rage and pain. It wasn’t a lot, but it was there. Smiling, I just petted his hair.
“Right, dad’s the boss,” I said and I saw them all, Liam, Declan, and Neal share a glance in response. “Come on, it’s way past your bedtime. Fedel?”
He stepped up. “The car is already up front.”
“We should get going Cora and Evelyn must be exhausted dealing with all of the kids,” I told them before reaching for Ethan’s hand. He stared wide eye trying tell me not to.
Fine.
Forcing another goddamn smile I did not mean, I turned away from them as Mina made her way back to us, her eyebrows frowned together as she tried to read my facial expression. Shaking my head at her, I took my clutch from her hand, along with my phone.
“Mel?”
“Bathroom. I’ll meet you at the car,” I said not bothering to look back, knowing full well my security detail was already following discreetly.
It was a much longer walk from our table to the bathroom tan it needed to be. Every other step, people kept popping up in front of my face, pushing my restraint to the maximum capability. I thought I had finally escaped them, pushing the wooden doo, and stepping into the marble tiles of the bathroom, but right there at the sink dressed in her hotel uniform was some blonde in tears.
For the love of fuck.
Sighing, I ignored her and put my purse on the counter, pulling off my rings in order to wash my hands.
Don’t talk to me.
Don’t talk to me.
Do not even fucking think of talking to me.
“Sorry for all the crying…”
Fuck me.
“It’s alright, don’t care either way,” I stated and grabbed my lipstick.
“This city!” She inhaled sharply her fist clenching at her sides until she finally smacked the black counters. “Why is everyone here so cold? I don’t get it? I’ve been here a month and everyone is just horrible and miserable! It’s like the most negative people on the planet decided to move to Chicago and live!”
“Then leave,” I said calmly, finally facing her.
“What?”
“Pack your shit. Get on the next bus to nowhere-I-don’t-give fuck-vile and stay there instead of bitching to people who do not know you, nor would like to in five-star hotel bathrooms,” I replied. I put my rings back on, dropped my lipstick into my clutch and turned to leave before she further ruined my mood.
I made my way back to the door before remembering something. “If the most negative people on the planet have moved to Chicago, what does that say about yourself? If you can’t make here, that is no one else’s fault but your own.”
She stood there like a statue frozen in her own hypocrisy.
“Ma’am?” Huston Murphy, my head of security, stepped up to my side, glancing back over my shoulder at the door. “ We heard shouting—”
“I’m fine. What did I tell you, Murphy? I’m not like past governors, and you don’t need to hover, especially in one-on-one situations” I said. It was times like this that I wished I still had Fedel and Monte beside me. Since becoming governor, everyone on my staff needed to be squeaky clean to the point of annoyance.
Like all American boy Huston Murphy, 31, a decorated Marine, and recipient of the Medal of Honor, born and raised in Chicago, black hair, blue eyes, 6’1 and a half. He was also voted most popular in high school—queue eye roll. No arrests, no tickets, just a few unpaid student loans. When his file came across my desk two months ago, I wanted to shred it. Anyone with that clean of a record had some secret. I didn’t trust him with my shoes, let alone my life. However, Mina insisted.
“Ma’am, your family is heading to the cars” he said to me.
Ma’am.
Ma’am.
Ma’am.
The more he said it, the more I heard Ethan’s voice in my head saying ‘Dad’s the boss.’ I spent twelve hours pushing his hairy head out and he goes and stabs me in the fucking heart.
“Ma’am—”
“Governor. Just call me governor!”
LIAM
When she left, both Neal and Declan cringed at what would only be one hell of a fight tonight. I was partially excited, but then I remembered the look in her eye as Ethan spoke.
Grabbing him by the bow tie, I crouched down right in front of him.
“Dad?”
“Hold your ears,” I said seriously and I waited. Frowning he did what I asked. “To everyone you meet I am the boss, the Ceann na Conairte, Don. There is only one person alive who is the exception to this and it is your mother. The reason being is that she is the boss, the Ceann na Conairte, Don. Everything I am, she is. Saying anything less than that is an insult. Are we clear?”
I could see he looked hurt and confused, but nodded. His head dropped down. I stood back up and put my hand on his head, rubbing the back of it when he dropped his hands.