The Eraser (Houlihan Men of Dublin Book 1)

Chapter 27

”Pacing isn”t goingto help, Stephen,” Nicola says softly.

I pin her with a glare, pissed at the way she carried on yesterday, beyond angry that she”s here acting like the grieving mother and aunt. ”Nicola,” I warn. She”s pushing her fucking luck.

She wipes her hands on the towel and throws it onto the counter. ”My daughter and niece are missing, Stephen. I”m worried and your pacing isn”t helping.”

”Since when have you been worried about Jess?” I ask, and the anger in my tone can”t be missed. ”Not once since her ma died have you actually given a fuck, Nic. Not fucking once.”

She rears back, looking stricken. You”d think I fucking hit her, the way she”s acting. ”I care about Jessica.”

”Yeah?” I ask sarcastically. ”When was the last time you saw her that didn”t include a family gathering?” I shake my head when she”s unable to respond. ”You knew what Thomas was like. You fucking knew and you didn”t give a fuck about Jess.”

”You hate me. That”s what this is about. You hate me. You have done since Callie was attacked,” she says, her lips trembling and her hands shaking. ”Why?”

”You treated your daughter like shit,” I reply heatedly. ”You were pissed that she never told you about Denis and you treated her like fucking shit. Why? Because you didn”t know. You”re a grown-ass fucking woman, Nicola, and instead of supporting your daughter when she needed you, you turned it all around and made it about how fucking upset you were that you were left out of the loop. She told you she was pregnant, and instead of congratulating her, you asked her what the hell she was thinking. That, Nicola, is why I was pissed off back then. Now, I”m fucking angry that my wife was tortured by her da and you”re acting as though you”re the good aunt, that you give a shit, when the truth of the matter is, unless it directly impacts you, you couldn”t care less.”

I”m fucking done with this conversation. I turn on my heel and storm out of the house. Twenty hours, that”s how long Jess has been gone. Twenty fucking hours of not knowing if she”s alive. I can”t stand around waiting on other people to get me information. I need to be out there, finding her.

”Stephen,” I hear Denis” voice from behind me. ”That anger has been built up a long fucking time.”

I glance at him. ”Was I wrong?”

He shakes his head. ”No, not in the slightest. Nicola is very self-absorbed, especially when it comes to her family. She feels as though she”s the matriarch and should know everything. She”s hurting, as much as you. You think she doesn”t care about Jess, but she does. She was wrong. We”ve all been wrong not to check in with her since her ma died, and knowing what that cunt Thomas has done makes me want to kill him. We fucked up.”

I nod. ”You did. We all fucking did. But Nicola needs to stop her bullshit.” I reach for my keys and hit the unlock button on the key fob. ”I”ve got to go,” I tell him. ”I can”t stay around here any longer.”

”No, we can”t,” Maverick says, joining us. ”I”m surprised,” he tells us. ”I knew the both of you were close to losing your shit, but it took you a long time to explode.”

I roll my eyes. The only reason I kept it in for so long is for Callie and Jess. They”d be upset to know I made Nicola cry.

”Freddie”s just messaged,” he says and my back straightens. Freddie”s been doing what he does best, extracting information. ”He”s been talking with Oisin. Apparently, Oisin”s da spoke about a place Thomas liked to use. We”re heading there now.” Oisin is one of Jer’s men, one that has been with the organization for years, he’s following in his father’s footsteps, his da is close to Thomas.

I nod. ”Let”s go.” I slide into the driver”s side of the car, while Maverick gets into the passenger”s and Denis into the back.

Everyone we called in has arrived in Dublin. The moment they got here, they got to work. Every single one of them are chasing down leads and finding out information. So far nothing has come to fruition. It”s like Thomas has vanished into thin air. It”s beyond frustrating. Never, not fucking once in my life, have I felt as helpless as I have since Jess was taken. I”m out of my depth, struggling to find my balance. I”m fucking lost without her. I never expected to be so fucking grounded by someone, never felt I could love someone. But that all changed with Jessica. The moment I met her I knew she was different. I saw that dark despair in her eyes, but I also saw the light she carries. She”s without a doubt my anchor. The darkness I carry doesn”t touch her, but her light grounds me. Around her, I”m not such a monster. With her at my side, I see a fucking life.

* * *

”Everyone”s here?” I question as I park the car in the cemetery, wondering what the fuck all the Fury Vipers, Gallos and Gallaghers are doing here.

”She”s here, Stephen. Danny checked. He wanted to ensure they were here before we arrived. They are,” Denis says from behind me, his voice tense, his words intentional. He hasn”t told me what Danny saw. He hasn”t said if Jess is okay.

I”m quickly out of the car and stalking toward everyone. The air is thick and the tension is high.

”Stephen,” Danny says, moving toward me, his eyes wild, his teeth locked. ”Look, man?—”

”What”s he done to her?” I demand. I know Danny. I know how he is when he sees women hurt. ”Tell me what the fuck is going on.”

”She”s tied to a table. I could only see that. Da told me to wait back for you to get here.”

I nod. Good, because I”m the one who’s going to kill him. I”ve been waiting for fucking months for this day, and I finally get it. First, I need to check on my wife.

Pyro steps forward, a sickening grin on his face. ”Know it”s not the time to smile, man, but we thought you should know that while the Gallaghers were busy tracking down Thomas, we worked on tracking Fintan O”Leary. You can thank Dario and Kelvin for that, but we have him. We weren”t sure where you wanted him, so he”s on ice at the moment.”

The heaviness that was sitting on my chest slowly starts to dissolve. We have them both, which means once I get my wife out of here, she”ll be safe and will never have to worry about either fucking dickhead again.

”Denis,” I call out, knowing he”ll see to Callie while I find Jess.

”Here,” he says thickly. ”From what Danny says, Callie isn”t injured. Just tied up.”

”But you”ll check that yourself,” I say, knowing that if roles were reversed, I”d want to do that myself.

”I”ll be with you,” Mav says, placing his hand on my shoulder. ”Denis has Callie and we”ll make sure Thomas doesn”t get away.”

”I”ll need you to take him down, Mav,” I say, my voice vibrating with anger. I need to see to my wife.

He squeezes my shoulder, letting me know that he”s got me.

There”s a mausoleum of sorts at the back of the cemetery, and it doesn”t take us long to surround it. Thomas isn”t going to get out of here alive. That motherfucker is going to be in for a world of hurt, and I”m glad I get to be the one to dish it out.

Denis opens the door and I enter, my feet pounding on the concrete steps as I rush down them. When I enter the room, I come to a halt. That motherfucker has my wife”s back on full display. The smell of burning flesh fills the air, and I know he”s burned her again.

”Thomas,” I growl, stepping forward, ”I”m going to enjoy killing you.”

His gaze darts between Denis, Maverick, and I. ”How did you find me?”

”Paddy had a big mouth,” Maverick sneers. ”Talked about this place and how much you liked coming here.”

”That fucking cunt,” Thomas snarls.

”Mav,” I urge, unable to stay back any longer. Jess hasn”t moved since I entered the room. I need to check on her. I need to make sure she”s okay, that she”s alive.

Maverick doesn”t need to be asked again. He moves forward, his fist cocked back, and he lets it fly. He smashes his fist into Thomas” face over and over again while Denis and I move in unison, both going to our wives.

”Little Dancer,” I breathe as I reach her. She”s alive. My heart stutters when I feel her pulse. She”s alive, but she”s in bad shape. That motherfucker burned her back again. She”s going to be in serious pain until it”s healed. I can”t imagine the pain she was in when she had this done the last time. Yet she continued to dance. How the fuck did she manage to do that?

She”s unconscious. The pain is probably too much for her to bear right now. I reach for my knife and slash through the ropes that bind her to the table. She doesn”t stir, not even a groan as I do it. I grit my teeth, trying my hardest not to lose my damn mind.

Denis moves toward me, taking off his jacket and handing it to me. ”Stephen,” he says, his voice hoarse. ”What he”s done?—”

”He”ll pay for it,” I vow. ”I”ve waited months for this, Denis. I”ve been dying to kill this motherfucker since I found out what he did to her. Right now, he can wait. I need to get Jess to a hospital.”

I carefully wrap her in the jacket, ensuring it doesn”t sit on the burn. I don”t want to cause her any more pain. When I have her in my arms, I turn and see Maverick”s knocked Thomas out and he”s sprawled on the floor.

”Let”s go,” Mav says with a dark look. ”The Vipers can take this cunt and put him on ice with Fintan.”

I nod in agreement. We”re all on the same page: Jess needs to come first. Maverick walks ahead of me, while Denis and Callie are behind me. I haven”t even checked on her, and right now, I can”t. My main priority is Jess and it needs to remain that way.

I ignore everyone who”s waiting for us and move to my car. Maverick talks to the men before catching up with me. ”Denis and Callie are going with Danny to the hospital. I”m driving you and Jess. Thomas will be brought to where Fintan is until you”re ready to deal with him.”

I climb into the car, keeping Jess close to me as Maverick slides into the driver”s side.

I hold Jess tight, pressing a kiss to her head. She”s still unconscious and I”m worried. She”s not woken up, not once, and I”m scared. I”m fucking terrified that something is seriously wrong with her. ”I”m so sorry, Little Dancer,” I whisper so that Maverick can”t hear me. ”I”m so fucking sorry.”

I failed her. I fucking promised her that Thomas wouldn”t hurt her again and he did. I couldn”t keep her safe, and now she”s burned.

* * *

”Stephen,” Callie says softly as she steps closer to me. ”Thank you for loving her.”

It”s been fucking hours. Jess was rushed into a room where they tended the burns. She was then rushed into surgery, where she still is now as her nose was broken so badly that it needs reconstructing.

”That cunt hurt her, Callie,” I say through clenched teeth. I”ve not been able to settle, not since they took Jess from me. I don”t know how she is, and I hate not being in the loop. I hate being away from her.

”He did,” she whispers. ”God, he did, Stephen. I couldn”t help her.”

I shake my head. ”You were tied up, Callie girl. There was nothing you could do to help her. Had you tried, he”d have done the same to you.”

She”s silent for a moment, and I know she”s got something to say. I”ve known her for the majority of her life. She”s always been an over thinker. She gives a fuck about everyone, and I know she”ll be hurting because she didn”t check on Jess.

”I didn”t think you could love anyone,” she says softly. ”I didn”t think you were capable of it.”

I inwardly scoff. Just because I don”t tell everyone I love them as she does—which isn”t a bad thing. Callie was the first person to tell me she loved me who truly meant it—it doesn”t mean I”m incapable of it. Though I would have never guessed I was able to either. But Jess changed everything. My entire vision was shifted and now my life is filled with love for her.

”Callie—”

”No,” she says, grinning. ”I was so scared that you”d be unable to love, that you wouldn”t feel the happiness we feel when we let those we love in. But I see I was wrong to worry. You just hadn”t found the person you loved yet.”

”Possibly,” I say, wondering if she”s hurt by me not returning the sentiment. Callie is like a sister to me. She”s the reason my life changed for the better. Her and her family are the reason I”m the man I am today. Without them, I”d probably be in prison. The same with Freddie. Having the O”Haras in our lives was a positive influence that we needed.

”I just wish she didn”t have to deal with the pain that she had to endure from that bastard. That man is a fucking monster, Stephen. He”s the one who had Patty killed. He”s the reason Jess” mam is dead. He”s a bastard, and God forgive me, but I”ll be glad when he”s dead.”

I grin at her. She doesn”t need forgiveness for wishing that piece of shit to be dead. He deserves it. ”Does Jess know Thomas killed Patty?”

She nods. ”She figured it out.”

I close my eyes. Of course she did. My wife”s smart as fuck. She would have realized that her dad was the only person who could have pulled off her ma”s death, especially when he was working with Fintan.

”Mr. Maguire,” I hear the doctor say as he steps through the double doors. ”Your wife”s out of surgery.”

Relief, unlike any I have ever felt, courses through me. ”How is she?” I ask as I get close to him.

”She”s on the road to recovery. It”s going to be a long road. She”s got a lot of healing to do.”

I nod. ”What about the burns? How are they?”

His expression turns dark. ”We understand that her father was abusive. That he”s the reason for the burns.”

I nod. ”Yeah. But don”t worry, Doc, he”ll be dealt with.”

He shakes his head. ”I didn”t hear that. The scars she has are extensive. They were tended to by someone without medical knowledge and your wife”s lucky she didn”t get an infection. That”s our main concern right now. Burns are a breeding ground for an infection, and where your wife”s burns are is a place where there”ll be a lot of movement. We”ll be keeping her here for a while. At least until we can assure that she”s out of the woods.”

I nod once again. ”I appreciate that, Doc. I understand it”ll be hard for her, but will she be in pain?”

His lips purse. ”Yes, she”s in severe pain. She”s heavily medicated and will remain that way until the pain eases.”

”Can I see her?” I ask, needing to be able to see her.

”She”s asleep right now, and she”s in a sterile room. You need to suit up.”

”Thank you,” I say roughly, knowing it”s going to be fucking bad when I see her.

It takes over twenty minutes for me to get ready to go in and see her. Her nose is covered in a bandage. She”s lying on her side, facing me, and she”s asleep. She looks so peaceful, but I know that”s down to the medication. I”m pissed, fucking pissed. I can”t touch her. I can”t give her a kiss and let her know that I”m here. I have to keep some distance between us as she”s highly susceptible to getting an infection.

”I”ll be back, baby. I”m going to make you safe,” I promise her.

I need her to know that she”ll never have to worry about that motherfucker again. I won”t let her be tortured by him again.

”I love you, Little Dancer,” I say thickly, pissed I can”t hold her, but know it”s for her safety. ”Sleep, baby. Let your body heal.”

I leave her hospital room, my heart fucking filled with pain at seeing her in that tiny hospital bed. Christ, she”s my world. My absolution.