by Maura Rose
Kelly didn’t really want to think about what would happen once the war was over. If she just focused on Shane, on the next few days, on the war… she wouldn’t have to think about the fact that she was falling in love with a man who probably could only think of her as a friend-slash-bed-partner.
It was stupid of her to develop feelings for Ivan. She was well aware of that. She had every expectation that their partnership would be more of a business arrangement than anything else. She wasn’t—dear god—expecting anything from him. He’d never treated her with anything less than honesty, even when that honestly had annoyed her, and she figured that if he’d been feeling anything for her he would’ve said so.
No, she was the one being an idiot here. She’d fallen like a ridiculous girl in a film, just because the hot guy slept with her once. Honestly. She should’ve known better.
Maybe this was why she’d been fighting it so hard at first—fighting Ivan so hard at first. Perhaps a part of her had known that she would fall for him if she was only given the chance and had turned her prickly, angry, like a snarling cat, knowing that if she relaxed it would spell doom for her.
She was far from the provocative, pliant women that Ivan was used to picking up at clubs. The type that he obviously preferred. She was never going to be that way. She was going to push and snarl and challenge him at every turn. She wouldn’t be satisfied with anything less than being treated as a full partner.
That would rankle at him, it had to. How could he fall in love with a woman like that? The alpha men like Ivan, they just wanted someone they could control. She was never going to be controlled—except maybe in the bedroom.
A shiver ran through her at the thought. She could easily see them getting along in that area if nowhere else. There were plenty of ideas of what he could do to her… of what she could do to him…
Her phone went off and she hastily smothered her inappropriate thoughts. She was sitting with her comatose brother, for crying out loud, what kind of pervert was she?
The text was from her father, and had just two words;
It’s begun.
Shit.
Kelly jumped up, hurrying to the door and peering out.
The street looked empty.
Fuck. The Murphys had moved sooner than expected. Ivan wasn’t expected back until later this afternoon, and he’d probably be jet-lagged, and…
She texted him, just in case:
Murphys have moved. It’s war.
She’d just finished sending the text when she got a call from her father. “Kelly. Where are you?”
“I’m with Shane, where else would I be?”
“Good, good, stay there. I’m going to send a car to pick you two up.”
“Are you insane?” Kelly looked down at her brother’s sleeping face. “Father, we can’t move him, have you lost your mind?”
“Bates will have a good guess as to where he is, he’ll have people checking all the usual places. Shane can’t be there and neither should you.”
“Let them come,” Kelly snapped. “I’ll be waiting.”
“Kelly, please. Just wait and the car will come and move you guys.”
“You promised, Father, you promised I could move on Bates.”
“Ivan isn’t back yet and things have changed, the Murphys are moving on us. You think I like reneging on a promise to you?”
“I’m going after him,” Kelly promised. “I’m going after him, alone or not, and you can’t stop me.”
“You’re right in that I can’t stop you, but I’ll be damned if you’re leaving your brother alone. At least get him into the car.”
Damn it, he was right. She couldn’t leave Shane, not in this condition. Kelly nodded, even though he couldn’t see her. “All right. I’ll get him into the car. I’ll wait for that.”
“Thank you. And whatever you decide to do…” Her father sighed. “Just be careful.”
“I will.”
She hung up, checking her phone. No texts from Ivan—not that she should have expected anyway.
Shit.
“K…”
Someone was speaking—trying to speak.
She turned around.
Shane’s eyes were opened just a crack, his lips parted as he tried to talk.
Of all times for him to come around, shit, shit, shit.
“No, no, just rest,” she told him, hurrying over and sitting on the edge of the bed, taking his hand. “Just sit, just relax, okay? You’re been through a lot of shit, Shane, just lie there and breathe.”
“Connor,” Shane croaked.
Kelly stood up, crossing to the little sink and counter to get him a cup of water. “Drink this.”
Shane drank three cups of water obediently, but at the fourth he pushed it away. “Connor,” he repeated. “I saw him—right in the chest, where is he? Is he okay?”
Kelly bit the inside of her cheek, hard, the pain focusing her and keeping her from crying. She took Shane’s hand again. “I’m going to need you to stay calm, okay? Your body’s still recovering.”
Shane, predictably, didn’t listen to her and tried to sit up. “What happened—Kelly, what’s been going on?”
She put her hand on the center of his chest, forcing him to lie back down. “Connor didn’t make it, Shane. He died at the scene.”
Shane made a choked noise and Kelly quickly hugged him, soothing him. “It’s okay,” she told him. “We know who did it, we’re going to get that son of a bitch, okay? I’m going to get him, he’s going to pay for what he did.” She pulled back. “But we’re in kind of a situation right now, all right? We’re in a war with the Murphys.”
“A war?” Shane’s eyes were rimmed red. “Jesus, Kelly, how long have I been out?”
“Only about a week,” she assured him. “I’m sorry. Things have been moving quickly.”
“I’ll say. Next thing I know you’ll tell me you’re married or something.”
Kelly’s expression must have given something away, because Shane groaned. “Oh, no, tell me it’s not to some Italian poof.”
“You’re gay, I’m pretty sure that means you’re not allowed to use that slur.”
“Shut up,” Shane replied, a smile flitting across his face. “But seriously. What the fuck’s been happening. How are you getting married?”
“It’s a long story—”
“Is he a good guy?”
Kelly paused. Was Ivan a good person?
He was annoying as all get-out when he wanted to be and he tended to meet her tit for tat on the snark… but yes. Yes, he was a good person. He’d be loyal to the O’Gills, and he was trying—she couldn’t ask for more than that. Loyalty and a good effort.
“Yes. He’s a good person. He’ll treat me right.”
“Good.” Shane nodded. “Now get me out of this damn bed.”
“No, no, you are staying on bed rest,” Kelly instructed, taking Shane’s arms and pinning them to the bed when he tried to pull out his IV line. “You just got out of a damn coma, Shane, I’m your big sister, act like it for once and listen to me.”
Shane huffed but fell back, no longer resisting.
Kelly breathed a sigh of relief. She really hadn’t wanted to knock out her own brother. “Okay, listen. Father’s sent a van, it’ll be here in a minute. They’re going to transfer you to a safer location.”
“Just me?” Shane asked. “Why not you? You’re in better shape than I am.”
“You’re the heir,” Kelly pointed out. “And I’ve got business to take care of. Just, don’t put up a fuss, okay?”
“Why would I—”
There was the sound of the front door opening, but not hurriedly. Quietly. Sneakily. Kelly’s breath caught.
She opened the door just a crack, peering into the dispensary beyond.
It was Bates.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ivan’s plane departed a couple hours early, thank god, which meant he might have time to scrub the feeling of goddamn airplane off of h
im before he had to get everyone in order for the attack on the Murphy docks.
Call him stereotypical, but he had the classic bratva weakness for wanting to look classy while he was going into battle, literal or metaphorical. That meant a shower, a suit, and hair that wasn’t flopping into his face.
He pulled out his phone to check to see what messages he had.
There were a few text updates from Pavel, just the regular stuff. Updates on shipments, details on checking out the Murphy outfit…
And then a text from Kelly, just a couple of minutes ago.
Murphys have moved. It’s war.
His breath stuttered to a halt in his chest. The Murphy family had moved first. War was now.
And Kelly was in danger.
He called Pavel, who thank god, picked up on the first ring. “War’s on,” he barked, hurrying through the airport. This was why he just traveled with a carryon. “Get everyone mobile, full lockdown for the bases. You have the list of O’Gill locations?”
“Yes, sir,” Pavel said, in between relaying Ivan’s orders to everyone on his end of the phone.
“Send two men to each location, I want Sean O’Gill and Kelly O’Gill secured.”
“Got it.” Pavel was yelling in Russian at various men and women, splitting them up into pre-assigned teams to either strike offensively at the Murphys or go and defend Sokolov or O’Gill territory. “You get what you need from Moscow?”
“Yeah, you should have the information soon,” Ivan replied. “They’ve told their families here to give us an assist.”
“Where are you, sir? I’ll send a car.”
“Don’t bother.” Ivan was already outside, hailing a taxi. “I need to check on something.”
Kelly would be with her brother, with Shane, the place she’d been every day since he’d been shot because she’d never admit it but she was unwaveringly loyal, painfully loyal to her brother, both of her brothers, and fuck, the Murphys would definitely be sending an assassin or someone to finish off Shane and thanks to Bates that assassin would know exactly where to look.
“Sir!” Pavel’s voice was sharp and alarmed. “We’re in the middle of war, sir, you could be walking right into the crossfire!”
“Do I sound like I care?” Ivan spat out through gritted teeth. He had to get to Kelly, make sure she was okay. She’d have to protect Shane, that meant she wouldn’t be able to defend herself properly. The assassin could afford to be brutal but Kelly couldn’t, not if she had to act while simultaneously defending her brother. It would limit her movement. “Just act like I’m still in Moscow and get the job done. Eliminate the Murphys.”
“Sir, yes sir,” Pavel replied, sounding every inch the soldier. “I’ll keep you informed.”
The line went dead.
Ivan text Kelly but didn’t get a response. The cab ride seemed to take forever. Shit, shit, what if he was too late.
That was thing with a mob war. There was no formal declaration, really, no battle lines drawn. The party starting it would plan a multi-front attack, hitting several valuable people and places at once. They’d attack, burning buildings and gunning people down, and then retreat. The guerilla warfare would begin after that, both sides settling in for a long, hard war of striking from the shadows at one another, hitting up dispensaries, attacking cargo ships, and so on, but the family that struck first usually got a devastating blow in that was hard to recover from. Some families struck so well and so hard, that was all it took to start, end, and win the war.
Kelly and her father had to have known about this only minutes ago. god bless however they’d found out—usually by the time you learned you were in a war, you were already dying, your family was dying, and your businesses and safehouses were up in flames. Someone on the Murphy side must have struck too early, earlier than the others, or perhaps Yana and her corner girl spies had heard or seen something and raised the alarm.
Either way, he had to get to Kelly, and now. She was in danger—she had to know she was in danger.
The taxi pulled up a block from the dispensary with the hidden hospital room, as Ivan had instructed. He didn’t want the sound of a car to alert the assassin.
He threw a wad of money at the guy, not knowing and not caring if it was too much or too little for the fare, and drew his gun.
If that bastard, whoever he was, hurt Kelly—the very thought made his blood boil. Kelly was lively, powerful, full of conviction and spirit. The idea of her becoming the opposite of that, of her growing stiff and cold… it felt like some kind of violation, like it went against the laws of the universe.
He’d known he missed her while in Moscow, but he’d never been this worried over the fate of someone else before. He’d had no reason to worry about Father or Viktor—or at least he’d thought that he had no reason—and he didn’t care about anyone else enough to think of worrying. But now… now he was terrified, that he was going to be too late, that he was going to lose her just as he was starting to have her.
He’d decided against falling in love with her, had reacted with inner horror when he’d been talking to Poletski and realized what his feelings towards Kelly meant. Love was a weakness, and certainly not something he was ready for. It reminded him of Viktor, of the stupid crazy things that Viktor had done for the woman that he loved.
Ivan was starting to understand.
He was in it, too late to back out, but damn it if he loved Kelly that meant he was keeping her safe, keeping what he loved safe, and he’d kill any man who tried to take her from him. She’d said yes, she was his fiancée, damn it, that was as serious as it got.
He was going to save her, or so help him, he was going to tear apart the man who’d touched her.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Kelly silently closed the door, breathing hard, trying to keep herself quiet. Bates was here. That could only mean one thing: he’d decided to come and do the job of offing Shane himself.
She had to give him credit for having the balls to do it on his own rather than hiring someone. If he was going to betray them, kill the people who’d grown up calling him ‘Uncle Bates’, then at least he was doing it himself, looking them in the eye.
Didn’t mean she was going to go easy on him.
She hurried over to the medicine cabinets, quietly opening them, looking for something, anything to use as a weapon. Damn it, where were the guards who were supposed to be outside? Had Bates lied to them? Gotten them to leave? Killed them?
A scalpel, oh praise Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, and the fair folk while she was at it because why not. She had a feeling that fairies were a little more bloodthirsty than people liked to let on.
She grabbed the scalpel and crossed back to the door. “Get up,” she hissed at Shane. “Get up and go for the back door, take the IV stand with you and be fucking quiet about it.”
“Where do you think you’re going?” Shane demanded in a whisper.
“I’m looking after my family, you idiot, the same as I always have,” Kelly whispered back.
She opened the door and closed it behind her before Shane could protest further. She kept the scalpel held in her palm, the handle of it pressed against her inner wrist, where Bates couldn’t see it.
“Looking for someone?” she asked, grabbing a tray of marijuana brownies, all quite nicely packaged, actually.
Bates turned, a cruel smile on his face, and Kelly smashed him in the face with the tray.
He stumbled back, a hand coming up to his now-bleeding nose, glaring at you. “You little bitch.”
“Takes one to know one,” she shot back. If she could just stall for time long enough, Shane could get out through the back door, and then the car would pick him up when it got there and take him to safety. The heir would be secure. Her brother would be secure. “What, decided you’d be a man this time, actually kill someone face to face instead of just ordering the goddamn cleaners like a second-rate chump?”
“As if you could possibly understand,” Bates snarled at her. “You
were supposed to be the one person who got it, who knew what it was like to be snubbed, but you were so stupidly loyal. Your father stiffed you, took away your right the same as he took away mine, and you never protested. You never said a word.”
Rage filled Kelly, choking her, clawing up the inside of her throat—and she laughed.
She got it, now, why she’d been passed over for heir. The rage in her… the way she wanted to throw herself into the front lines, into the fire, openly taunting the man who had come to kill her… that would never make her a good head of the family. It made a damn good second in command, but she could never actually lead. Her subordinates would spend all of their time trying to talk her down from her anger or trying to stop her from flinging herself into danger and destroying the chain of command.
Maybe her father had underestimated her. Maybe he should’ve given her the job of lieutenant, some official post. But he’d been damn right about not making her the heir.
Fortunately, that now meant she was free to give into her rage and stab the son of a bitch who’d killed her brother.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Bates snarled. “You O’Gills, you’re all the same. Batty.”
Kelly released the scalpel, letting it drop, closing her hand back around the handle as it fell past her palm, exposing it.
Bates saw the glint of it. “What—”
She dove for him, sinking it right into his chest. Bates grabbed her wrist, bending it until she was forced to let go, the scalpel still embedded there. She kneed him, making him crumple, then brought her knee up and smashed his face. Bates grabbed her again, hauling her up this time and flinging her into a set of shelves. Kelly felt her back explode in pain and the world swim in front of her.
Dazedly, she saw Bates pull the scalpel out of his own chest, staring at it. “You should’ve gone for the throat,” he observed. “This is a… nasty wound, not going to lie, Kelly. Nice work. But… the throat would’ve killed me.”
