Ciarán: The O'Hanlon Family Trilogy Book One: Social Rejects Syndicate Read online

  “Jenna, you can bring him back here,” I inform her. I watch her leave but Patrick is too busy on his phone to even notice she’s gone.

  “I don’t know why you’re so nervous,” he finally chimes in.

  “I’m not nervous, I don’t like surprises, and this is definitely a surprise.” Before I can say anything more to him, the door swings open and Dax comes in, quickly closing the door behind him.

  “Hey, Dax, welcome back to Dublin.” I put my hand out, and he’s got a solid grip for a handshake. He looks from me to Patrick, not saying a word. I have no idea what’s going on, but the tension is so thick I need a chainsaw to cut it. “This is my brother, Patrick. You probably don’t remember him; he was a kid the last time you saw him.”

  “Yeah, it’s been a while. Is there someplace we can talk?”

  Patrick finally drops his feet off my desk and stands up. His presence can be menacing in a very overpowering type of way. “Look, Dax, Ciarán and I are not just brothers; we are both the owners of this place. If you have a problem and need my brother to help you, then you need me, too. We’re a package deal. Now how about you have a seat and tell us what kind of fucked up mess you need us to get you out of.”

  Dax drops his ass onto the sofa. As he does this, I notice his face becomes ashen. “There is a hit out on me.”

  “Okay, not exactly what I was expecting to hear. Do you know who and why?”

  “This is the bad part, Ciarán. Jason Aiello put the hit on me for leaving is daughter at the altar.”

  I don’t know whether to laugh or throw him out of my office for bringing a whirlwind of trouble my way. “What the fuck were you thinking? Of all the broads in Vegas, you decide to fuck with Aiello’s only daughter?! Dax, you’re not an idiot, well, at least from what I could remember. What would make you think you could fuck her and leave her?” I don’t wait for his answer. I begin to pace the small room, trying to process what I could possibly do for him. Patrick’s expression never changes. He’s always played his cards close to the vest.

  “Look, there is something about her. I don’t know—I couldn’t stop myself.”

  “Apparently you did, since you left her at the fucking altar!” I finally sit back down at my desk and try to rein in my temper. I pull a bottle of Teeling and some glasses from one of my desk drawers. I know I need a clear head, but I also need to calm down. Teeling is like mother’s milk. I pour us each a shot and let the whiskey do its thing.

  “Dax, what exactly do you think Ciarán and I can do for you?”

  “Find out who Aiello hired and stop the hit anyway you can.”

  Patrick puts his glass down hard enough to rattle the crap on my desk.

  “You make it sound so easy. Big deal—we get rid of one. What makes you think another one isn’t waiting in the wings? You of all people know the way this shit works. Granted, every family does things differently but Aiello, he’s got men lined up to do it for him out of respect. Then you get these young bloods trying to make their Bones. Buddy you’re fucked and there is no fixing this.”

  “Look, this family owes me. I’ve never asked for anything, but now I’m desperate. Besides, we have an even bigger problem.”

  Patrick leans in like he doesn’t want to miss a word of this. “What might that be?” I ask him calmly.

  “You’re not the only client I’ve set up books for. Hell, I’ve got some that I take care of their questionable monthly transactions. There’s a big ass trail that I have created. I have a program on my computer that I need to log into every twenty-four hours. If I don’t, it triggers a mass email to the Feds,” he lays it out for us. Patrick’s eyes grow wide as his clasped hands turn white.

  “Dax, why on God’s green earth would you have such a thing?” I throw my hands out in disbelief.

  “It’s my insurance policy, Ciarán. Everyone knows I have it, but I’ve made them so much fucking money, they’ve overlooked it. So, it’s beneficial that you help keep me alive.”

  “Was Aiello one of your clients?”

  “No, he’s kind of a recluse. Although, some of his under bosses are. Anyway, when I met his daughter, she used a different name. She thought I didn’t know who her father was. I played along with her, thinking I could get in good with her father. In the end, I just couldn’t have my dick tied to one girl forever. So, I ran.”

  “Patrick, you’re the one who can clean up any mess. Is there anything you can do for him?” I turn my attention to my brother.

  “Yeah, I have a solution that lets you keep your life. Probably not your balls but, at this point, who the fuck cares? We get this broad over here and have Ronan marry the two of you. That’s the help you’ll get from us, and you’ll be damn happy that we are willing to do this for you at all.” Patrick holds his phone out to Dax. Dax’s staring at it like it might bite him. “Dax, take the fucking phone and save your sorry ass.”

  He pushes the phone away. “No. There has to be another way; you have to find it.”

  Fuck me, I feel a bad headache coming my way.

  Eevee

  The little bastard skipped town. Does he think I won’t find him? It didn’t take me long to find out that he left the country. Fucking Dublin of all places. I haven’t been home in years. I’ve made up every excuse in the world to avoid it, but business is business. We should be landing any minute. I’ll surprise my brothers before I hunt down Dax. I can use the family compound while I’m there. I wonder why he thought he could get lost in Dublin. Doesn’t matter; I can track anyone anywhere. Now, I just have to meet him, make him fall head over heels in love with me, marry him and cut his dick off in record time. Piece of cake!

  Luckily, this time of day there are a lot of cabs and traffic is light. We pull up to the compound, I punch my code on the keypad and wait for the gate to open . . . nothing. What the fuck?! I know this is still our family home. Ciarán promised he would never sell it. Besides, he couldn’t without all of us in agreement. That was Dad’s orders. So much for surprising them. I take out my phone and start with Ciarán.

  Me: Hey, I’m at the house and I can’t get the gate to open. Did you change the code?

  Ciarán: You’re here?

  Me: So much for surprising everyone. Yes, I’m trying to get the gates open. Oh, and my cabbie is getting annoyed with having to wait.

  Ciarán: You should have told me you were coming. I would have picked you up.

  Me: Can we talk about this later? For Christ sake, Ciarán, what’s the fucking code?

  Ciarán: Some things never change. The code is Fuck. I’m on my way home.

  I should have figured that out since he has such a warped sense of humor. I punch it in and the gates open. It’s a long drive up to the main house. This house was never a home for me. My mother died while giving birth to me. My father was too busy with work to deal with me. When he wasn’t working, he was drinking. My brothers tried to be everything I needed but I don’t even know what that is, so how would they? The only thing left for me was the help. Paid help, trying to make a world full of love that I never got. Ciarán and Patrick never got married and still live here. Ronan took his vows and lives in housing provided by the Catholic Church.

  The doors open and Mr. McEnaney steps out. He maintains the entire compound. Daddy brought him on when I was about five. He hasn’t changed. He was old then and he is old now.

  “Hello, Mr. McEnaney. Ciarán should be here soon. Is my old room still my room?” I know I’m sarcastic, but the gate code pissed me off. He smiles as he passes my luggage off to someone I’ve never seen before.

  “Yes, Miss Eevee, it’s exactly how you left it. Minus all the clothes on the floor, of course.” I could swear I hear him give a soft laugh as we head upstairs. When I swing open the door, I’m hit with bubble-gum pink everything. I stand in the doorway taking it all in. What the fuck was I thinking?

  “As I said, Miss Eevee, exactly as you left it. Perhaps you would be more comfortable in one of the suites?”

  I
finally turn around to find a smug look on his face. I can’t give in to him. “This is fine. Thank you. You can leave my luggage and let me know when my brother comes home.” I close the door and quickly unpack. I’m in need of a hot shower and a stiff drink.

  Ciarán

  My sister decides to spring a surprise visit on us today of all days. Except for FaceTime, I haven’t seen her in years. Now, I’ve got her to deal with while trying to figure out what do to with Dax. I want to warn Patrick that she’s finally decided to make an appearance, but I never talk family in front of anyone but my brothers. I thought Patrick’s idea was a good one, but Dax wants no part of it. I can understand if she was a skank but after checking her out on the internet, she’s far from it. We pull up to the house but now I’m not sure if it was the smartest thing bringing Dax back here. Then again, if he’s here, then I know he’s safe.

  “Wow, Ciarán, I can’t believe you still live in the same house. I thought for sure when Red died you would have sold the place.”

  “It’s our home and it will always be our home.” I jump out of the car, hoping to divert Eevee, so I can find out why she came back. She’s got to want something, everyone usually does. “Patrick, why don’t you take Dax to the east wing. I’ve got something to deal with.” I quickly make my way to the front door, making sure he doesn’t have a chance to question me. The door opens and McEnaney is waiting for me.

  “Where is she?”

  “Her room, sir.” I race upstairs and find her door open. She’s sitting on her bed with earbuds in, working on her computer. I take a moment to take it all in. It’s like I’ve been transported back in time. Seeing her hits me really hard, making me realize how much I miss her. She must sense my presence because she looks up. She pulls out her earbuds and closes her computer.

  “Hey, beautiful, how about giving your big brother a long overdue hug,” I suggest, allowing a happy grin to creep across my face. She stands up and takes a few steps toward me before leaping into my open arms. Yeah, modern technology lets us talk once a week, but nothing compares to this.

  She brings her head back to have a look at me. “Ciarán, you look so tired. More so than usual.” A concerned look graces her beautiful face.

  “A lot on my plate, sis. What brings you back home? I thought you were never going to step foot in this house again.” I raise an eyebrow at her.

  “Life changes. Besides, I grew up.”

  I know my sister well enough to know when she’s lying. I’ll wait it out for her to tell me on her terms. “Well, I, for one, am glad you’re back. How long will you be staying?”

  “I’m not sure. Why all the questions? Can’t a girl just come home to visit her family?”

  “Some girls, yes. However, we are talking about you, Eevee . You’ve always operated with an agenda, so cut the bullshit.”

  “I needed to recharge and rethink my life. What better place than home?”

  “I’ll drop it for now. Besides, Patrick is downstairs, and dinner should be ready.”

  “I’ll be down in a few minutes. I need to finish up something for work.”

  “Okay, but don’t be too long.”

  I don’t know who she thinks she’s fooling. The family knows that when Dad was dying, she took over his business. Then one day, Ronan talked her into giving it all up. She went to the States and started her path to becoming a lawyer. Something happened; she abruptly left school and went back to what she was comfortable doing—revenge. We know what she does, even if she thinks we don’t. Maybe now is the time for her to come clean about it all. I should get Ronan over here to have a come to Jesus talk with her. No matter how hard she thinks she is, it’s no business for a woman. Back in the day, Eevee and Ronan were very close, however, after she left school, Eevee slammed the door closed on their relationship. Now the only thing between them is a chill so cold it sends shivers up my spine.

  Eevee

  When Ciarán finally leaves, I make sure to close the door behind him. Ever since Dad died, he acts like he’s the boss of everyone. He knows what I do for a living—hell, they all do—but we never talk about it, so we pretend. They don’t like my choices, that’s why they choose to look the other way. It’s easy to judge when you don’t walk in that person’s shoes. When I left law school, I needed to heal, find my way back to the living. My circumstances were very different after I was forced to leave school. Anyway, I don’t have time to look back. That would only bring up a world of pain. I need to find Dax, make him fall in love with me, marry me, and then cut his dick off. It would have been a hell of a lot easier if he would have just stayed the fuck in Vegas. By no choice of mine, my family is now in the mix. I need to figure out why. I tried pinging Dax’s phone—nothing. I’m going to have to somehow enlist Patrick’s help in finding him. No one can hide from him. My stomach rumbles and I realize how hungry I am. After quickly clearing my browser history, I check myself in the mirror. Okay, Eevee, it’s time to face the music. As I head down the stairs, I hear voices. I bet Ciarán called in back-up in the form of Patrick and Ronan. They are in the drawing room talking, but it’s not Ronan’s voice. When I step into the room the person they were in deep conversation with has his back toward me. Ciarán clears his throat and the man turns around. What the ever-loving fuck?! Dax is standing between Ciarán and Patrick. Why is he here? Could I be so lucky that this guy walked right into the lioness’s den? The bigger question is: what do my brothers have to do with all of this? I quickly snap myself back to the here and now.

  “Hello, Patrick, it’s so good to finally see you in person.” I hug him but my eyes never stray from Dax.

  “Glad you finally made it home. Let me introduce you. This is Dax, an old friend of the family.”

  When I reach out to shake his hand, I’m startled by his grip and how he won’t let go.

  “Very nice to meet you, Eevee.”

  “You, as well. Ciarán, you didn’t tell me we had company.”

  “That’s my fault. I dropped in on your brothers unannounced.”

  “How long will you be staying in Dublin?”

  “My return to the States is open-ended. How about you?”

  “The same. Actually, I wanted to see my family and recharge my batteries.” He’s a definite horndog. His eyes keep drifting toward my tits. So much so that I want to smack him and say the kind of talking my tits do won’t be with him.

  McEnaney comes in and lets us know that dinner is ready. We head into the dining room, but something is wrong. Ciarán is unusually nervous, bouncing from foot to foot behind his chair before he finally takes a seat, while Patrick is chewing the inside of his cheek. Do they know why I’m really here?

  The wine is poured, and Patrick gives grace. What amazes me is knowing what everyone in this family does for a living, my brothers still choose to hold onto their religion so tightly. They are so hypocritical.

  “So, Dax, where are you from?” I know everything about this man, but I need to play the game—his game.

  “I’m originally from New York. When my dad died, I moved to Vegas.”

  “Wow, I live in Vegas. I moved there after my dad died. Something about that town; it draws you in and doesn’t let go.”

  “What do you do for a living?”

  Ciarán drops his fork and nearly knocks over his wine glass. I’m trying not to laugh. I want to say, “I’m here to cut your dick off, asshole” but I go with my standard “I’m a fundraising manager for a local charity, what about you?”

  “I have my own accounting firm.”

  I smile, but don’t continue my line of questioning. I need him to chase me. The rest of the dinner is idle chit chat. I do find out that Mr. Wonderful will be staying right here in the east wing. I couldn’t ask for anything better. Tomorrow, I will set my plan in motion.

  Dax

  I had no clue yesterday what the hell I’d be walking into. I mean, I haven’t seen the O’Hanlon’s for years. I vaguely remember Ciarán had two brothers that were a lot yo
unger than him. I don’t remember the sister at all. I head into the kitchen and find Ciarán having coffee and reading the paper. I grab a cup.

  “Morning, Dax, did you get enough sleep?”

  “Yep, slept like a baby. I didn’t realize you had a sister that lives in Vegas. It must be fate that we are here at the same time.”

  “Probably more like dumb ass luck. I think you need to concentrate on the problem at hand and leave my sister out of it. Patrick is going to dig around today to see what he can find out about your situation. You need to stay here.”

  “Oh, so that’s what we are calling it now—situation?” He shifts in his chair, apparently my calling it what it isn’t is making him uncomfortable.

  “Don’t be an asshole, Dax, I’m trying to help you. I have to go to work for a few hours. Stay here; you’ll be safe.”

  “What about Eevee?”

  “What about her?” He gets up and puts his cup in the sink.

  “Well, maybe I can hang out with her while you’re at work.”

  In an instant he is practically in my face. “Stay the fuck away from my sister! Maybe you should be trying to figure out a way out of this fucked up mess you dropped on my doorstep.” He storms out, and I’m left on my own.

  I decide to take my coffee and wander around the house. Not much has changed over the years. Which is normal in these types of estates. Besides, Red was a stickler for tradition. I end up making a big circle and find myself in the butler’s pantry, which connects to the kitchen. When I head inside, I see Eevee standing by the coffee pot with her back toward me. Her clothes or lack thereof, suggest she was working out. She’s got long, lean legs and her ass is the shape of a heart. You know the kind of shape that makes a man’s dick weep. Her dark hair is swept up into a messy bun. I step in closer, only inches from her back. I can see faint scars around the back of her neck. I want to trace my fingertips over every scar, intrigued by the story they must hold. Instead, I reach around her and pull the coffee pot out. She yelps as she nearly jumps out of her skin.