White hot rage ignites in me.
If Boner put his fucking fingers on her, I’ll beat him fucking senseless. I will tear his dick from his fucking gangly body, and—
“Easy, lad. He didn’t touch her.”
I blow out a breath, noting the way Keenan’s brow rises.
“You think Lachlan told Fiona?” I ask, trying to school my features.
He shrugs. “Who knows?”
Keenan keeps jogging, and I bend to pick up the weights again.
“Saw you were with Danny Cook this morning?”
Jesus Christ, I forgot about the cameras. Keenan misses literally nothing.
“Aye.”
“Was he harassing you?”
I chuckle. “Of course.”
Keenan grins back, and out of respect for me, doesn’t push.
I place the bar on the back of my neck and squat. “Made me an offer.”
Keenan gives me a quizzical look but doesn’t pry. It’s one of his better leadership qualities. He gives us jobs to do, and he holds us to high expectations. He’s a stern but fair leader, the most loyal brother in the entire Clan. He trusts we’ll do the jobs right, never holding back.
I blow out a breath. “He asked me to fight tonight.”
“Oh?”
I nod, squatting, welcoming the burn in my quads and glutes.
“Aye.” I’m panting as I work these muscles. “Said he’d give me thirty k, win or lose, and a night with one of Vivian’s girls.”
Keenan cocks his head to the side. “Thirty thousand quid?”
My stomach tightens.
“Seems they’re… sponsors, or whatever the fuck.”
He snorts. “Did you tell him yes?”
I look at him in surprise. “Hell no. You told me you didn’t want me fighting in the ring anymore.”
He shrugs. “Eh. That was back when we had rival battle on our hands. Now, things are at an even keel. I don’t think it’d be as risky.”
I can’t help the feelings of hope and excitement that come unbidden.
“Really?”
“Aye. You want to fight again, brother?”
I huff out a breath, squatting again, as I answer. “Ha. Fight again? Are you out of your fucking mind? It’s like asking a fish if he’d like to go back in the water, or telling a horse she can run again.”
Keenan winces. “Ouch. Did it hurt you that badly, Tiernan? Not being able to fight?”
I don’t respond at first. I don’t know what to say. Finally, I settle for the truth. We all speak plainly to one another within the Clan.
“It hurt,” I tell him. “I missed it fucking loads. But I won’t lie, it wasn’t unbearable, and I knew it was for the greater good.”
Keenan nods, quickening his pace. Sweat pours off of him in rivulets, but he quickly swipes at his eyes and blinks.
“If you want to do it, I’ll allow it.”
I can hardly believe what he’s saying.
“For real?”
“Absolutely. Some of us are trained because it suits us. And some of us were made to fight, Tiernan. Plus, I happen to know that Walsh will be there tonight, and you know I’ll send our men as well.”
Walsh, the local Ballyhock police officer, is on our payroll, and the “men” Keenan will send will be part of our guard, sitting front and center.
“Seems fucking safe, then,” I tell him jokingly, and he smiles at me.
“Walk in the park.”
I finish my workout and quickly grab a shower before I head upstairs for breakfast.
I meet Nolan in the dining room. Unlike the others, Nolan’s blond, but he looks older these days as even he has flecks of gray around his temples. Nolan is somewhere between older brother and father to me and Fiona, as my sister’s husband. My brother-in-law is a good man, dedicated to my sister and their family, as well as to his brothers of the Clan.
I fill a plate with the good, hearty scones our chefs make right here and top them with fresh-churned butter and jam made with berries from our very own garden. I tuck into fried eggs, sausages, and tomatoes, and I’m on my second plate of food and third cup of tea when Nolan finally manages to extricate himself from the others and sit down beside me.
“Y’all right, Tiernan?” he asks.
“Never been better.” I fill him in with the news about the fight.
“Jesus,” he says, smiling. “Who fucking knew, eh?”
I grin. “Right.”
“So you’ll go,” he says. “And you’ll win, pocket the money and a girl for the night, and come home none the worse for it.”
“Well, if I win,” I say.
“Course you will, or I’ll kick your arse,” he says good-naturedly.
I grin at him. “Noted. You have time for a refresher this afternoon?”
“Aye. Would love to.”
I can already feel the adrenaline from being in the ring. The victory. The comfort of a woman to share my bed with me. A chance to really pad my income.
Something tells me this is a fight that will change things, though, and I can’t put my finger on why. It must be nerves, I decide. I ignore the inner voice, and when our meeting’s over, I meet with Lachlan and Nolan back in the training room.
I throw myself into training.
I push myself to prepare.
Chapter 2
Aisling
For one brief moment in time, I’m in a cozy cocoon, wrapped up in a warm blanket, before the pain of the night before hits me.
I open one eye and stifle a groan.
My head pounds from whatever I drank last night—likely fucking lots. Sharp, stabbing spasms at my temples and across my forehead. I lift my hand to my head and look around the room.
No.
I broke one of my cardinal rules. Jesus.
I have no idea whose bed I’m in.
I sit up and look about me. There’s no sign of whoever the fuck I slept with last night, save used condoms on the bedside table and the stench of his dirty laundry.
Ew ew ew.
I wince. God, is this how low I’ve sunk?
Gotta hand
