Chapter Thirty Two Quin
A fter I got down to the docks, Callum walked over to meet me. To my surprise, our uncle Seamus was with him. “Jaysus, look what the cat dragged in,” I mused with a smile.
He grinned. “I’ve not been stateside for more than a day and have to come bail you guys out.”
“Bullshit,” Callum mused.
Shortly before Caterina’s kidnapping, Seamus had gone back to Belfast to work with the Kavanaugh clan there. With only Eamon left in Ireland with Mam and Maeve, there wasn’t a real presence to unify the Belfast and Boston clans. He’d also worked on further connections by traveling to Moscow to find us some Russian allies as well as going back to Sicily.
After I exchanged a hug with Seamus, he pulled away to wink at me. “I’ve got several lasses lined up for potential marital alliances. All tried and true Belfast gals. Although if you’d prefer, there’s several Sicilian gals we could work with, too.”
His words had the same effect as if he punched me in the stomach or kicked me in the balls. “Surely this explosion is far more important than marrying Quinn off,” Callum remarked.
I threw a grateful look his way to which he nodded. Seamus, however, was undaunted. “As precarious as everything is at the moment, it’s as good a time as ever to mention it.”
Thankfully, the head of the port authority strolled up then. After speaking with him, we reached out to our contacts in the police and media to ensure it was kept as quiet as possible. We alerted the Nerettis of what had gone down. Rafe said he would be down in the morning to meet with us about Mikita.
Once we’d done everything we could at the docks, we headed home. On the way, I opened up the app for Isla’s security system. A quick glance showed me she’d arrived home safe and sound.
When we got home, I went upstairs and took a shower. I threw on a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. I didn’t expect to get much sleep, but I did lie down anyway.
I woke up shortly before eight to the smell of bacon. With my stomach grumbling, I headed downstairs to see what Lorna had prepared. I found Dare already at the table with a heaping plate.
“Why weren’t you at the docks last night?” I questioned.
“I was at a business dinner with members from the gaming commission.”
“Until two am?”
With a wicked gleam in his eyes, he replied, “One of the commissioners invited me home for a nightcap.”
“I hope you rocked her world enough to get the green light for the casino.”
“Of course, I did,” he replied.
I chuckled as I made my way into the kitchen to fix my plate. Callum was almost finished preparing his while Lorna was toiling over some beige concoction. “What the hell is that?”
“Oatmeal. It’s the only thing poor Caterina can keep down in the mornings.”
“It looks disgusting.”
“It’s like some of the porridges back home,” Callum remarked.
“Poor thing,” I muttered as I began filling my plate.
When I got back to the dining room, Seamus had appeared as well. I sat down next to him. I picked up my fork and dug in.
As a woman’s scream pierced the quiet, my fork froze midway to my mouth. Callum’s silverware clattered on his plate as he shot out of his chair. It tumbled over in his hot pursuit out of the dining room to check on Caterina. Dare and I hurried to follow him.
Owen appeared in the hallway. “You have to come right now. There’s a girl screaming for you.”
“Isla?”
He shook his head. “But she looks like her.”
“Fuck. It’s Brooke.”
“What the hell is her sister doing here?” Dare asked.
“I have no idea.”
When I opened the door, I recoiled back at the sight of Kellan standing with a wailing Henry in his arms while Brooke sobbed on her knees.
I knelt down beside her. “Brooke, what’s happened?”
At the sound of my voice, Brooke jerked her head up. “Is she here?”
“No. Why?”
Her sobs came harsher. “No, oh God, no.”
“Where’s Isla?”
“I don’t know. She didn’t come home this morning, and she’s not answering her phone.”
Icy fear poured over me before twisting in my chest and making it difficult to breathe.
“Come on inside.”
When I raised up, Henry stretched his arms out to me. “Come here, Little Man,” I said, taking him. Without me asking, Kellan bent down to sweep Brooke into his arms.
Once Kellan eased her onto the couch, Brooke curled into a fetal position, her body wracked with sobs.
Nodding at her, Dare said, “I’ll call Dr. Feany to bring a sedative.”
“Good thinking.”
As I pulled up the security feed to Isla’s house, I ran my hand over Henry’s back. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay,” I murmured for him, but at the same time, I needed it myself.
Callum and Caterina appeared in the doorway. After surveying the scene, Callum asked, “What’s going on?”
“Isla’s missing.”
As Caterina gasped, Callum demanded, “For how long?”
“Since her shift ended.” I shook my head. “Since the security feed showed someone coming in when she should have, I didn’t realize anything had happened.”
“It was me,” Brooke croaked.
“What?”
“I was the one on the security footage.” She pulled herself into a sitting position.
“What the fuck were you doing outside at three am?”
When my words and tone caused Brooke to wince and then start crying again, Caterina went over to the couch to sit beside her. Instead of waiting for her to answer, I sped up the feed. As soon as she appeared, I slowed it down.
At the sight of flame and then curling smoke, I cocked my brows at Brooke. She swiped her eyes. “I needed something to relax.”
Glancing down at Henry, I said, “Isn’t that bad for him?”
“I stopped breastfeeding when school started.”
“What about your scholarship?”
She rolled her eyes. “They don’t do random testing.”
“Regardless, I think you know how Isla would feel about this.”
At the mention of her sister, I expected Brooke to start crying again, but instead, rage burned in her eyes. “Fuck you, Quinn. We both know you’re the reason Isla is missing.”
“Excuse me?”
She jabbed a finger at me. “Whatever happened to her is because of you and your dirty business!”
“I’m going to do everything within my power to get her back.”
She jerked free from Caterina and lunged off the couch. “So help me God if Isla’s dead, I’ll kill you.” She shoved my chest. “Did you hear me? I’ll kill you!”
As she broke down into sobs, I handed Henry off to Kellan. I then pulled Brooke into my arms. “I hate you. I hate you. I hate you!” she screamed, beating her fists against my chest.
When Owen took a step forward like he might take her, I growled at him. “No one touches her. Not even if she draws fucking blood. You got me?”
“Yes, sir.”
After screaming her throat raw and punching and smacking me until her energy was depleted, Brooke finally collapsed in my arms. Bending down, I swept her off her feet. “I’m taking her to my room.”
As Callum nodded, Caterina rose off the couch. “I’ll stay with her, so you can find Isla.”
“Thank you,” I murmured.
Dare jerked his chin at Henry who slept in Kellan’s arms. “What about him?”
“Owen, take two soldiers with you and go to Isla’s house. Pack up all the baby shit you can find and get Brooke some things. Whatever else they need, we’ll order in when Brooke is conscious again. They’re staying here with us indefinitely.”
“Yes, sir.”
When Owen left, I met Callum’s gaze. “I suppose you think I should’ve asked you first if it was okay?”
He shook his head. “I’ll do whatever you ask of me to bring Isla home.”
Unable to find the right words, I merely nodded. As I started up the stairs with Brooke in my arms, Seamus and Callum fell instep behind me. “It’s Mikita, isn’t it?” I questioned.
“I’m afraid so. He’s our only true threat at the moment–the only one stupid enough to do something so brazen,” Seamus replied.
After I slipped into my bedroom, I eased Brooke down on the bed. Caterina came in and went around the other side of the bed. She climbed up on the mattress to sit next to Brooke.
I motioned for the men to leave. When we got out in the hall, I asked, “But isn’t kidnapping Isla an odd choice of retaliation? It goes against everything with the explosion and the shipments. Those were specifically targeted to our business. Isla has nothing to do with all of that except she’s my girlfriend.” When Callum and Seamus exchanged a look, I demanded, “What?”
Seamus sighed. “Do you remember the night you called me about looking into Terrance Manning’s past?”
“What the fuck does he have to do with any of this?”
“I told you he had underworld connections. With the time constraints you gave me, I couldn’t unearth all of his connections.”
I swallowed hard. “Terrance and Mikita were in business together?”
“Aye.”
“So this is personal.”
“Very.”
I staggered back until I banged into the wall. My mind could barely wrap around the type of torture Mikita might inflict on Isla to get back at me. My chest constricted at the thoughts of her being hurt.
Physically
Sexually
“I’ll tear him apart,” I growled.
Callum brought his hand to my shoulder. “We’ll help you, brother.”