Unchosen Ruler by Maggie Cole

3

Liam

Besides the fewminutes I spent in the flower shop ordering Hailee's flowers and writing the note, my father has consumed all my time. Meetings with government officials, allies, and clan members who run different parts of our businesses have my head spinning. Every man I sit in front of looks at me the same way.

Hesitant.

Fearful.

Pissed off.

I am their future unchosen leader.

Prison taught me lots of things, but Finn always made sure he took my lessons a step further. No one knows how to read people better than him. He spent too many hours to count trying to teach me how to listen before reacting. He showed me how valuable it is to watch another man's body language and utilize the emotions in their eyes to understand their thoughts. The only thing I had while locked up was time. Finn made sure I used it well, and there's nothing I don't miss.

When I get home, it's after midnight. I stare at my phone, holding myself back from texting or calling Hailee. It's a school night. I don't want to wake or disturb her. The more I reread our text chain, the more I'm tempted to message her anyway.

I finally throw my phone in the drawer next to my bed so I can't screw it up before it begins. It only sends my mind into a further spiral.

Hailee's too good for me. I knew it the moment I laid eyes on her. I should have told her at the cafe I was in prison. The debate in my head said to let her get to know me then tell her, so she isn't scared to be around me. She was already hesitant. I could tell I made her nervous, and when the topic of my family came up, I saw how uneasy it made her.

I tried to answer her questions without lying, but I skirted around the truth. Now, I'm not sure when the right time will be or how to even tell her. Eventually, I'm going to have to come clean.

Everything in my life feels so overwhelming right now. So much has changed in fifteen years. My parents aged. I was always so relieved to see them or my cousins when they visited me in prison, I never really noticed. Now, I can't escape any part of reality.

My father's cough seems to get worse. All day long, he has fits. Sometimes there's blood. Not always, but every hack reminds me he's dying. It's bad enough I'm losing my father. Running the O'Malley clan when I'm not ready is another form of a cruel joke.

Every relative of mine, except for Killian, Nolan, and Declan, thinks I'm incapable. I see it in their eyes. I don't blame them. My father has his hands in so many different pots, I don't understand how he manages it all.

It's why I need to make sure Finn's and my plan goes off without a hitch.

The blackness in my room, I still haven't gotten used to. In prison, there was always a faint glow. I should put a nightlight in my room or something so I can sleep better, but I don't. I'm back in the real world now. Whatever I need to do to be normal again is what I'll do. Plus, nightlights are for kids, not forty-year-old men. What would I say to Hailee? "Hey, let me turn on my nightlight?"

I groan and scrub my hands over my face in frustration. The last thing I need to be thinking about is a woman or whether she's ever going to even let me touch her. I've got enough on my plate. The added anxiety popping up whenever I think about how I could even get to that place with Hailee doesn't help.

Before prison, I had plenty of girlfriends. I never worried about any of the details. I knew how to ask a girl out, take her on a hot date, and get exactly what I wanted. Now, I question everything. Anything I used to do doesn't seem good enough for Hailee. Some of the things just seem young and foolish.

I need to talk to Killian.

The only people in the world I've confided in for the past fifteen years are Finn, my father, or Killian. I had short bursts of time with everyone but Finn. I knew I would miss him, but I didn't know how much. I keep thinking about how he's still in that hellhole and I'm in a bed with a luxury pillow top mattress.

I don't sleep. At four in the morning, I throw on workout clothes and run to our family's gym. When I get there, no one else is there. I pull on boxing gloves and rotate between kicking and hitting bags.

"You're here early," Killian calls out.

Sweaty and out of breath, I turn. "Couldn't sleep."

Killian hands me a bottle of water. I take off a glove and down half of it, and he says, "Your left hook needs work."

"Get in the ring and we'll see about that."

He grunts. "Sorry. It's conditioning day. Uncle Patty is going to have me jumping rope all morning."

"Have fun with that. Hey, I wanted to ask you something."

Killian stretches his arms above his head. "What's that?"

My chest tightens. He better not say yes, or I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I'm already obsessed with her, but I also don't violate bro code. "Did you have a thing for Hailee?"

He stops moving and raises his eyebrows. "Nora's friend? The kindergarten teacher?"

"Yeah."

"No. She's hot, but she's way too innocent for my tastes. Nora wasn't happy I had Becky at her pub opening. I got an earful, but I intentionally brought her so Nora would take the hint. Why?"

I shift on my feet. "She said Nora was pushing you on her. I just wanted to double-check you weren't interested."

Killian crosses his arms. "Liam, you need to get laid. I told you, Becky has plenty of friends who are hot and will be totally into you. You're asking for trouble with Hailee."

I forget everything Finn taught me and let my emotions take over. I bark, "And why is that?"

"Did you not hear me say, innocent and kindergarten teacher? Becky's friends—"

"I don't give a shit about Becky's friends. I only needed to know if you were into her. Glad to know you aren't. Next question. What's a good place for a date these days?"

Surprise fills Killian's face. He pins his gaze on mine. "You're seriously going to pursue her?"

I angrily reply, "Yeah. You have a problem with that?"

He holds up his hands. "No. I just think you're going down a hard road."

"Yeah, well, that's my choice to make. Are you going to help me or not?" I pick up a towel and wipe the sweat off my face.

"Easy. Of course I'll help you. Find out what kind of food she likes, and I'll tell you what restaurant to go to."

I tilt my head and stare at Killian. "That's the best you've got?"

He looks at me as if I'm crazy. "What's wrong with dinner?"

"It's not very original, is it?"

"You took girls out for dinner in the past."

"Yeah, well, Hailee isn't a girl, is she?"

Killian shakes his head and sighs. He walks over to the mat and sits on it. He bends over and touches his toes. "Dinner is safe. Take her to dinner. When you realize she's way too naive for an O'Malley, you can drop her off at her door and leave it at that. I'll hook you up with one of Becky's friends."

This is going nowhere. The more Killian talks, the more pissed off I get. "Whatever. Thanks for nothing." I stomp out of the gym with Killian calling after me. I run home and shower. My phone buzzes.

Killian: Find out what she's into and go do it. If she wants you to watch a chick flick and cry into your popcorn, just do it. If she thinks flying acrobats on trapeze are awesome, find a circus. Be you, Liam. Dating is the same as before. But just be careful. A girl like that can stomp all over you when she learns the truth about who we are.

His message pisses me off, but I also know he's trying to watch out for me. Few people have my back.

Me: Noted. Thanks.

I re-read his message and Hailee's. Nothing stands out. I replay our conversation from the cafe. When I go downstairs, my mom is cooking breakfast.

"Morning," she chirps then hugs me. It's something she does every time I walk into a room. I'm not sure when she'll return to not doing it, but I don't mind, especially if it brings her some happiness when my dad is dying. "Eggs and bacon?"

"Sure." I pick up a coffee cup and fill it. The hot liquid slides down my throat, and I lean against the counter. "Mom, do you have a busy day planned?"

She puts a paper towel on a plate and adds the bacon to it. "Your father has a doctor's appointment later this afternoon. Mary Kelly and I are going to church this morning then lunch. Do you want to come?"

I snort. My mother can keep her Catholicism to herself. I already know I'm damned and there's no return. "Sorry. I've got plans."

"Oh?"

"Nothing exciting." I take the plate from her and set it on the table and sit.

My mother sets a plate of eggs and toast in front of me, and my father comes into the room. He lights up his pipe, and I try to hide my disgust. That shit is responsible for killing him, and he's still smoking it. And now I have to deal with it during my breakfast.

"Darragh, I said no smoking at the table," my mother reminds him.

He grumbles and disappears out the back door.

My mom sits next to me. I concentrate on my breakfast so I don't have to talk. I'm halfway through my plate when my father walks inside.

"Liam, I need you to go to Elgin today."

I set my fork down and look up. Elgin is about 35 miles northwest of Chicago. "Why?"

"I want you to meet with Niall and Shamus."

The hairs on my arms rise. "Erin and Nessa's husbands? Why?" Nora, Killian, Nolan, and Declan barely talk to their sisters. Their husbands aren't anyone I prefer to hang out with, either. But they also live in the city. I'm not sure why my dad wants me to go on a tour of the suburbs.

"They believe they're running the show. It's time you show up and remind them who runs this clan and who will in the future. They're at the safe house."

My stomach flips. Having to show my status in the O'Malley family isn't something I particularly enjoy. Some of my relatives I had a good relationship with prior to prison now see me as the kid who's sliding into a role he didn't earn. I can't say I blame them. Niall and Shamus are arrogant jerks. They married into the family and have always been dickheads. Now I get to remind them they aren't blood and what that means for them on the totem pole in our business. I sigh. "What time are we leaving?"

My father drinks his coffee. "I'm not going."

"What?"

"You can handle this on your own."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Take Knox as your driver, and Grady, too. They'll back you up." My father bites into his toast.

I wipe my mouth and rise. I put my plate in the dishwasher and take a few deep breaths while staring at the frost on the ground.

My father clears his throat. His smoker's voice rings in my ears. "The only way to take what is yours is to demonstrate your power. If you don't, you will lose it. This is your birthright."

It's nothing new. I've always known what my role in the clan is. Not once did I think I would have to run things fresh out of the slammer and at forty. I always assumed my father would live until he was an older man, not die in his sixties.

Suck it up. There is no choice.

Finn needs to get out of jail. Then I don't have to deal with this shit from Niall and Shamus. All this crap my father is involved in that I don't care for, I can end. There is a better way. Times have changed, and I need Finn.

"Yeah, Dad, I know. Consider it handled." I leave the room and text my second cousins, Knox and Grady, to pick me up. I pace my bedroom while waiting, not wanting to get into a discussion with my father or mother.

There's a knock on the door. My mother calls out, "Liam?"

I open the door. "What's up?"

She smiles, and my gut drops. It's the face she puts on when she wants to convince me of something I don't want to do. "Are you sure you don't want to go to church first? You haven't attended since you came home. I spoke with Father Antonio. He said he could give you confession and then you'll feel more comfortable returning to mass."

I need my own place.

Stay calm. She means well.

"Mom, we've been through this. I'm not going to church or confession."

"God will forgive you if—"

"No, Mom. Don't ask me again. I need to go." I lean down and kiss her cheek, trying to avoid the disappointment in her expression. I step past her and am halfway down the stairs when my phone vibrates.

Hailee: These made me smile when I walked into my classroom today.

A picture of the roses I sent her follow.

Me: Why don't you send me a picture of you?

Another text comes in from Knox saying they're outside. I put on my coat and leave. As soon as I get in the car, another text pops up.

Hailee: Is that your way of asking me for a dirty photo?

My pulse increases. I stare at the phone in shock for a moment. Is this a thing I'm not aware of? Is Hailee a naughty girl?

Me: Should I double-dog dare you since you're in school?

A few nerve-racking minutes pass. I wonder if I sent the wrong thing, then I get a video. My dick hardens so much, I curse myself for asking. I'm going to have blue balls all day, and I've already had them for the last fifteen years.

Hailee's in a form-fitting, yellow sweater. She's at her desk, turned backward in her chair so all the kids' desks are behind her. She wiggles her eyebrows, unbuttons a few of her tiny buttons, displaying a pop of her cleavage, then moves the camera to the flowers. "Thanks again for the flowers, Liam."

Fuuuuck.

I need to figure out how to take her out.

I watch the video several times but then get antsy, wondering how to respond. I roll the divider window down. "Guys."

"Yeah?" Grady asks.

This is so embarrassing.

Deal with it. I can't afford to screw this up.

I swallow my pride. "If a woman sends you a sexy video, what do you send her back?"

"Dick pic," Knox says.

"Come on," I say, not believing them.

"Yep. Dick pic for sure," Grady affirms.

"I'm not sending her a dick pic," I say, annoyed.

"Hey, you asked. That's how it works," Knox says.

"Suit yourself. But don't ask if you don't want real answers," Grady adds.

I roll the window up. These two have to be pulling my chain. There's no way women are into that.

Me: What do you send a woman who sends you a sexy video?

Killian: Dick pic.

Me: Are you pulling my leg?

Killian: No. Want to see some of the ones I've sent women?

Me: Fuck no.

Killian: Suit yourself. Of course, you'll probably be jealous.

Me: Guarantee you I won't.

Killian: What body part did she send you?

Me: None of your business.

Killian: Dude, you need to chill. I'm trying to help.

Me: Not discussing my woman's body parts with you.

Killian: She's your woman now?

Me: Yep. I've claimed her. Now tell me you're joking about the dick pics.

Killian: Nope. Women dig it. At least they do with me, but I'm hung like a horse.

This conversation is getting me nowhere. I glance down at my groin, considering what to do. I replay the video several times.

Get some balls.

I pull up the video feature on my phone and wiggle my eyebrows the way she did. I angle the phone and undo my belt, pull down my zipper, then bring the camera back to my face. I wink and turn the video off.

I watch it, not knowing what to think but feeling like a creeper.

It's not a dick pic.

It's close.

Jesus. Why does everything have to be so different?

Me: Please tell me now if you're lying about dick pics.

Killian: Bare it. But make sure you're hard first. Women don't want to see your flaccid little peter flapping in the wind.

Me: I'm flipping you the bird right now.

Killian: They have emojis for that.

Me: What the fuck is an emoji?

A little yellowish-orange cartoonish thing pops up on the screen.

And now I've seen it all. Who thinks of these things?

Too much time on their hands.

I gather my courage and send the video off to Hailee. By the time I get a text back, my palms are sweating.

Hailee: Is there sound to this? My kids are starting to come into the classroom.

Me: Nope.

Several more minutes pass. I tap my hands on my thigh, glancing between the quickly passing Chicago skyline and my phone. No messages come in. We pull into the driveway of our safe house. I shove my phone in my pocket and get out. The uneasiness I always feel whenever I have to throw my weight around erupts. This is the first time I've done anything without my father next to me.

The three of us go into the house. Several of our men are there, running receipts from bets and placing others. They all look up. Some of them I haven't seen in years and are happy to see me. Others, not so much. I ask, "Where are Niall and Shamus?"

"In the office." A guy I've never met motions to the door.

I don't bother to knock. I open the door, step inside, and Knox and Grady follow.

Niall and Shamus look up from their desks. Both their eyes turn to slits. Shamus says, "What are you doing here?"

I sit in the seat across from him. Knox and Grady sit across from Niall. "Came to check in and pick up the receipts and cash."

"It's not collection day," Shamus claims, scowling.

I sit back and cross my arms. "It is now."

"What's this about, Liam?" Niall asks.

"He doesn't answer to you," Knox replies. "Now get the receipts and cash as he asked."

"I'm calling Darragh," Shamus says and pulls out his phone.

I rise. "You do that. You've got two minutes to give the receipts and cash to my cousins. If two minutes pass and I don't have them in my possession, this will be the last time you'll ever step foot in this house. Are we clear?"

"You motherfucker. Don't you come in our house—"

I lean across the desk and grab Shamus by the shirt. "Your house? This is an O'Malley house. My father's house. Your two minutes are running out. And if you think my father is ruthless, you have no idea what I'm capable of, so make your decision." I release him and leave. I go directly to the car and wait.

Within a few moments, Knox and Grady come out with several bags of cash and a briefcase of receipts. I pull out the ledger, and it's a mess. Dates are missing. Amounts are estimated. Nothing is in order as it should be. Those bastards are skimming off the top.

I call my father.

His smoker's voice hits my ear. "Liam, do you see why I sent you?"

"Why have you let this go on? Everything is out of order."

He chuckles then goes into a coughing fit. I hold the phone away from my ear and wait until he can speak again. "If you want men to respect you, you've gotta clean house. I left it for you to sort out. It's time everyone in the family learns what kind of ruler you are."

I close my eyes and hit my head against the back seat. Nothing ever gets past my father. Everything he does has a reason.

"Liam, take care of it. Nothing in life is free. If you want something, you have to earn it. This is your time to show the O'Malleys you're capable of leading them. Your birthright makes you my successor. If you want our men to love and trust you, you have to do what others are too scared to do." The sound of my father lighting up his pipe fills the line.

There's nothing to say except, "I'll handle it." I hang up and stare out the window. My father's words replay in my mind.

The car stops in traffic. I glance across the car and out the other window. A huge flashing neon sign reads: Flea Market. New items every week, and, Open until 9 P.M.

My father's words ring in my head again.

Stop being a pussy.

I glance at the time and roll down the divider window. "Freedom Elementary."

I pull up to Hailee's school. I watch as kids get on the busses and others walk home. I wait until it's past five and then my heart somersaults.

Hailee walks toward my car in an icy-blue peacock coat. Her long, blonde hair blows in the wind. She has a large backpack slung over her shoulder.

When she gets several feet in front of the car, I roll my blacked-out window down and call out, "Hales."

Her eyes widen. "Liam. What are you doing here?"

"Get in." I open the door and slide over.

She sets her bag on the seat then gets in. I pick it up and put it on the seat across from us. "That's heavy. What are you carrying in there?"

She smiles. "Everything. Are you going to tell me what you're doing here?"

"Taking you to the flea market."