Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
“What you choose to do within your own clan is up to you, but we expect you to make choices that are in line with keeping our community amicable and safe for all. My brother, Ronan, has asked you all to bring a list of what you need to get on your feet, so let’s not waste any more time with rhetoric. We need to get down to the business at hand, electing a proper counsel and setting forth the tenets of our agreement.”
There was more applause, and the men began to discuss their issues, sometimes getting heated, but all willing to work through issues of blurred property lines and a lack of numbers to rebuild. The first situation could be resolved by reverting back to pre-Sorley maps in most cases. The second was a much more complicated matter.
Through it all, Niall couldn’t help but note that Duncan had not bothered to attend but had disappeared after the discussion between the two of them in the hall. It didn’t sit well with Niall, but he couldn’t force everyone to the table.
There were other Alphas not in attendance, but they had elected not to salvage their clans. Instead, they would live as unaffiliated farmers with no allegiance other than to their immediate families. Niall saw them as no threat, as none of them had the numbers to mount an insurrection of any sort. Duncan Maguire, however, was a different matter. He was much more dangerous than they’d anticipated.
“I think we should put him down,” Niall told Ronan once they’d gotten the council off to a good start and departed for their hotel.
“Who? Duncan?” Ronan asked.
“Yes. He’s spent a lifetime being held back by his family and when the moment came for him to step up and become Alpha, it was taken from him in favor of a man who didn’t even share a blood bond. He’s bitter. He used us to do his dirty work, and we were so desperate that we fell for it.”
“Wouldn’t you be bitter too?”
“Aye, and that would make me a problem. Duncan confronted me before the meeting. He’s off on some mission to find Trill’s money. He thinks we took it for ourselves, that we came here for selfish reasons. So, we’re his new oppressor, in his mind.”
“Trill’s money is missing?”
“Apparently so. I haven’t looked for it because I deemed it Duncan’s money to control. It belonged to his clan, so it is his.”
“Except it doesn’t. That money was made off the backs and bones of other clans. It should be divided among them.”
“I agree, but I believed that Duncan would do what was right and give back to the ones harmed by his clan. I can’t believe I misjudged him so badly.”
“Don’t blame yourself for that. We were under the gun and didn’t exactly have the luxury of the full picture prior to having our hands forced.”
“Perhaps. I’ll give him a bit of time to sort out his issues on his own, but if he doesn’t come around, I’m not risking leaving him behind to throw a monkey wrench into the works.”
“Understood. He’s not technically an Alpha, as he has no clan at this time. You can take him down at any time.”
“We’ll see then. We’ll see,” Niall replied.
“What do we do now?”
“You can go home if you want. I’m going back to London for a few days to see Deidre, but I’ll be back and forth as needed until the council is in full effect. After that, they can manage on their own.”
“Who will represent our family interests if no one is here to speak on our behalf?”
“We can manage it long distance. That’s what phones and video calling are for.”
“I was thinking I might stay,” Ronan told him.
“I thought you needed to get home to eat a steak.”
“I do, but it’s not like I’d be trapped on the island. I can come home and eat a steak. For that matter, I can have them flown in or find a good butcher to cut me one once I have a place and a kitchen.”
“And a cook or a woman, because you can’t even make toast without burning it.”
“That’s fair.”
“As for staying on the island, that’s a much longer talk and one you should have with Olcan instead of me.”
“Aye. I will. I guess the answer is that I go home for now, you go to London to play with your girl, and then, we go from there.”
“Works for me,” Niall told him, pulling into the hotel car park.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Deidre
“Where is the money?” the man asked.
“That’s what this is about? Money?” Deidre replied.
“That’s the way life works. It’s always about one of two things. Money or pussy, sometimes both.”
“If you’re after the money, all you had to do was ask for it. You could have saved both of us the trouble of hauling me to your top-secret lair,” she snarled.