just under stress, Tiernan,” Lachlan says.

  I shake my head. “It isn’t that, though.” Under my breath, I tell him about the supposed phone call she got.

  “No fucking way,” he mutters. “We’ll have to see about that.”

  Of course we will.

  Someone clears his throat in the doorway to the auditorium. Malachy stands there, and he’s got the boy I thrashed in the ring by the collar.

  “Looks like someone has something to fess up,” he says. He gives him a little shove, and the boy stumbles. “Go on, lad. Tell all the McCarthy men present wh
at you did.”

  “Headmaster put me up to it,” he says, his cheeks flushing red. We all look at him curiously. He’s holding a phone in his hand.

  My phone.

  He jerks his chin to where the headmaster sits, cuffed and fuming.

  “Told me he’d expel me,” the boy says with a scowl. “I caught him with the woman… and knew he was a married man. And he said he’d use me to do what had to be done and let me stay here if I did his dirty work for him.” The boy glares at Clifford with a look of disgust. “I shouldn’t have done it.” He looks at us, his eyes shining.

  “I took your phone, sir,” he says to me. “And I’m sorry. I won’t use him making me as an excuse.”

  My jaw tightens. He goes on.

  “Told me to call her.” He jerks his chin at Aisling. “And I… did. But I pretended to be you, and I… was with a woman, sir.”

  Keenan’s jaw could cut diamonds. “No need for Clifford to expel you, boy. You interfered in McCarthy Clan business. I’ll expel you myself.”

  The boy winces but doesn’t argue.

  Keenan jerks his chin toward Vivian and Clifford.

  “These two can be taken away, no question,” he says quietly. “I suggest you deal with them.”

  We all hear the unspoken words.

  If you don’t, I will.

  The police take them both away in handcuffs.

  “We’ll follow up tonight, McCarthy,” the officer says, pointing to Keenan.

  “You have my word, sir.” Keenan can play the part of a meek bloke when he needs to.

  The officers leave with Vivian and Clifford in tow. Aisling looks at the floor. I wonder how she feels about this. I wonder what’s going on in her head. I can’t even be angry for what she accused me of. She’s been traumatized, tortured, put through the ringer, and tormented with the demons she’s only barely escaped.

  I want to take her home and make love to her until the sun rises. Every time we come together like that, we draw closer, breaking down the barriers that we’ve both erected so our hardened hearts won’t bleed. Every time we make love, we speak words with our bodies we can’t speak out loud.

  Every time.

  This isn’t about fucking my woman to claim her, a quick lay, or anything carnal and indulgent. It’s the joining of two souls who’ve found one another despite everything that’s threatened to tear them apart.

  I’m taking her home. We’re having an honest conversation, using whatever means necessary to speak truthfully. And then I’m claiming her as my own.

  “You’re standing taller, brother,” Lachlan says. “You have plans you want to share with me?”

  My eyes cut to his, and his lips twitch. I jab his arm and he dodges. “Dodge and weave,” he mutters. “Dodge and weave, you twat.”

  “Tiernan?”

  Keenan’s beside me with Aisling. “Take her home, brother.”

  “Aye,” I say, my grip on her arm tight. “Gladly.”

  Her gaze grows apprehensive, but she doesn’t move away from me. Still, her eyes are cast on the floor.

  Malachy claps me on the back. “I’m sorry your homecoming was shite,” he says ruefully.

  I can’t help but smile. “Holding you personally responsible.”

  He winces and laughs. “Ouch. I’ll see to it the next time you come is better, aye?”

  I laugh. “Aye.”

  Keenan looks to Malachy. “I want you in my office tomorrow. We’ve clearly got some hiring to do, don’t we?”

  “Oh, aye,” Malachy says. “Absolutely.”

  I take Aisling’s hands.

  “Remove the cuffs now?” she asks.

  “Sorry, lass, I can’t do that.” Nor do I want to.

  She frowns. “You like me tied up, don’t you?”

  “Bloody well know it.”

  “You’ve got a filthy mind, Tiernan Hurston.”

  “Don’t I know it.”

  “You don’t sound a bit remorseful.”

  I look at her in surprise. “I’m not, lass.”

  She pouts a little, but I can tell she’s not really upset. Hell, I suspect she’s actually pleased.

  “You and I need to have a talk, don’t we?” I say, as we all head down the vacant halls of the school toward the exit.

  She sighs. “We do.”

  “Do you know what I’m going to do to you when I have you alone?” Her cheeks flush as she looks about us, but we’re alone now.

  “I can guess.”

  “Say it, and I might go easier on you.”

  I’m not really upset with the lass. She’s been through hell and back and doesn’t need me to put her through any more.

  “You mentioned punishing my arse, once.”

  A low hum of need buzzes low in my belly. “Aye. That would be a good start.”

  I open the door, and gesture for her to get in the car. I’m not bothering with packing. Lachlan and the rest will get our things and bring them home tonight.

  I want to get home.

  “Start?” she says, sputtering. I bend over and buckle her belt.

  “Aye,” I say. I kiss her cheek before I exit her side, and whisper in her ear. “You’re not in trouble, love. You’ve had a rough night of it. But when you go to bed tonight, I want you to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, who owns you. Thoroughly.”

  Her breathing shallows just before I shut the door and go to my side.

  Tully and Lachlan come out of the school. Lachlan greets me with a chin lift. Tully’s got a pretty young teacher beside him.

  “Tiernan?” I don’t know her name yet.

  “Aye?”

  “Will you… will you come back here again?” she asks. “After what’s happened, it feels… well, it feels safer here when some of the McCarthy Clan’s here.”

  Tully puts an arm across her shoulders. “We can see to it, lass.”

  I’ve never seen Tully with a woman other than at the club we frequent. Honest to God, it’s good to see.

  “Aye,” I tell her with a sigh. “I’m sorry for what’s happened here tonight, but I’ll be glad when things are put to rights.”

  She smiles. “Excellent. We’d like to see alumni here again, I know it.”

  “’Twas a second home to me, I know. And it’d be good to be back.”

  “I’m coming home tonight, too,” Lachlan says. I don’t need to ask him why. He’s got my sister waiting for him, holding a candle as it were. And even though Aisling and I need to make things right again, I know now what it feels like to go home to a woman who loves you.

  The drive back home is quiet, until we both can’t seem to hold back anymore.

  “I’m so sorry,” Aisling says. “I should’ve known better” she says at the very moment I say, “We need to talk.”

  “You first.”

  “No, you.”

  I chuckle. “Alright then. Let’s piece together what happened after you left the room. You were going to Clifford to see what you could find, aye? Tempt him, as it were.”

  She nods.

  “And on the way… the phone rang?”

  “Aye. And I-I heard who I thought was you, with another woman.”

  “You thought it was me because you saw my number, so it never dawned on you to think it was anyone else.”

  She sighs. “Aye.”

  “Fair enough. And you were angry enough you smashed your phone?”

  She shrugs. “Well, yes.”

  I laugh again. “Well, then. That ought to teach me not to double-cross you, I reckon.”

  She smiles shyly. “Well. I have a bit of a temper.”

  I feel my brows rise. “You don’t say.”

  She snorts. “You ought to talk, Tiernan. I’ve seen you lose your own temper a time or two.”

  “Good thing we waited until now to show an interest in another, then, hmm? Would’ve fought fire with fire back when we were younger.”

  “We definitely would have.” She grins, then lets out a sigh.

  “Why th
e sigh, love?”

  “Well. You know, I was interested in you, but it wasn’t you.”

  “Explain that one to me?”

  “Well I…” she clears her throat. “I was sort of interested in the Clan.”

  “Is that right?”

  She nods. “Oh, aye. I saw how happy Fiona was, and I… well, you know, I just had the idea that perhaps it would be nice to be…” her voice trails off. She bites her lip, a sign I now know to be bashfulness.

  I squeeze her knee. “Let’s hear it, lass.”

  “I thought it might be nice to be claimed by a man of the Clan. Not necessarily you, but… well, one of you.”

  “Not me, eh? Who, then?” My temper’s rising again even as I smile at her.

  “You, you twat.”

  I laugh out loud and slap her knee.

  “Hey! What’s that for?”

  “For making me want to kick the arse of every fucking brother of the Clan for being even in your damn sight, that’s why.”

  “Oh, makes perfect sense,” she says with a half-smile. She’s still upset. She won’t be better until we make this right.

  “Do you know what being claimed by a man of the Clan means, lass?”

  She nods, and speaks in a low voice. “I do, Tiernan. Fiona told me when Lachlan claimed her, and the other day when I spoke with Maeve and Caitlin, they told me as well.”

  “Tell me in your own words.”

  I want to hear her say it.

  She swallows hard. “It means that you’re… owned,” she whispers. “It means that your needs are taken care of physically and financially, and in other ways as well. It means that you’re wed for life, that you live in the McCarthy family home or nearby.” She sighs. “It means that you belong to a family.”

  I squeeze her hand. “Aye, love. But you know what it means to be claimed by me?”

  “Oh, I… well, I think so.”

  I smile. “Let’s hear it.”

  “Well. You’re not much of a fan of back talk or anything like that.”

  She’s had my hand across her arse enough times to know.