THE CALLAHANS (A Mafia Romance): The Complete 5 Books Series (32 page)

Killian

I took a long swallow from the thermos of coffee Stacy packed for me.

“Want some?”

Sean shook his head.

“Why are you here?”

He shook his head again.

“You were always such a chatterbox.”

“How could I be a chatterbox when you were always chattering?”

“Oh, he talks!”

Sean reached into the console and picked up the bottle of water sitting there.

“I came because Pops asked me to. He didn’t want any of us alone. Ian’s with Kyle and Pops is driving Kevin back to Florida. He doesn’t want him up here because he’s the last one of us still not knee deep in this stuff.”

“You were, too, once upon a time.”

“I don’t mind helping out. Mom would want this.”

“No, she wouldn’t. She’d want you to go to New York or Chicago and join some respectable law firm. She’d want you to have a happy, healthy life.”

Sean’s jaw tightened. “I don’t know. I think she accepted that this was our way of life. I think she knew we would all end up working for Jack someday.”

“What makes you say that?”

Sean shrugged. “I talked to her a few times before she died. She said things…I think she wanted us to rally around Pops and keep him safe.”

“She was sick, Sean. She wasn’t always clear in her thinking.”

“She was clear enough.”

Now I was the one shaking my head. “You were her baby. She wouldn’t want you involved.”

“I’m a grown man. I can make my own choices.”

I dragged my fingers through my hair, turning my attention back to the street. We were watching the address Jack had given us for the hitman. A search of local hospitals, vet offices, and clinics didn’t turn up anything. The guy must have managed to get his nose back into place on his own.

But he’d have to come home eventually.

“Why did Stacy think you killed her fiancé?”

“Because I wasn’t there watching over her that night like I should have been.”

“Why not?”

“Does it matter?”

Sean shrugged. “At least you were finally smart enough to tell her how you felt.”

“You knew?”

I stared at him, a little surprised. But I shouldn’t have been. Sean was always aware of what was going on around him, more so than everyone else in the family was. He wasn’t always this quiet and pensive, but he was always a people watcher, observant.

“Mom knew, too. She commented on it once and said something to the effect that she hoped you would be patient.”

“I was afraid to admit my own feelings because of her, but she knew?”

“She knew everything. She was the smartest woman I knew.”

That was true. Mom always seemed to know everything, always seemed to have what was needed exactly when it was needed, whether it was a good piece of advice or a twenty-dollar bill.

I missed my mom.

“Stacy’s refusing to talk to Pops. He’s called a dozen times since this morning, but she won’t talk to him.”

“She’ll come around,” Sean said.

“I hope so.”

I was worried about her, to be honest. She was consumed with what Jack told her about Davis. We talked about it for hours, but she continued to be agitated, pacing the house, refusing to listen to anything I had to say. And I didn’t dare bring up Pops. She was so angry with him for trying to apologize…I didn’t know if that would ever be resolved. There was just too much under the bridge there.

I just wanted my family to be whole, my wife to be okay in the same room with my dad, and for us to be capable of family gatherings without tears and screaming and frustration.

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

“They must have seen something,” I said, tugging it out and pulling up the text screen. It was definitely from Ian, but there was nothing yet. He was just checking in.

“This is going to be a long night. I should go get us something to eat.”

I nodded. “Do you want me to ask them what they want?”

“They can fend for themselves.”

I watched Sean go, slipping out of the car and walking quickly down the street, trying not to draw attention to himself.

I leaned back and closed my eyes, wondering why the hell I was here. We weren’t going to find this guy until he came after me again. He was a ghost. It was his job to be a ghost. That’s why he was still alive.

I still couldn’t quite wrap my mind around the fact that Stacy had hired someone to kill me. She thought I killed Davis. I could understand that. But I couldn’t understand how she could hate me so much that she wanted me dead. She gave herself to me, knowing that when all was said and done, I would be dead.

I wanted to forgive her, but I was struggling. I didn’t want her to know that, but I just couldn’t breathe when I thought about it. I looked at her, and my heart hurt. I loved her so much, but now I wasn’t even sure I could trust her. She said she loved me, but was that just a trick? Was she really past all of this? Did the truth really change anything?

I had to believe it did.

I knew, at the end of the day, that none of it really mattered. I loved her. I wasn’t going to leave her, so if she still wanted me dead, I’d be dead. That was all there was to it.

I heard a noise and…

Stacy

Killian was out looking for his would-be killer. I was sitting on the couch, staring at the television, but not really absorbing it. All I could think about was all the things that could go wrong.

I didn’t think I could live through another one of those phone calls.

I got up, went to the kitchen, and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. I should eat—I hadn’t eaten all day—but I couldn’t make myself do it.

Davis lied to me. Everything was a lie.

It all seemed so obvious now. There was one night, early in our relationship, we were on the couch, and I started to climb onto his lap. He was aroused, I know he was. But he lifted me up and sat me on the edge of the cushion, quickly moving away from me.

“I have an early class in the morning,” he said.

“So stay the night here. My apartment is closer to the school, anyway.”

“I’d love to, but don’t you think it’s a little soon?”

“It’s been two months. Some people start sleeping together the night they meet.”

“I’m sorry, Stacy. Not tonight.”

I’d been hurt. I thought there was something about me. He brought me flowers the next morning and swore that it was exhaustion talking rather than desire. I believed him. But now? He was married. He clearly didn’t want to cheat on his wife and that, I suppose, was commendable. But it was a red flag that I clearly missed.

How many other things had I missed? How many other clues were there that I didn’t see, clues that could have saved my family and me all this heartache? How many clues were there that could have kept me from hiring that killer in the first place, that could have saved Killian from suffering the bullet wound in his shoulder, the cuts on his body, the struggle that lay ahead of him tonight?

This was all my fault. I put the blame on Pops, but it was clearly all my fault.

I had to do something. I couldn’t just sit here and wait for word.

I grabbed my keys and had my hand on the doorknob. I screamed when I yanked the door open and found Pops standing there.

“Sorry,” he said, raising his hands. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“Is something wrong?”

I could see it in the way his gaze fell from my face. Something was wrong.

“No. Not again. I can’t—”

“He’s alive, Stacy. We just…things are complicated.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“He’s in trouble. I need you to go to the house and stay with Cassidy. I need to know you’re safe while we deal with this situation.”

“No. I’m going with you.”

“Stacy—”

“He’s my husband. I won’t stand on the sidelines while he fights for his life!”

He studied my face for a long moment, and then he nodded, biting back a small smile. “Okay. But you stay by my side.”

I brushed past him and climbed into the car. When he didn’t immediately follow, I called back to him.

“Do you need an engraved invitation?”

Killian

He shattered the window next to my head, stunning me. If not for that, I would have been able to fight him off. Not only did he break the window and knock me in the head, but also he had a Taser.

When I was able to move again, I was suspended from a beam in the center of his renovated apartment. Nice furniture. He’d laid down plastic tarps to protect the carpets and the couches.

“Welcome back,” he said.

“Sorry about the nose.”

He touched the edges of his swollen nose. “Not the first time it’s been broken.”

“Yeah? Never broke my nose. Broke about everything else, though.”

His eyebrows rose as he eyed me. “I’ve broken all my ribs, both my legs, and my right arm.”

“Impressive.”

He shrugged. “So, I sent word to your father. The cavalry should come soon.”

“Why haven’t you killed me?”

“Because your woman has gotten me caught up in the middle of something I don’t quite understand. I was hoping if I had you, I’d find out what this is all about.”

“We were hoping you knew what this is all about.”

“All I know is that your wife contacted me, hired me to kill you on her cue. Just before she sent the text telling me to kill you, someone else wired twice the money to my account that she’d paid and said that she would change her mind, but I should continue with the contract anyway.”

“Who was it?”

He shrugged. “Hell if I know. I’ve worked a dozen times for Jack McGuire. But this wasn’t him.”

“Was it my father?”

“No. But it’s kind of sad you would think so.”

I would have shrugged, but my arms were caught over my head, tied with rope. I twisted my wrists, trying to test the rope, but it was so tight I wasn’t getting out of there any time soon.

“Whoever it was, he knew who I was, and he knew all about your wife’s contract.” He shrugged for me. “My guess? The guy is someone in-the-know with your family.”

“My father thinks we have a mole.”

“Very possible. I heard there was a kidnapping some time ago, too. Not to mention your little wife’s fiancé.”

“We know you did that.”

“Yeah. Guy was an Italian spy. I would have taken him out for free, but Jack insisted on paying me.”

“You know Jack well?”

“I’ve known him for years. Like I said, I’ve done a number of jobs for him.”

“He trusted you to do this thing with Davis?”

“He’s trusted me to do most of his top secret kills.”

“Do you realize that he’s the one that told us how to find you?”

The hitman shrugged. “There’s no loyalty in the mafia.”

He walked closer to me, his eyes moving slowly over the length of me. He grabbed the front of my shirt and ripped it open, exposing my tattoos.

“Been to the county jail a few times.”

He wasn’t asking. He was observing. His fingers moved slowly over my tats, touching the ones that interested him the most. Then he snagged his finger under the top corner of the bandage Stacy put on the cut he’d given me that morning and he ripped it away, tearing a little bit of flesh along with it.

I watched him, curious what he was up to.

I didn’t have to wait long.

He picked up a baseball bat and slammed it into my ribs. I grunted, but controlled myself enough that I didn’t scream. He hit me again, and I felt two ribs break that time.

“Can’t send you home to that pretty little wife without a few marks.”

I just stared at him, refusing to give him the satisfaction of my pain.

He raised his bat again. “Tell me who wants you dead.”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t tell you, but we don’t know either.”

“Whoever he is, he’s put my ass in a fucking sling.”

He swung the bat again, slamming it hard against my upper thigh. I bit my lip hard, drawing blood, but I didn’t scream.

“I had a good gig going with Jack. This guy made it look like I was working both sides of the game. He made Jack think I was working with the Italians.”

He thrust the tip of the bat into my stomach, forcing the air out of my lungs.

“Jack sent you after me so that you would kill me. He thinks I’m a fucking traitor!”

He swung the bat again, making contact with my hip.

“I’m the one you’re supposed to kill! How the hell would I know who hired you?”

“He wants you dead. He must be someone who knows you. Someone you crossed.”

“I’ve crossed a lot of fucking people,” I said, spitting on the tarp under my feet. It was tinged with blood.

“You better start thinking quickly, man. Because when I’m done with you, I’m going to start on your pretty wife.” He raised his bat again, but then he got this sort of dreamy look in his eye. “She’s a sexy little thing. I’m going to have a lot of fun with her.”

“You stay away from her!” I tried to reach him, tried to kick at him with my dangling feet, but he was standing just out of the way. “I will skin you alive if you touch her.”

“That’ll be fun to see because you’ll be dead.”

I reached for him again, straining my legs, but he was still out of reach. But his bat wasn’t. He slammed it down on my ankle as I raised my foot. This time I couldn’t help but cry out as pain sliced through me. I leaned forward, the strain on my shoulders almost overwhelming. I hurt everywhere. My ribs, my thigh, my belly, my ankle, my shoulders. But I couldn’t show him my weakness. I had to stay alert for Stacy.

“Tell me who’s behind this, or I will kill you and I’ll go after Stacy at your house. Do you understand?”

I just spat again.

He moved up close, grabbing my jaw in one powerful grip. “I’ll wait until she goes to bed and then I’ll crawl in beside her. By the time she realizes I’m not you, I’ll have her pinned to the mattress, a knife against her throat. She’ll do everything I ask of her. Absolutely everything.” He breathed heavily against my face. “Has she ever given you a blow job, brother? Ever swallowed for you? She’ll swallow for me.”

And then he laughed.

I was blind with rage. I didn’t even think about it. I wrapped my legs around his waist and slammed my forehead into his broken nose. He screamed as blood burst all over my chest, his chest, and the plastic tarps on the floor. And then I slammed my forehead against him again and again until he passed out. I let him go, watched him crumple into a heap.

But that didn’t solve my immediate problem. I was still hanging from the ceiling with ropes that were tied so tight that I could no longer feel my fingers.