Chapter Thirty-Five
Mac
The space is dark and dingy, and the stool where my ass is currently parked has old, cracked vinyl, which makes it uncomfortable.
The smell of smoke hangs thick in the air, and the bar in front of me is a light brown.
Drinks litter the top of it, sitting in front of other patrons.
My hands are soaked in sweat, my head is spinning, and my eyes are locked on the glass of my favorite whiskey sitting in front of me.
There’s a large glass jar behind the bar.
It’s for people to drop their AA chip in once they take that first sip.
Mine still burns a hole in the pocket of my jeans.
I’ve been sitting here staring at this glass for the better part of an hour.
The condensation on the glass and the amber liquid scream at me to pick up the glass and throw it back.
I’m only resisting by the final shreds of self control that are barely hanging on.
The longer I sit here, the more the last strands left stretch.
They’re about to snap. I can feel it, but I’m powerless to stop it.
My brothers and Davis are blowing my phone up, but they all sit unanswered.
My plan was simple. I was going to see Lee off, then sit in front of the same doors I do every time someone I love is back in surgery.
It was foolproof, until they told me that I couldn’t and had to move.
It didn’t matter how much weight my last name carried or how many threats I threw around; I still wasn’t allowed to sit there.
So I stormed out of the hospital, and wouldn’t you know it; there’s a bar just a few doors down from the building where my big brother and the woman I’m in love with are being cut open.
The bell hanging over the door rings like it has a few times since walking in here.
Like every other time, I ignore it and continue to stare at my drink.
The ‘far too happy to be at work’ bartender walks over as two men take a seat on either side of me, but I’m too focused on the drink in front of me to even look at them.
“What can I get you guys?”
The bartender is a younger guy, maybe a year or two older than me. He has on jeans and a black shirt with a rag draped over his shoulder. At least that’s what he looked like when I ordered my drink. I haven’t checked up since he sat it down.
“Yeah, you can get that glass of whiskey away from my fucking brother.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stand. Fuck, that’s Rowan.
The man on the other side gently grips my shoulder, and I already know it’s Kieran.
Slowly I bring my eyes to Roe. I know I’m going to find anger and disappointment shining in them, but surprisingly when my eyes latch onto him, I see nothing but pride. Is he okay?
“I– I didn’t. I swear– I thought about it. Hell, I almost did. But I couldn’t do it.”
“I know. Come on, let’s get out of here.” I don’t fight him when he puts his hand on the back of my neck or when he guides me out of the bar into the bright light and fresh air of Jersey City.
“I’m so sorry. They kicked me out. They said I couldn’t sit by the door. Roe, I always sit by the door.” My voice is coming out panicked, but I can’t help it.
“I know. It’s okay.” He pulls me into his arms as I try to steady my breathing.
“We have two options here, Mac. You can pull your phone out and call Davis. If that’s what you need, I want you to do that. But if you don’t, we have Matteo in the warehouse.”
I pull back from his embrace and search his eyes for any sign he’s lying. He’s not.
“Let’s go. I’ll call Davis on the way to let him know what happened and that I’m okay and with you guys now. I have to be back before she gets out, though.”
“You’ll be back in time. I promise.”
I look over to Kieran, who has just quietly listened to everything going down.
“I’ll make sure of it, M. I swear.”
Sliding into the backseat of my Jeep after handing Rowan the keys, I fish my phone out of my pocket. Before I can talk myself out of it, I press the name that I’m positive is about to hold me accountable. He answers on the first ring, of course he does.
“Where are you?” He rushes out in a panic.
“In my Jeep.” I exhale as much as I can, trying to get a grip back on my control.
“What about before that?”
“I was in the bar next door— but I didn’t drink.” I rush out.
“Good, that’s good, kid.”
Good?!
“I beg to differ, none of that was fucking good. Do you know how many times I reached out to that glass?” My voice rises the longer I talk. My body is barreling straight for full panic mode.
“How many times did you bring the glass to your mouth?”
“What? None, I told you I didn’t drink anything.”
Is he even listening?
“Right, so when I say good, I mean good. Mac, you’re barely six months sober, and you just fought temptation in the most tempting place for you to be.
Do you know how rare that type of self control is?
Don’t get me wrong, next time pick up the fucking phone and call me, but you being in the belly of the beast and coming out unscathed is a good thing. ”
“I guess you’re right. But I’m not testing the self control theory again. It was a near fail, and I can’t do that to myself again.” I run my hand through my hair as my heart rate starts to settle.
“That’s perfectly fine with me, kid.” He laughs. “So, where are you going? Do you want me to come with you?”
“I’m with my brothers.”
“Got it, so I need to keep my ass in this hospital chair. Done.”
Davis knows who I am, who my family is. You’d have to be completely dense not to know us.
We have a strict don’t ask, don’t tell policy, and it works well for us.
I hang up the phone after promising him that I’m okay and that I’ll be back up at the hospital as soon as possible.
Now it’s time to focus on giving my girl the peace she needs by taking care of this monster.
* * *
The warehouse is exactly what it sounds like.
It’s an old rundown building in the more industrial part of town.
There’s no one out here to get in your business or to hear people beg for mercy that we never show them.
Following my older brothers into the building that’s completely opened and bare aside from a section where Kieran’s tools sit.
The Italian man we’ve been searching for months for is hanging from the ceiling by cuffs hooked to metal chains that run up and over an industrial beam.
His head hangs low, telling us he’s either asleep, passed out, or dead. I walk up to him and kick his leg with the toe of my Vans. He grunts but otherwise doesn’t make a noise. Typically this isn’t my scene, but he hurt my woman, so I’m going to have fun with this one.
Walking away from him, I turn to the table of tools and catch my brothers standing back with their arms crossed. They’re watching to make sure I keep my shit together.
Spoiler alert: I’m not.
Picking up a metal bat, I toss it from one hand to the other, testing out the weight.
Deciding that this is what I want to start with, I make my way back over to Matteo and hear Kieran whisper ‘oh shit’ to Rowan.
I haven’t gotten to swing a baseball bat in years, but make no mistake, I won the ‘Baseball America High School Player of the Year’ award my senior year in high school.
Some things just come back to you on instinct.
Rolling my shoulders, I set my stance perfectly.
When I’m ready, my front shoulder tilts down, my back shoulder comes up slightly, I keep my weight in my back hip, and I put every ounce of aggression and pain that I’ve held onto for fifteen years into this swing.
The bat cracks against his hip with a satisfying crunch of bone.
Matteo howls as his head comes up and the look of pure evil is plastered on his face.
“Morning, Sunshine.” Giving him my best boy next door smile, I swing the bat again, hitting him in the exact same spot.
He curses in Italian before yelling, “Byrne, what the fuck? Stop your psycho brother.” He’s looking over my shoulder, I guess at Rowan.
“Oh no, Matteo. You’ve been mistaken. This is my psycho brother.” I don’t even have to turn around to know he either pointed at or gestured to Kieran. “That is my brother who just got his hands on the man who hurt his girl for years.”
Matteo looks confused for just a moment before I crack the bat against his ribs.
“That’s for Riley, you sick son of a bitch.”
He howls out in pain, but when he looks back at me I see the sinister look in his eyes.
“Riley’s dead, boy. I’d stop worrying about what I did or didn’t do to her if I were you. She was allegedly mine way longer than she was yours.”
I drop the bat and grab the paring knife I keep strapped to my ankle.
From somewhere in the back of my mind, I hear Rowan.
“Oh shit.”
Followed by Kieran, “You really shouldn’t have said that.”
I’m not sure if I black out or what, but the next thing I know, my brothers are pulling me off of the fucker who’s been carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey.
Lelonie’s name is carved all over his skin.
His heart is lying on the floor by his feet, and I can’t help the wicked smile on my face when I note his fucking dick on the floor beside his heart.
That sick fuck will never hurt another woman or child. Not in this life or the next.
Spitting at his corpse, I make sure I get the last fucking word.
“Dóigh in Ifreann tú ollphéist tinn.”
Shrugging out of Rowan and Kieran’s grasp, I make my way to the office with an ensuite complete with a shower. “How much time do we have?”
“You can shower and change, then we have to go back.”
Nodding in acknowledgment, I make my way to the shower. I’ve got to get back before my girl gets out of surgery.
* * *
Beep….beep….beep
The constant beep of the monitors tells me that she’s alive. She’s made it out of surgery, and she’s going to be okay. They told us that everything went perfectly for both her and Declan, and now I’m waiting in Lee’s room for her to wake up. According to Rowan, Declan woke up a few minutes ago.
I’m sitting beside Lee and rubbing the back of her hand with my thumb when I hear her groan in pain. Shooting up to my feet, I take my fingers and carefully trace them up and down her arm.
“Hey, Beautiful. Can you hear me?” I think she’s going to settle back down, but just as I assume she’s asleep again, her eyes pop open before she slams them closed again and hisses in pain.
“Can you kill the lights?” I bark out at Annie before realizing I’m lashing out at someone who absolutely doesn’t deserve it. “I’m sorry. Please.”
Annie’s eyes, which were just full of fire a second ago, look at me as if to say ‘really?’ However, she reaches over and flicks the lights off all the same.
Lee’s eyes flicker open again about the same time I press my lips to her forehead. I can’t help but smile into the kiss for a second before pulling away and getting my fill of my favorite shade of green in the entire world.
“Lee? Hey Beautiful, wake up.”
She gives me a lopsided grin which makes me smile even bigger.
“Hey, Mac Daddy. I missed you.” Her eyes shine with amusement as the smile melts off my face. Annie laughs behind me, souring my mood even more.
Little troublemakers.
“Don’t call me that.” I try to hold my serious expression, but she’s so fucking cute. I know she can see the playfulness dancing in my eyes.
“Did they do it? Did I do good? Did Dec?” Her words come out a little slurred, but I can make out what she’s saying.
“Yeah, Lee. You did such a good job. I’m so proud of you. Declan did great too.”
Pressing my lips to hers for just a second, I can hear her breath already starting to even out. One thing I’ve learned from Lee’s hospital visits is that anesthesia really lingers with her.
She sighs as she whispers, “He’s so pretty.”
This time Annie and I have to fight hard not to start laughing.
“Yeah? You’re pretty too, baby. Maybe you should go back to sleep for a little while.”
She smiles and nods while her eyes remain closed. “Yeah, okay. You’ll still be here when I wake up?”
“Go to sleep, baby. I’ll be right here.”
She drifts back off to sleep a few seconds later, and only one thought sticks in my head.
I’ll be here until my last breath, Lelonie.