The moon was just high enough for Connor to be able to switch off his headlights as he turned into the industrial park where Cian was set to meet Vasquez. It had taken a lot of skulking and eavesdropping, plus drinking a few shots with one of Cian’s guards to find out the place and time for the meeting, but as he rolled into the weed-choked parking lot, he saw the Audi TT Cian loved parked alongside a black Cadillac CT6 and knew he’d come to the right place.

He quietly climbed out of the car, sliding his hand inside his jacket where the 9mm Glock rested in its holster. He fingered the gun, trying to calm the hum in his ears. Connor had held guns on men, been in a couple of minor shootouts, and plenty of fistfights, but he’d never killed a man before. Tonight, he would, because he’d be damned if Vasquez would get away with what he’d done to Jess.

He quietly walked toward the door to the nearest warehouse, scanning the darkness around the building, watching for shifts in the shadows, listening for the slightest sound that might indicate Vasquez had men waiting to ambush Cian.

As he reached the metal wall of the structure, he turned his back to it, pulling his gun out and holding it ready as he slid alongside the wall until he’d reached the door.

“Your cousin is fine,” he heard Cian say just inside. “But I won’t just hand him over. You went too far with the girl. We can’t let that go without getting something in return.”

“Jesus,” Vasquez muttered. “You fucking Irish think you can dictate how it’s all going to go. I got news for you, this isn’t the old world no more, and you can’t just take whatever the hell you want and not pay the price. Your pinche brother defiled my baby sister, man. He disrespected me the worst way he could. And did I get anything in return? Hell, no.”

“Connor’s young. He was blowing off steam. We’ve all done it, and I dealt with him. He knows he did wrong, but he didn’t force your sister, and he never came near her again. It’s time to let it go.”

“So what do you want to give me back, Ramon?” Vasquez asked. “And don’t go for broke here, bro. I’m not feeling all that generous.”

Cian’s voice was calm as he began explaining the boundaries of the new territory he wanted in exchange for what Vasquez had done to Jess. It made Connor’s stomach turn. The idea that anything other than the complete annihilation of Vasquez could answer for what they’d done to his girl.

The rage that had been coming in waves for the last forty-eight hours took hold of him again, and he didn’t stop to think, just yanked open the door to the warehouse, his gun drawn, trying desperately to fix something that should have never happened in the first place. Something that was all his fault and only he could mend.

Like in a movie, time slowed. He saw Cian turn toward him, his face going pale in an instant. Cian’s mouth opened as he yelled for Connor to stop, but he already had the gun trained on Vasquez, who dove toward the floor.

He pressed the trigger three times. Why he’d always remember that, he didn’t know, but he would. Bang. Bang. Bang. It took only a few seconds and then it was over, his hand falling to his side as Cian reached him and slammed him against the wall of the warehouse, arm against Connor’s throat. Connor could feel his air being cut off, and he let the gun clatter to the floor, no need for it now. As Cian yelled at him, Connor stood passively, staring at Vasquez where he lay bleeding on the cold, hard floor.

Somewhere in the back of Connor’s mind, he noted that it didn’t feel like he’d thought it would—killing a man. The truth was he didn’t feel much of anything. The report of the gun still rang in his ears, and Cian was pressing so hard on his windpipe, his vision was black around the edges. But he wasn’t too concerned. He’d done what he came to do. He ought to feel something. But he didn’t. He really didn’t.

“Jesus Christ!” Cian yelled. “How could you? What the fuck were you thinking?”

Connor blinked and realized Cian had released him and was pacing the floor in front of him.

“Is he dead?” Connor asked quietly, still staring at Vasquez’s body.

Cian strode to Vasquez and squatted, putting his fingers on Vasquez’s neck. After a few seconds, he nodded. “Goddammit, Connor. When will you ever learn?”

“He had to pay. Pop always taught us that. You make anyone who does you wrong pay. He nearly killed her, Cian. How was I supposed to just let that go?”

Cian stood, crossing his arms. “There’s more than one way to make someone pay. And a right time and a wrong time to exact payment.” Cian looked exhausted. “You’ve started a war that could go on for years, Connor. You haven’t made it better. You’ve made it so much worse. Jess will be in more danger than ever. So will the four of us and anyone we’re close to. You may have just signed the death warrants of a whole bunch of people, and a lot of them are MacFarlane people.”

Connor swallowed as the adrenaline he’d been running on for hours started to subside. He didn’t want to put anyone else in danger, he’d just needed to make it right for Jess. Make sure Vasquez would never hurt her again.

Cian walked over to Connor and grabbed his face, pressing against his cheeks as he looked him in the eye. “What am I going to do with you?” he asked quietly. “I love you, goddammit, but I’m not superhuman. I can’t fix everything you screw up.”

Before Connor could answer, a cell phone went off from Vasquez’s pocket.

“That’ll be Vasquez’s men checking up on him. We need to get out of here and prepare. They may try to hit us tonight. Come on.” Cian moved to the door, listening for a moment before he opened it. Connor bent down and scooped up the gun, tucking it back in his holster before following Cian out the door.

“Get in your car, drive straight to Pop’s house. We’ll need to get a plan made right away,” Cian instructed.

Connor nodded as he opened his car door.

“Connor.” Cian’s face was in shadows, but his tone was clear as day. “Don’t stop anywhere, don’t talk to anyone, don’t say a word to Pop until I get there. Understand?”

“Yeah. I got it,” he answered. On autopilot, he climbed in the car, started it up, and drove toward his parents’ house.

And still, he felt nothing.

* * *

Cian’s tires squealed as he hauled out of the abandoned parking lot heading out of the industrial area. He hit the speaker phone on his steering wheel and called Finn.

“I was just about to check on you,” Finn said as he picked up. Cian could hear the noise in the background and knew Finn must be at Banshee waiting for him to come back. “Everything go okay?”

“Connor found out where I was,” Cian said.

“What? How?”

“I didn’t have time to ask. Things went south very quickly.”

Finn knew enough not to ask details over the phone, and Cian wouldn’t have been at all surprised if the feds had access to his cell phone calls.

“What do you need from me?” Finn asked.

“Your usual,” Cian answered. And that told Finn everything. He was the family cleaner for a reason. Brilliant, exacting, calm, and collected. Some days, Cian thought Finn had gotten all the sense and Connor all the fire. They balanced each other, but alone, each lacked something.

“I’ll get a couple of guys and go right away.”

“You need to be really careful. The other side might show up at any point,” Cian warned. “Go fast and go safe. Meet us at Pop’s after.”

Finn agreed and disconnected.

Cian dialed Liam next, instructing him to get their six most experienced men together and meet him at their parents’. Once he was done, he took a deep breath, trying to calculate what he’d need to say to his father to get the best response. He didn’t think his father would have a major issue with Connor killing Vasquez, but he’d have a big issue with Connor disobeying orders. Cian had spent almost half his life protecting Connor and Finn from their father’s worst traits. He wasn’t about to let Connor get a primer now.

When he arrived at the house, several of the men were at the gate, looking extra cautious.

“Connor here?” he asked as he pulled up to the gate and one of the men opened it for him.

“Yeah. He didn’t tell us what’s happening but said to step everything up a notch.”

Cian nodded. “Good. Step it up three or four notches, and I’ll be down to talk to you guys as soon as I can.”

The man nodded, holding his AR-15 across his body, barrel pointed at the street.

“We got this, Mr. MacFarlane, don’t worry about a thing,” he assured Cian.

Cian drove on through, noticing Liam had also beat him there and was waiting outside the house, leaning against the side of one of their father’s cars in the front driveway.

As Cian got out of the car, Liam stalked over, his face tight with worry.

“What the hell happened?” he said quietly.

“Connor found out where I was and came in gun blazing.”

Liam’s expression turned to horror. “Please tell me he didn’t.”

Cian shook his head, his temples throbbing. “He did. Vasquez is dead.”

“Son of a bitch!” Liam whisper yelled before kicking one of the tires of Cian’s car. “How did he find you?”

“I don’t know yet, but it was classic Connor, all emotion, no thought. He probably feels like hell about it now—”

“Like always. For all the damn good it does us. He has to be punished, Cian. You know you can’t keep coddling him, or he’ll never learn.”

Cian sighed. As family enforcer, it was technically Liam’s job to discipline Connor and prepare for an attack from the Vasquez organization. The Dublin Devils had been in only one war since Cian was a teenager, and it was long before he took over his father’s role. He’d never run the organization during war time, and none of his brothers could even remember when they’d been under siege.

“I hear you, but for now, I want to focus on making sure Pop doesn’t find out Connor disobeyed, and getting ready for Vasquez’s people. My guess is they’ll try to hit fast and hard. I need you to prepare us for that.”

The front door opened, and Cian heard their mother’s voice. “Cian? Liam? Is that you boys out there?”

“I’ll text Ricky, tell him to start getting extra security everywhere.”

“Double up whoever’s at the hospital with Jess,” Cian instructed. Then his mind flew to a pair of beautiful dark eyes, and a long, elegant leg practicing roundhouse kicks. It seemed like it was months ago rather than a day, and Lila was still vulnerable. “And make sure the Rogue girl, Lila, is being watched.” Cian tried to sound casual about it, not wanting to admit to anyone that he’d developed some sort of what…a crush? On the woman.

“Done and done,” Liam said as he texted madly.

“Boys?” their mother called again.

“Right here, Ma,” Cian answered.

“We’re coming,” Liam said at the same time.

“They should have stopped at three kids,” Liam muttered as they walked inside.

All Cian could hope was that they still had four when morning came.