Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98000 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98000 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
“I don’t understand you,” Ollie tells me. He seems less afraid of me than he used to be, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. It’s good to be feared, but he has become a friend to Dean. Ollie has a strong sense of right and wrong, and though he doesn’t even know half the details, what he does know about us, he considers wrong. But he’s also loyal, cares about Dean, and stood up for him, tried to protect him, even in the beginning, knowing it could have gotten him hurt. Shit like that goes a long way with me.
Plus, my boy needs friends whether he knows it or not.
“That’s part of my charm.” I fall onto the bed Dean hasn’t slept in for months. Most of his shit was at the house, already packed to go home for the summer. He’ll be in Boston with us, of course, because with me is the only place he’ll ever belong.
“I wouldn’t call being an asshole charm,” Ollie counters. Dean curses, and I cock a brow at the guy.
“Not everyone can get away with calling me names, you know.”
“You got a set of balls on you,” Cillian interrupts as he lets himself into the room, Rory right there with him like always.
“It’s the truth.” Ollie pushes his glasses up his nose.
“Dean likes me this way.” I shrug.
“Yes, well, I question my friend’s taste in men.”
Cillian laughs. “I like him.”
“Definitely has spunk,” Rory adds.
“Jesus, can you guys shut the fuck up and leave him alone?” Dean grumbles.
“Aw, we’re just having some fun. Aren’t we, Ollie?” Cillian walks over and wraps an arm around his shoulder. Ollie whips his head toward him, looking absolutely scandalized, by what, I have no idea.
“Don’t touch him, Cil,” Dean warns. Cillian does as he said, letting go, the two of them going back and forth talking shit to each other. I must admit, it makes me smile. I like how comfortable Dean is with my people now, like it that he uses Cillian’s nickname. Things haven’t been easy.
There was a whole uproar after my father’s death. Losing one of the most powerful leaders for organized crime on the East Coast doesn’t come without its issues, especially with how it all went down. Some people thought they could challenge us, but they quickly learned that Sloan O’Shea didn’t make us who we are and we’re just as powerful without him.
There was some debate about who would replace him. Rian was his second, but I was his son. It should have gone to me, and while there’s no doubt in my mind that this is the life for me, I don’t want that, at least not right now. I want to finish school first. Fuck anyone who has a problem with that or thinks me weak because of it.
So the boss is now Rian, and I’m his second, though Conan has stepped up his role too. It might not be how things are traditionally done, but fuck that. We don’t have to follow any rules we don’t want to. It’s still an O’Shea at the head, and I dare anyone to challenge us on how we do shit.
I still can’t believe we pulled off all we did, that we’ve made people believe everything went down the way we said it had. No one knows the entire truth except the people I trust most in the world: Mom, Conan, Aislin, Cillian, Rory, and Dean, of course. There is always a chance that it will come out, that someone will figure out who Dean is, but I don’t know if that part of it will matter as much with my father gone. I won’t risk finding out, though.
I’m pulled out of my thoughts when Ollie asks, “Are you sure about all this?”
“Hey, stop trying to steal my boyfriend, or I’ll cut your tongue out,” I threaten.
Ollie clamps his mouth shut.
“He’s not going to touch you,” Dean tells him, then looks at me. “Be nice.”
“You don’t like me nice.”
“Eh, true, but still, be nice to him.”
“I’ll finish packing later,” Ollie tells Dean. “I’ll see you next year.”
“I’ll walk out with you for a minute.” Dean follows him, I assume to say goodbye. It’s why we came here in the first place, though there are a few things left behind Dean has to box up.
“That kid’s kinda funny,” Cillian says.
“We should keep him next year. He’s fun,” Rory adds.
“What the fuck are you talking about, Ror? He’s not a fucking pet. He’s Dean’s friend.”
“Fine. He can be our honorary friend or whatever.”
We laugh, just as Dean comes back into the room. “What’s so funny?”
“They want to keep your friend as a pet.”
Dean thumps Rory on the side of the head, as if he knew that thought came from him.
“What the fuck, D?” Rory tries to get him into a headlock, and then it’s the two of them giving each other shit, the way Dean just did with Cillian.