The Eraser (Houlihan Men of Dublin Book 1)

Chapter 23

I pullup in front of my farmhouse. It”s eerily similar to the one where I found my da the day I killed him. I hadn”t intended on it being that way. I needed a fucking shit load of acreage and this house came with the land. There are no neighbors for miles, and it”s great as no one can hear my victims scream. That”s the great thing about the countryside. There”s already so many sounds thanks to the wildlife. Having a fucking asshole scream as the wood chipper”s on is just another noise. Of course, if it ever came out that I was killing people here, those who have heard some noises will automatically think that”s what it was. But I have no intention of being caught and I”ll be damned if I go to prison. It won”t happen. I have an exit plan in place if that were to ever arise. We all have one. It”s one of the musts that Jer insists on for us. He has no idea where we”re going, and that”s how it”s to be. But we”ll never use it. There”s no way. I”m too fucking careful when it comes to my craft.

Maverick pulls the cop from the trunk as I stalk toward the wood chipper and switch it on. Over the years, I”ve had many. The blades dull out after so many kills, which makes the killings even sweeter. It”s even more painful as the blades don’t slice straight through like they do when they’re sharp. Unfortunately for this asshole, he”s getting the worst experience as my wood chipper needs to be changed. The blades are duller than they”ve ever been before and I”ve already eyed up my new machine.

”This fucker,” Maverick sighs with disappointment as he comes to stand beside me, throwing the cop onto the grass at our feet. ”He passed out again once he saw the wood chipper. I have to say, Stephen, I don”t think I”ve ever seen anyone pass out from fear before.”

I chuckle. ”You”d be surprised what happens when you”re viewed as the boogeyman.”

I reach for the cop and drag him to his feet. His eyes flutter open, and I see true fear shining brightly in them. He”s terrified. I laugh. He”s not even seen anything yet. He”s going to be in for a world of hurt and has no idea just what is coming to him.

”Where is Thomas Grace?” I growl, my fists clenching around his clothes as I shake him, emphasizing how serious I am.

”Wh—what?” he stutters.

”Thomas Grace,” I repeat. ”Where is he?”

”Please,” he pleads. ”I don”t know. Please, I promise you I don”t know.”

I roll my eyes at his pleas. Surely a man who’s looked into us knows that there”s no pleading for your life? ”Where”s Fintan O”Leary?”

He continues to beg for his life, promising he”ll not say anything, that he”ll leave us be and go far away. I”m not stupid, nor do I believe he”d ever let us be if I were to let him go. No, he”d jump at the chance to use it against us. He was never escaping tonight. No matter what he said, I”d never have let him live.

”He”s useless,” Maverick hisses. ”Utterly fucking useless. He wasn”t working for O”Leary,” he says. ”He was on their payroll, that”s all. He has no valuable information for us.”

I have to agree. A weasel has self-preservation. They”ll tell you everything you want to know in order to save themselves. This fucker has no information so there”s no point in dragging this out any longer.

”Remember when you”re screaming in pain that this is all on you. Had you left well enough alone, you”d be in bed tucked up safely,” I taunt and throw him into the wood chipper. Thankfully, he”s worked out and isn”t heavy, making it easy to put him inside.

I step back and let my machine do its job. I”m shocked. For someone who”s passed out from fear, he”s not screaming. That”s something I have only experienced a few times and usually by men who are criminals.

Maverick chuckles. ”He”s passed out again. Fuck, what a useless prick.”

Well, that”s why there are no screams. He”ll be dead before he”ll wake again. The blades are slicing into his skin, cutting through muscle and cartilage and hacking away at his bones. Blood spurts everywhere, and I know that the way this fucker is going, it”s not going to be an enjoyable kill. I love hearing the screams. It soothes that killer instinct I have.

I”m fixated on the blades as they whirl, pulling pieces of the cop inside the machine with them, then spitting out blood and little pieces, all of which are being collected in a clear plastic tarp that”ll be burned once I”m finished. He”s missing an arm and both of his legs. Soon, all of him will be inside, but it takes time. I”m a patient man. The way this method is means I have to be. Not that I”m complaining.

”Fucking useless,” Maverick hisses once again a while later. ”That was a fucking let down.”

When people look at Maverick and I, they see a man who is filled with darkness and is a killer. Everyone can see that from one look at me. But with Mav, he”s got an easy smile, bright eyes, and is constantly joking. It”s who he is. He grew up in a happy home. His parents were the best you could get. He didn’t plan to become the man he is today, but there are things that change a man. Having a fucking animal put his hands on your sister and put her in hospital, stalk her, and try to burn her alive is what set Maverick off. It was those events that made him kill. He ended that bastard”s life and made sure his sister was safe. No one could ever fault him for that. But he got a taste of death and it”s a hard thing to get rid of. It was then that Maverick turned into a monster. Yet no one would ever expect it when they look at him.

”So, are you going to talk to Denis?” I ask, loud enough to be heard over the whir of the machine and the sound of flesh being torn and bones being crunched.

”Yeah, but only when you tell everyone you”re married.”

I roll my eyes. He”s like a fucking child. ”I”ll speak with Jess. I know she”ll never admit it, but she feels abandoned by your ma and sister.”

He shoves both of his hands in his hair. ”I know,” he sighs. ”It”s fucked up. Both of them promised her they”d be there for her and neither of them have been. Chloe always tried to be there, but Jess wouldn”t let her in.”

I nod. ”Chloe had her own ma to deal with, then being kidnapped in America. That shit was fucked up and it scarred her. I get that Jess didn”t want to add more horror to her life.”

Jess is sweet as fuck. She always worries about other people rather than herself. She”ll put people before her own needs. It”s what she”s done most of her life, especially since her ma died. Her da is a fucking piece of shit and deserves to burn in Hell for what he”s done to her, and I”m glad that I”m the man who gets to deliver that pain and punishment to him.

”Still, Callie and Chloe are going to be upset,” Mav says. ”Chloe especially.”

”Chloe will understand,” I assure him. She”ll know exactly what Jess is feeling and she”ll understand why she wasn”t told. Callie and Nicola, on the other hand, they”re the ones who are going to have a hard time dealing with everything. They are also the ones who are going to piss me the fuck off if they do anything to upset Jess.

”As I said, the sooner you get it out in the open, the better.”

I nod. ”I know, but it”s Jess” trauma, Mav. She needs to be comfortable sharing that experience, not us.”

I never told anyone about what my da did to me, nor did I tell anyone what happened with my ma. Sure, Nicola and Eric guessed what was happening, but I never gave them the rundown of what occurred. I just never wanted to open that wound. To this day, I”ve never told anyone, and I doubt I ever will. Which is probably why I understand waiting for Jess to be comfortable to tell her story, rather than for us to tell others.

”You know I”ll do whatever you say, but I know my ma and sister. They”re already chomping at the bit to find out what the fuck”s going on with you. I know they”re going to be pissed and hurt that you got married without them. I”m not sure that”s something either of them will be able to forgive right away.”

”Nothing for them to forgive,” I say simply. ”Look, Mav, I get it. They”re your family. And while I appreciate everything your parents have done for me, I won”t ever put them ahead of Jess.” That’s never going to happen. ”She”s my wife and she”s been through hell and back, and your parents did not once check in on her, their niece. I won”t allow her to be hurt again, and your parents and Callie could do that to her. So, you”ve got to lay off this shit. When Jess is ready, we”ll announce our marriage. Until then, we”ll wait.”

His silence is more than enough for me to know that he doesn”t agree with my words, but he”s not arguing, which means he”ll do as I have asked. I respect him a fucking lot, and I know that as much as he doesn”t agree with it, he”ll never betray me, not even to his family.

It takes another forty minutes before the cop’s body finally finishes going through the wood chipper. It”ll take a little while longer until I”m able to go home as I”ve got shit to burn and clean. ”Mav, you can take the car and go,” I tell him. There”s no point in us both waiting around.

”Shut up,” he fires back. ”You”re a dick,” he says with a laugh. ”I”m helping, so just stop with the shit.”

I shrug. ”Fine, do whatever you want, but don”t bitch when you”re bored.”

I move to one of the many outhouses I have and reach for a steel barrel I have in there. It”s old and has been used more times than I can count. It takes me around ten minutes to have it in place and start a raging fire. This time of night is normal for people to burn shit, especially in the countryside, especially when they have made people pay for their recycling waste. A lot of farmers and landowners now burn things to keep costs down, so the smell of plastic burning is normal around these parts.

Once the fire in the barrel is raging, I reach for the plastic tarp that”s got all the shit the wood chipper spat out. I roll it up into a ball and throw it into the barrel. The second the plastic hits the heat, the fire burns brighter and hotter. I glance over and see that Maverick”s got the hose out and is washing down the machine. We”ll get out of here a fucking lot earlier than I had anticipated thanks to his help. Good, it means I can get home quicker and fuck my wife.

* * *

Entering my home, I see Jer and Freddie already standing, ready to leave.

”See you later, man,” Freddie says with a grin. ”Jess is asleep. She was worried about you.”

I nod. ”Thanks,” I say roughly. I”m jazzed. I”m always like this after a kill, when the dead is done, everything is cleaned up, then the buzzed feeling begins. Before, I”d work out in the gym or find someone to fuck, then I met Jess and I”d just watch her instead. It became my fix. Now, I have her and she”s my wife, I fuck the jazzed feeling out of me.

Jer and Freddie leave, and I lock up behind them. Once I”ve checked the house is secure, I make my way to our bedroom. As I slowly open the door, a mischievous grin spreads across my face as I catch sight of my beautiful wife lying naked on the bed. The soft glow from the lamp in the corner illuminates her flawless form, highlighting every curve and dip of her delectable body. With each step I take, my cock aches, straining against my zipper. She’s lying on her stomach, her perfect ass on display, ready for me.

I remember the first time I came home to find her sleeping like this. Without hesitation, I took her with a fierce possessiveness that surprised even me. At first, she was startled when she woke up, but it only took seconds for her to surrender to the pleasure and join in. It was beyond anything I could have ever imagined. It was fucking amazing. But tonight, will be even better—she is fast asleep and ready for me. My wife has grown so much since coming here to live with me, both in confidence and beauty. I can”t help but admire how stunning she looks at this moment.

Stepping closer to the bed, I quickly strip out of my clothes before climbing onto the mattress beside her. Unable to resist any longer, I trail my fingers along her slick folds, reveling in the way she responds to my touch. But as much as I enjoy pleasuring her, right now all I can think about is fucking her—hard and deep.

With a firm grip on her thighs, I position myself between her legs and guide my throbbing cock to her entrance. The moment I sink into her tight, wet heat, a guttural groan escapes from my throat. I thrust hard and fast, my cock bottoming out inside of her. Christ, this is it. This is what I want, what I love. She’s moaning lightly in her sleep, on the edge of sleep and awareness. As I pull back, she pushes her ass back against my cock, pulling it into her pussy once again. I release yet another low, guttural growl as her pussy clenches around my cock.

I need more, a fucking lot more. I want to see her eyes when she wakes. I pull out of her, my finger replacing my cock, thrusting into her hot, wet pussy as I turn her onto her back. Her breasts bounce as I move her, and I lean forward, capturing one of her nipples between my teeth.

Once she’s in position, I release her nipple and remove my fingers from her pussy. Then I reposition my cock at her entrance and slam into her. “Christ,” I growl.

The sound of my voice stirs her from sleep, her eyes flickering open to take in the sight of me above her. A soft gasp escapes from her lips as she feels me entering her, her hands instinctively reaching out to clutch at the sheets beneath us. Even in her half-asleep state, she moves with me, matching my rhythm as I slowly thrust deeper into her welcoming warmth. The pleasure is intense, consuming me entirely.

My fingers dig into the soft flesh of her hips, pulling her closer to my body. With each stroke, I can feel myself getting closer to climax, the pressure building within me until it”s almost unbearable. But I am not ready yet. I want to savor this moment with her, drawing out the pleasure for as long as possible.

Her body arches beneath mine, a soft moan escaping her lips as she reaches up to tangle her fingers in my hair. With a sudden hunger, I lean down and capture her lips with mine, swallowing her gasps and moans as our tongues intertwine. The taste of her only fuels my desire further, pushing me towards the edge faster than I”d like.

Her nails dig into my back as she clings to me tighter, sharing in the intensity of the moment. The sight of her beneath me—flushed with desire and basking in the pleasure I”m giving her—pushes me over the edge. I can’t hold back. I thrust harder into her, and that’s all it takes to send us both over the edge. She shudders against me, my name ripping from her lips in a plea. Planting my head in the crook of her neck, I groan long and low as I unload inside of her.

Fuck, it gets better and better every time I’m with her.

Gently, I pull out of her before collapsing beside her on the bed. Our heavy breathing fills the stillness of the room, creating a soft rhythm that’s lulling Jess back to sleep. I keep my gaze on her, wanting to drink in every inch of her, memorizing the way she looks in this moment. Her face bears a look of pure bliss, her cheeks flushed and eyelashes fluttering slightly as she drifts off to sleep.

I carefully slide closer to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into me. She snuggles into my chest instinctively, her body fitting perfectly against mine. I press a kiss onto the crown of her head. I fucking love this woman. There’s no doubt about it. I love her.

As I listen to the sound of her steady breathing slowing down, I realize how damn lucky I am to have her. Still holding tightly on to her, my eyes lose focus on the woman within my arms before drowsiness finally claims me under its inevitable spell. Tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow, we’ll try once again to find her da.