“I...I found out, and I couldn’t leave him, Boss, and I’m sitting outside this fancy hospital about to take him in, and face his father and the Feds, and I’m scared, but I had to tell you first.” Sully’s voice was shaking.
Liam felt something click in the back of his mind. “What hospital?”
“McKellar, the fancy private one. The guy he took works there; he’s this genius neurosurgeon or something. He’s cute as a fucking button and everything Callaghan would want... I tried to get there in time, but I was too late, but at least he’s alive...” he rushed through the explanation.
Liam’s entire world started to spin. “What...what’s ‘is name?” he whispered.
“Kieran Sung, Boss, why?”
For a long time, Liam couldn’t think. No. He heaved a shuddering breath and felt like the floor had just dropped out from under him. He looked up at Flannán and saw concern beginning to line his face.
“Put the phone on speaker, I need to talk to him,” he rasped; his voice was steady but his hands were shaking.
IN THE PARKING LOT of McKellar hospital, Devan pulled the phone away from his ear in a state of complete confusion. He had no idea why Liam would want to talk to Kieran. He glanced into the back seat where Kieran still leaned against Varick watching as Devan talked on the phone. Kieran himself was looking a bit pale, but having Varick hold him on his lap seemed to help. After everything he’d just told Liam, he could think of no reason he even needed to know anything about the person Callaghan had kidnapped. Devan turned in the seat until he was sitting sideways and put the phone on the back of the seat.
“Um, he wants to talk to you.” Devan put the call on speaker, tilting it a bit towards the back. Kieran was sitting with his back toward the door where Varick had pulled him up onto his lap when they parked.
“Kieran.” Liam’s voice had a tone to it that Devan had never heard before. “Kieran, is that you?”
“Haraboji?” Kieran’s voice wavered as he spoke. Devan didn’t know what that word meant because Korean wasn’t one of his languages. “I... What... How are you... He said was calling his b-boss, a mob boss... What are... You are...” he stammered. Devan could see the look of confusion across his face intensifying. “Grandfather, why are you his boss?”
Devan’s eyes went wide and he nearly dropped the phone into the backseat. Carmine had a look of surprise on his face while Varick tightened his hold on Kieran. Grandfather. Devan knew Liam had grandchildren, but he thought he had been estranged from both his daughters. One of his daughters had eloped to California, and the other had died, but Liam never spoke of either of them often. He was reminded of Sharon mentioning he couldn’t dote on his kids anymore. But Devan never really thought much about the fact Liam had grandkids.
“I’m sorry, so sorry, my dear one. On the grave of my sweet Sarah, I’m so very sorry.” They could all hear the fact O’Brien was choking back tears now. “I shoulda killed the bastard Callaghan long ago, but I thought I was avoiding bloodshed. I thought if we had a truce, and I let him have his avarices, and put himself on the line with the drugs and weapons, if I stayed out, that he’d leave me family alone. And me heart wouldnae let me do it anyway. I tried to protect yeh and yer mother from this life, Kieran. I thought...I thought after she passed, there would nae be anyone what could drag yeh in while yeh were with yer father. I see now me choice was wrong,” he paused as he took a few deep breaths.
Devan stared at Kieran for a second and then at the phone. In the widening silence, Devan’s mind centered on the fact Liam’s reasons for doing things were specific. He was hearing something he was struggling to understand. Finally, he knew the reason Liam left the Callaghans alone with their drug and weapons trafficking. All along, Liam wasn’t ignoring the fact he did these things, even on the O’Brien’s territories; he was hoping the Callaghans would trap themselves and be caught once and for all. The question Devan was left with, though, was why exactly did Liam let Callaghan live? To limit bloodshed? Somehow, knowing Liam as well as he did, it didn’t sound right to him. His eyes landed on Kieran and Devan saw his lip quivered for a second before he opened and closed his mouth several times in an attempt to say something.
After a few more failed attempts to speak, Kieran spoke up again, his voice shaking even more than it had been.
“Haraboji, I... He...and I could not get away from him... I could not run, he said he would crush my hands if I tried, and he shot those two men...like-like they meant nothing, their lives were nothing, and he was going to kill me if I... Haraboji, I should have run... I should have just let him kill me, it would have been better!” Kieran’s panic appeared to be rising, and it was the beginning of something Devan recognized all too well. His own heart had begun hammering in his chest while Kieran spoke. He saw Varick close his eyes and squeeze Kieran tightly around the shoulders and upper arms as he pulled Kieran closer and rocked.
Devan swallowed and was about to speak, but Liam spoke first. “Sully, yeh are so much more than yeh know. I’m going to ask a few things of you before the sunrise, and I want yeh to do them because you want to, not because I’m askin’ of you. First, leave the name you detest behind, Devan. I know why you kept it, boy. I know why you did, but that is the past. Tonight, you are stepping into a new sunrise, and I want yeh to do it as Devan, not Sully.” Devan felt the tears starting to prick his eyes as he listened. “Next, I want yeh to know, I will have me best lawyer dispatched to your side immediately, and I guarantee you will never step foot inside a jail, nor be booked today because of this. I will protect yeh as my own kin.” Devan could feel the tears beginning to fall now, but he didn’t move, and just sat in silence. “The last thing, I am gonna ask of yeh, is if you will protect my Kieran as long as yeh have breath. I ask yeh ta stay with him and help him through this because yeh know better than most what he’s feeling. That’s this old man’s last request of yeh.”
There was a pause in Liam’s choked sounding speech. “Now, please, my boy, swear to me that yeh will go on from here and find happiness. Swear that to me, Devan Sullivan. Don’t yeh swear anything to me on the name yeh hate. You swear on yer true name.”
Devan blinked away the tears, swallowing the lump in his throat. “I...swear on everything I am now, Liam. I swear I’ll never be Sully again. I’ll never take the name that made me do things I don’t wanna remember. And I’m gonna swear I’m gonna do everything I can for Kieran. Not just because you asked, but because of who I am.”
“Good, good. I’m old, and I’ve made arrangements already for yeh, you were always a good boy, Devan. I’ve done so for the Family as well, because what I haven’t announced is I am dying. Perhaps two years, perhaps another twenty, or two days, they can’t tell me. Lung cancer, and they can’t help me anymore. So, I’ll promise yeh something in return, you and Kieran. I promise Rian Callaghan will pay for his crimes before this is over. He will suffer more than anyone in hell has ever suffered before this is over, and there will be bloodshed,” Liam stated, and they could hear him moving around.
“Be a good boy, Kieran. You carry your mother’s heart in your chest, and know if I am able, I will see you before I leave to go to my Father’s House.”
The line cut off and Devan stared at the phone. He looked up at Kieran who had calmed down in Varick’s strong grip. “K-Kieran? What was your mother’s name?” he whispered.
Kieran looked at him “Sarah O’Brien.” His voice was soft as he replied. “Sarah Sung after she married my father in Korea. She was teaching English when they met. My father became naturalized a few years after he moved here on a work visa.”
Devan swallowed dryly, reaching up and brushing his hand over his mouth. “There will be war between them.” Devan knew Liam would do everything he could to draw Rian Callaghan out. That meant putting dents in his organization and interfering. The realization that this would indeed bring about an all-out war was heavy. “There will be a lot of death over this. There’s no stopping it now.”
Kiera
n shook his head. “I never knew about Haraboji for sure...I suspected he did something because my father did not want me to see him after Mother died.”
Varick’s face hardened. “That fucking bastard knew about who he was.”
Carmine cocked his head to the side and stared at him. “What bastard?” he asked.
“That fucking Dr. McKellar,” Varick growled.
Kieran turned to look directly into Varick’s face. “What? He knew my grandfather was a mob boss?”
Varick’s eye gave a slight twitch as Devan watched. Anger was not an emotion he had seen on Varick, and it was quite obvious he was growing angrier as they discussed the situation. “When I was here, waiting earlier, before I went and got Devan, he was talking about how the crime families were involved with the situation, because the FBI was involved already. I’m not stupid, I know the FBI usually only comes in on kidnappings when they cross state lines, but they were there within an hour of you getting snatched. I asked why. He said it was all in Kieran’s biography.”
With that statement, Devan felt things begin to click into place. So, that was how Conner found him to begin with. That was how he became a target. “What?” was the only word he could say.
“He said it made good intrigue that Kieran was connected to the crime syndicates, disowned but still Family.” Varick started running his hands through Kieran’s hair, gently tugging at the knots in it. Devan noted Kieran dropped his gaze to his hands.
Devan was speechless for a few minutes. “That’s not intrigue, that’s fucking the most dangerous and stupid thing to do in the world! No one would connect some young Asian doctor to the Irish mob, but if you tell them his mother was one of them, there are a lot of people who would try to kidnap him just as leverage over Liam O’Brien. The Mafia, the other syndicates, hell the fuckin’ Yakuza if they could find him first!”
Varick nodded. “I thought the same. But right now, that doesn’t matter, we need to get him in there and checked out.”
Kieran lifted his head back up and looked at Varick again. “I am fine... I do not need to...”
Speaking up for the first time in a while, Carmine glared at him. “Look here, you are going in there and getting checked out. You look like hell, and you have a buncha bruises all over ya. You are going in there.”
Kieran lowered his head. “Okay, but...but... we do not have to t-tell them...about the other...” He looked up and around at each of them in turn. “I am fine about that, I do not need them to do anything about it, it is fine, I know it is fine, I am a doctor, remember?”
“No,” Devan snapped, much louder and harsher than he meant. “For one fuckin’ thing, you need to be checked for fuckin’ STDs and HIV. I have no idea if that perverted motherfucker was clean or not. And for another, they need fuckin’ evidence, or they aren’t going to nail this asshole. They need to know this to stop him. Preferably before Liam starts an all-out war on the Callaghans.”
Kieran shook his head and covered his face with his hands. In order to be able to reach in the back and put a hand on Kieran’s shoulder, Devan moved to kneel in the seat. Despite the rising panic in his own chest, he knew what he had to do. He had to be the person Kieran needed right now. And he knew only one way to do it.
“I can be in there with you,” he spoke quietly. “If you want, I’ve done this before,” he continued, biting on his lip before he went on. “I...I know everything they’re going to do, and I can help you when they do it. But you got to do this, Kieran. You got to.”
Kieran looked up and locked eyes with Devan, glancing back and forth between the two colors. “You...you have?”
“It isn’t something I like to talk about, and I’ll tell you about it, after all this is done, I promise, but yeah. With me, it was someone who hurt me a lot, for a long time. I had finally gotten free of him, but he found me again...and...it was bad. I got really hurt and your grandfather took me to the hospital. I spent a long time in there too, because he did a number on me. Right now, you need to get in the hospital, and your father needs to know you’re alright,” Devan said with a small smile.
Kieran stared at him for a minute. “I...I cannot walk in there, I cannot...”
Varick squeezed him again about his upper arms. “We’ve got you.” Varick’s voice was strong and left no room for argument. “I promise, we’ve got you.”
Kieran nodded, pulling Devan’s jacket tight around him. “Okay,” he mumbled. “I am so confused, though. I did not know about him. Grandfather, that is. I should have seen it. He had a large group with him when he came to my mother’s funeral. I trust him. I do. He told me, when my mother died, he would do anything for me. I...my father does not know this. He told me not to talk to him. But he gave me a phone number. I would call him occasionally.” Kieran paused and breathed deeply. “I do not know what to think now that I know he is a criminal.”
Smiling, Devan put a hand against Kieran’s cheek for a second. “No, don’t look so sad about it. Your grandfather, he is a good man. He’s a mobster, but mobs are families, and he took me in when I needed it. So, don’t doubt it; he’s a good person. He cares about you. And that’s why you need to go in this hospital right now.”
“I think I am ready.” Kieran’s teeth dug into his bottom lip seemingly unconsciously. The wound on his lip reopened and blood began to drip again.
Carmine reached over to quickly wipe away the blood from his lip. Devan smiled as he saw Carmine’s finger linger for a second. He could see the need to protect Kieran growing within Carmine. No matter what two of them said about caring for Devan, he was certain the young doctor would capture their hearts and they would become a happy triad. It was fine though, Devan knew he didn’t deserve such happiness; he knew a relationship like that was out of the realm of possibility for him. Devan never expected this “thing” to last as long as it had. His expectation had been that Carmine at least would have moved on by now. Liam had asked him to take care of Kieran, and the others were attached to him; he had to stay now because he said he’d protect and be there for Kieran.
Taking a steadying breath, Devan shimmied around to sit down again before he opened his door. He got out of the car and was hit with an intense chill. Damn, he thought, crossing his arms over his chest. His nipples were going to freeze off without his jacket to cover them. It was bad enough the wind was cutting through his pants as well. He leaned over and opened Varick’s door so he could get out first. Varick slid out, shifting Kieran to the seat beside him. He then reached back in and lifted Kieran up into his arms as securely as he could. Kieran was wrapped up in the threadbare pink blanket which was tucked around his waist and covered his legs. With Devan’s jacket, his upper body was protected from the cold. Devan waited as Kieran wrapped his arms around Varick’s neck and buried his head there. Devan smirked, noting how easily Varick carried Kieran. Carmine had gotten out on the other side while Devan was helping Varick. Together, they walked toward the hospital.
As they walked from the far parking lot, Devan was lost in thought. Even though he was freely walking in to this hospital right into the hands of federal agents, he knew he was more than likely leaving in handcuffs. Despite what Liam had promised him, Devan was convinced there was nothing Liam could do to help him now. The thought set his heart racing. Would the Feds listen if he asked them not to put cuffs on him? He was sure he couldn’t handle it; handcuffs sent him into a panic.
As he led their small group, he straightened his back, letting part of his Domme surface; he definitely couldn’t do this without that part of himself. While he didn’t want to go into his female mode, he needed her confidence to get through this. He glanced behind him and saw Varick trying to shield Kieran as they walked into the emergency room. McKellar’s Emergency Room was set up with the entrance on the left side of the building. As they went through the double set of sliding doors, they were in front of the emergency room’s check in. The waiting area spread out from the right side, so Carmine moved up beside Varick to shield Kiera
n from being seen. Even though they were a group of four, no one had really noticed them yet, and for that, Devan was grateful. Kieran’s small stature had an advantage in that he was mostly covered from behind by Varick’s large frame.
As they approached the nurses’ station, the triage nurse didn’t bother to look up as she delivered an an obviously well-practiced speech. “Fill out the triage form, there’s a long wait this morning, so get comfortable. Unless its chest pains or breathing problems, you’ll be waiting a while.”
“It isn’t, but I think you need to get Dr. Sung for us.” Devan had no idea what Kieran’s father’s name was, but he figured the last name had to be Sung as well.
She looked up, confusion coloring her face. “Why in the world would you...want... Oh my God,” she whispered, her eyes locking on Kieran’s face behind Devan. “That’s... That’s... Oh my God...” She fumbled for the handset on the desk phone.
“Dr. Jae, to the ER nurses station, now,” she ordered into the speaker.
The phone rang after a few seconds, and she answered curtly. “Yes?” There was a pause as someone on the other end spoke. “Sir... Some people are here... With your son...” She paused again, nodding as someone apparently gave her instructions. “Yes, sir. They’re at the triage station.” She put down the handset and stared at them for a second. “He’s on the way down,” she informed them.
Devan kept glancing around the room to make sure no one was too interested in them. Anyone could have been working for Callaghan in this hospital. After about five minutes or so, Devan saw the nearby elevator open, revealing three occupants. A man bearing a strong resemblance to Kieran came toward them at a near. Following quickly behind him was a middle-aged woman in a navy pantsuit and an older doctor with gray hair.
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