Bad Bishop (Society of Villains #1)

by L.J. Shen

“Tiernan Callaghan’s name is synonymous with death and chaos. I didn’t want you to end up like me and my mother. Raped, abused, cheated on. It took almost losing you in a car crash for me to tell you all that’s been weighing on my chest for the past thirty years.”

“But my feelings for him scare me. I would die for him, and that doesn’t feel right. This man has a lot of blood on his hands, and I look past all that. When does a monster stop being a monster, Mama?” “Oh, bambina, when you love it.”

hospital. Tiernan was insufferable. Whatever precautious measures he took to keep me safe before the accident were nothing in comparison to what I had to endure now.

Because all this time, Tiernan wanted to keep me? “Yeah, well, no one’s trying to take her away from you anymore,” Luca assured him.

“I’m well aware no one’s stupid enough to try.” Tiernan’s arms tightened around me.

Even in love, my husband wasn’t a hero in anyone’s story. He was a villain. And I wouldn’t want him any other way.

“Why do you need me there?” “Because I love you.” He stared at me incredulously. “Isn’t that enough?”

And for the first time in my life, an elusive, power-drunk feeling washed over me. I was untouchable.

“Sorry the polygraph wasn’t working and we had to resort to good ol’ fucking your face up.” Angelo’s frostbitten blue face glared at him. His dark blond hair dripped ice water. “Apology not accepted,” he hissed. “You broke the machine right in front of me when we got here.” “It was an honest mistake,” Enzo grinned. “You shot the fucking thing.” Enzo shrugged. “I have bad aim. Ask anyone.” “He’s shit,” Achilles confirmed. “And so are you.” “I already told you, I didn’t do it,” Angelo spat out the words.

“To your wife, must be pretty bad. But I’m telling you, you’re barking up the wrong tree here.” Achilles and I exchanged looks. I nodded once. Achilles pulled his gun out and shot Angelo’s splayed fingers on the table, blowing up his pinky.

“Anyway.” Achilles said nonchalantly, holstering his gun. “You were saying, you were in a bedroom?”

“Promise?” I stared at her, aghast. “Just fucking try to get rid of me, Lila.” That earned me a precious smile from my favorite girl. “Thank you,” she said. “I love you.” “Good for you.”

of her incoming messages and calls to my phone. “Never fucking happening. Have a good day, Gealach.”

He looked pissed. That’s when I realized he didn’t recognize me. Had no idea who I was. My attacker didn’t come out of this alive. But neither would I.

She could’ve died. I could’ve killed her.

did you get here?” I was losing my shit, mind, and control. The thought that someone could’ve hurt her, that I could’ve been that someone…

“I’m going to disembowel every gobshite who’s been assigned to watch you.” “I threatened one of your soldiers at gunpoint.” Of course she did. Falling in love with a normal girl was too big an ask. I had to go for the deranged Camorra principessa who looked like an angel and recreationally licked blood and shot people. “I told you to never go anywhere where you’re unsafe.”

What Lila didn’t understand was that I’d choose to be mutilated to death and resurrected twice a day until the planet exploded before seeing her endure a minor paper cut. Did she save my life? No. I saw the dipshit on the roof and had my gun aimed at him. I’d been hoping to extract information from him before killing him. That wasn’t the point, though. The point was that she cared. Cared enough to risk her life. Cared enough to go to the trouble.

I’d been the responsible adult in every relationship I’d ever had. With my father, brother, sister, Alex, the entire Irish operation. I made the calls and decided who lived and who died. And though I still wanted to strangle her for giving me a heart attack, I couldn’t pretend it didn’t affect me that she risked her own life just to save my ass. “Are you hurt?” I asked. I was sulking. Another side effect of being in love. Jesus Christ, it was like being plagued with an incurable disease.

“Are you done with your tantrum?” “Almost.” I grabbed her cheeks in my palms. ...

This was her truth, though. Not mine. I was going to find that sneaky asshole. Even if it was the last thing I did.

feds’ eyes on it, too.” “You should’ve taken what’s yours.” But even as I said this, I couldn’t deny the pleasure it gave me to know he gave up Harlem to show me his devotion. “I already know that you love me.” “I have claimed what’s mine.” He ran his palm over my stomach, up my torso, thumbing my chin. “She’s sitting next to me, and I’m never letting her go.”

“But you love Hunts Point.” “There are things I love more. One of them happens to sit right in front of me.” “You don’t have to choose.” “I do, and I am. I’ll be in New York daily, for work. You’ll be close to your parents and have all the assistance you need.”

Tiernan knew nothing about art, and yet he took the time and the effort. He did this for me.

Music.

Sound. Love.

This man had given me so many things. And we almost never happened. It took a terrorizing tragedy to put us in each other’s paths. Tiernan sank down to the floor, wrapping his arms around me. His fingers disappeared in my hair. He kissed my tears wh...

As it turned out, I fell in love with the complete opposite of it. With a Nephilim, a fallen giant, hands scarred from murder. No, he wasn’t just my lover. He was my god. It was only when the music died, when the final note was struck by the orchestra, that I took in the room I was standing in fully. Beforehand, I was too overwhelmed to examine it. It was filled with roses. In every color and shape.

“Thank you for this life.”

There were four nurses, one doula, two OB-GYNs, one pediatrician, and an ambulance on standby. Some would have called it deranged. I called it adequately cautious.

“Is she giving birth or being exorcised?” Enzo followed the trail of personnel when the staff filed inside. Imma and Chiara were with Lila in the next room, yelling hysterically at her to take deep, calming breaths. “A lot of shit can go sideways during birth.” I led us into my office. Not that I needed to explain myself to him. His biggest responsibility was not shitting his pants.

“What’s that?” Enzo stuck his head next to mine, looking down. “She missed prosciutto during the pregnancy.” “Let me guess, so you bought an entire drove of pigs?”

about me being here?” She had asked me to evacuate her bedside until the baby was out. Not because she felt uncomfortable with me witnessing the birth. Apparently, threatening the medical staff and trying to blackmail the baby while still in the womb to make his exit quickly and painlessly was considered “unbecoming,” or, as Imma put it, screanzato. Unhinged. “No,” Lila signed. “I still don’t think you have the stomach for it.”

“You are loved, darlin’.” I leaned down to kiss her forehead. “Love is overrated.” She swatted me away. “Get rid of them.” “I’ll have them go down to the living room until this is over.” “No.” Lila shook her head adamantly. “I don’t want them in this zip code, Tiernan.” I shot her a flat stare. “I’m a murderer, not a magician. I only know one way to extract people by force.”

“FIND A WAY,” my wife signed.

My baby. He was fucking mine.

I would raise him as my own, and he’d look exactly like me. No one would question his origin. “Gealach, he is beautiful,” I praised, pressing my lips to her sweat-coated forehead. She shuddered under my lips. I pulled back and caressed the damp hair away from her face.

“You did so good. I’m proud of you.” I kissed her mouth, then leaned down to kiss the crown of my son’s head. I looked back at her so she could read my lips, speaking as slowly as I could. “I love you, sweetheart. You fractured my soul and dug so deep into it, you are now ingrained in all that I am, and all that I ever will be. As for our son.” I placed a hand on his tiny shoulder, smiling down at him. “I already love him more than I do anyone else in the world.” But you. She would always come first. Before our son. Before myself.

How did the saying go? If you love someone, let them go. Just make sure you know exactly where their ass is twenty-four seven, because you have deep-rooted trust issues. You put him in charge of her. Forced her to spend time with him on a weekly basis. He was her keeper. After our wedding. At the hospital. The only man who was allowed to stay with her alone.

allowed a beat of silence, just to screw with his nerves, before replying dully, “If you want to prolong your death by making me do a paternity test before killing you, I’m not opposed to that. As long as you’re aware I’d be twice as pissed if I find out you lied on top of raping my wife. And let’s just say I’m already not in a generous mood.” I was never angry. It was a pointless emotion, and I was notoriously stingy with those. But right now, I was sick with rage. Poisoned with the cloying, unfamiliar feeling of helplessness. He hurt her. My own kin.

That, she did. I thought about all the times I left her with him. I’d punch my own face if I wasn’t driving.

eyes. He is your brother. He picked up your pieces when you found your way home. Taught you English. Saved you from offing yourself when you didn’t think life was worth living. Taught you how to find joy in the life you have left. If it wasn’t for him, you’d have killed yourself after killing Igor. You wouldn’t have Lila. Or Nero. This life.

“Tiernan, forgive me. I would’ve never touched a girlfriend of yours. Let alone your wife. Anyone who’s important to you. I’d never done anything like it before. Not ever. I was feeling wild that night. And drunk. So fucking drunk. I was livid with the Camorra for taking out your eye and having the audacity to invite us as guests. I knew the Ferrantes only issued the invitation to show off what they’d done to you. Like you were a circus monkey or something.”

You’re alive because of him. Remember that. I opened my arms, palms up,

my expression tranquil, my posture casual.

“You are absolved. Come and get your forgive...

stood at. “Just like that?” “You saved me when I wanted to kill myself,” I said. “I’ll spare your life this one time. There won’t be a second.”

In the end, he was more of a brother to me than Fintan ever was.

And that if he hadn’t finished him… I’d have done it myself.