11. Cian #2
“With red hair.”
I nodded. “I met him and almost fell over. We could have been body doubles. We were the same height and build, and our hair was the same wild, crazy shit—all over the place. Facially, we didn’t look alike, but that didn’t matter.
We were even close in age—his, ah, career began very early in life for him. ”
“And he wanted this Orson taken down?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“It was personal. Orson Valenti wasn’t much older than Tony, but he’d fit a lot of living into those years.
Tony had only two loves in his life—killing people and his sister, Gina, whom he adored.
Somehow, Orson and Tony’s sister got involved, and he got her pregnant.
When she told him, he told her to take a hike. She killed herself.”
“How awful. Did she know what Tony, ah, did for a living?”
“No. He kept her and his professional life totally separate. Orson never knew she was Tony’s sister.
Tony held Orson responsible for her death.
He decided he was going to infiltrate his organization and destroy it.
Let Orson see it crumble before his eyes, and then , he would kill him.
He knew nothing would crush Orson more than seeing his empire fall to ruin.
Tony knew he’d have to become visible in order for it to happen, and he started moving forward with his plans. ” I paused. “But time ran out for him.”
“So he decided he needed to make it happen, regardless.”
I nodded. “Tony was not only a terrifying criminal, he was completely OCD. He wrote everything—and I mean everything—down. Every hit. Every kill. Every conversation. He had it all.” I looked at Skylar. “And he knew about me.”
“What?”
“He knew who I was. He was the one who murdered my dad.”
Skylar’s eyes widened. “But…”
“It was a hit for Orson. Remember the pocket watch I was telling you about?”
She nodded.
“Orson Valenti is the worst kind of criminal,” I sneered.
“He plays with people’s lives. He decides who lives and dies if you cross his path.
And he likes to collect things to help him remember, because he’s a sick, twisted fuck.
He had Tony remove my dad’s pocket watch and send it to him.
It has our family crest on it. The same one both Sean and I have tattooed on our shoulders.
“When Tony was making his plans, he saw me one day, running. He said my hair caught his eye. He followed me, and he saw the crest on my shoulder. He remembered my dad and the watch. It didn’t take him long to put it all together, and he knew he had the way of bringing Orson down.”
“Your hair is unusual. It’s such a bright red.”
I smiled ruefully. “I got it from my mother’s side of the family. My dad was Italian, but my mom was Irish. Hence, the hair and the name. It drove me crazy all my life. I always stood out in pictures and crowds. I wore a hat most of my teenage years.”
Skylar smiled.
“I grew out of it. It has actually darkened a bit as I grew older, but it is still very—” I stopped speaking and shrugged.
“Red,” she finished. “Like his.”
“Yes.”
“So, you became him.”
“I spent the last months of his life with him. I immersed myself in his history until I knew I could be him and do this.”
“How did you stand being with the person who killed your father?”
“It wasn’t easy. I wanted to kill him when I first found out. But the cancer was eating away at him so fast, and he was in so much pain, I decided that was far more punishment than I could inflict. I wanted to get to Orson Valenti and punish him for what he took away from me. I wanted revenge.”
“And Sean was okay with this? Your superiors let you do this, knowing your history?”
“My superiors know nothing about why I’m doing this, except to bring in Orson Valenti. Tony made his confession to me in secret. Once I told Sean the truth, he wanted to be on board. With his contacts and record, he had no problem making that happen. My father has never been mentioned.”
Skylar looked panicked, grasping at my hand. “Cian, if Orson finds out…he’ll kill you both.”
I flipped my palm over, encasing both her hands in mine. “He won’t. We’ve been careful, and we’re close. I’ll have everything I need soon, and we can bring him down.”
Her voice was quiet. “Are you going to kill him?”
“No. He’s going to jail. I’ll let his enemies take care of that for me.
” I dropped my head back, staring at the ceiling.
“I want the fucker to suffer. I want him to know everything is gone. Every bit of his money will disappear. All of his drug circles wiped out. Everything he prized so highly and gained with the blood of other people will be gone. And then, one day, not long after he walks through that prison door, he’ll be cornered, and long before he dies, he’ll be pleading for it.
I swear on my father’s grave that’s what will happen to Orson. He will suffer.”
“ Cian…please …” Skylar’s voice was filled with pain.
Confused, I looked at her. Skylar had tears in her eyes, and her hands were literally being crushed by mine as I fought my rage.
I pulled my hand away, dropping to my knees in front of her, gathering her little palms in mine and kissing them in shame.
“Skylar, Kitten, I’m so sorry. Fuck —I hurt you. ”
I opened her hands, cursing when I saw fresh blood on the cuts that had finally started healing. I gathered her against me and took her into my bathroom. I cleaned and bandaged her hands, apologizing repeatedly. Finally, she lifted her hand, pressing it to my cheek. “Cian, it’s fine. I’m fine.”
I stared at her, the force of my emotions making me rage again. I cupped her face in my hands, my voice rough when I spoke.
“Do you understand now, Skylar? Why I had to take you? Bring you here? I had to fucking keep you safe. If he’d gotten you…
” I bent my head, touching my forehead to hers.
“I can’t even think about it. I need to keep you safe.
You need to stop fighting me and stay here.
Tell me you know this now. Tell me you understand. ”
“I do,” she whispered.
“Promise me, Skylar. Promise me you’ll stay where you’re safe. I have to finish this. But if I’m worried about you, I can’t… fuck , I can’t think.”
“I’ll stay. I won’t cause any more trouble, Cian. I promise. I won’t fight you. I won’t let you get hurt because of me. I couldn’t stand it.”
“Why have you been fighting so hard?” I whispered.
Her eyes glistened, filled with emotion. “Because of how I was feeling about you. I thought you were a criminal, and it scared me I could feel something for you.”
I threaded my fingers into her hair. “I’ve been fighting that too.”
“Because you thought I was a lying, homeless bum?”
I pressed my lips to her cheek, nuzzling the softness. “No, because you cheat at cards and backgammon, and you call me ‘fuckwit’ far too often.”
“It suits you.”
My lips moved to her ear. “You suit me.”
A shiver ran through her. “I’m trouble.”
“So am I.”
“Cian…”
My lips hovered over hers. “Skylar.”
She whimpered.
I pulled her against me and kissed her.
She was mine. I knew it. I wasn’t fighting it anymore. Neither was she.
Finally mine.