Chapter 6 #2
“You and my niece? Is this serious, or are you just using her to get to me, like the caller who just left me a message said?”
“Caller? What are you talking about?”
“A woman just called. She left a message saying she’s your girlfriend, and that she wanted me to know you were only using Daria as a means to get in with me.
That you want my strip clubs on my side of town.
MacEvoy, you know I’m not giving them to you.
She doesn’t even inherit them. I won’t let my niece be used as a pawn. ”
“Stop,” I bark into the phone. “Give me some respect before you chastise me like I’m one of your sons.
Daria is mine. She’s my only girlfriend, and I don’t want any of your clubs.
We need to meet with Morosov and get this figured out.
There is a group trying to start a war, and now they’re dragging my woman into the mix. I won’t have her being used.”
“Your woman? Since when?”
“Since last night.” I don’t tell him any details, just that she’s mine now.
“I’ll be discussing this with her. Treat her right, or there will be consequences. Get Morosov, and we’ll meet. It’s about time. I have a bunch of shit going on too.”
“Okay.”
I hang up with him and dial Morosov. Andrei says he’ll put together a meeting. I offer my club, since it’s centrally located in town between everyone else’s properties. He agrees.
I go over Barone’s conversation, and it hits me. He said a woman called.
I dial Alek, but it just rings through to voicemail. I try again. Same thing. Where the fuck is he?
“Hayes, take me to the club, then go secure my woman.”
“Yes, sir. What about your meeting with Morosov?”
“He’ll put it together.”
“What about what we just found out in there?” JJ points at the hospital.
We’re all still shocked by what we found. I can’t believe it, and I won’t.
“Hayes, when you can, search for her. I’ll also talk with Lyric.”
Again, I dial Alek. When he doesn’t answer, I call my girl. She hands the phone over to her brother. Hopefully, he’s not causing me more issues with her.
“Alek,” I use his first name instead of calling him by his last name like usual. “Keep my woman under close observation. There’s some weird shit going on. A woman just called Barone and told him I was using Daria to get an in with the Italians, and that I want their clubs.”
“Yeah. She called here too, saying about the same thing, except that you wanted the Lucky Dice.”
“Fuck.”
“We have dinner with Barone tonight.”
“I’m sending Hayes to be with her and to represent my organization.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he starts to argue, but then pauses.
“Do it. If this is as serious as I think it is, your organization should be there. I’m sure it’s just Barone checking to see if she’s as serious about you as you appear to be about her.
Also with whoever this woman is who’s calling, you can show that her protection is important to you. ”
“She’s the most important person to me now. I’ll message Barone and notify him that next time I should be invited with my woman, but because she’s his family, I get it. I called Morosov too. This is getting out of hand. I don’t want Daria targeted.”
“You should have thought about that before you claimed her.”
“I did.” I don’t tell him I tried to stay away because he’ll just say I didn’t try hard enough.
“Try harder,” he says, exactly what I knew he would.
“No. She’s mine now.”
“Marry her before you impregnate her, asshole.”
I hear a gasp in the background and know my girl is thinking about what I said. I’ll have a ring on her before he knows it.
“Yeah, no promises. I need your wife’s help. May I call her?”
“She’s not getting involved in this fucked-up shit you’ve got going on.”
“I need her to search for someone. I’ll make sure she’s protected.”
“Andrei and Dmitri have a hacker who can search almost as good as my wife.” He huffs, and it hits me.
“He might be compromised. I think he’s offering his services to others. I believe he was offered up earlier by the husband of the person I need searched for.”
“Fine. But if she gets hurt or dragged in any further, I’ll kill you regardless of my sister and your relationship.”
“Give Daria back her phone,” I demand.
“Patrick.”
“Sweets, I’m sending Hayes to be with you. I want him to be your shadow. I’ll explain more later, but there are some things you’re going to have to understand I can’t share.”
“I know.”
“Good, baby. Be safe. He’ll bring you to the club after dinner.”
“Okay.” She pauses, and I feel like she wants to say something, but I give her more to contemplate.
“Baby, you’re it for me. I told you that. There is no one else and hasn’t been for a very long time.”
“I know you said that already. I trust you.”
That eases my heart more than anything she could have said. She trusts me.
“Bye.”
I hang up and notice we’re pulling up to the back of the club. JJ and I get out. Jordon meets us outside, which is perfect timing. I have a new assignment for him. I have a hunch who’s spreading the rumors.
“Jordon, fetch me that bitch Sally.”
“On it, boss.”
He walks over to his classic car and jumps in. He doesn’t ask for clarification or anything else. This is why I trust him. He’ll get her and bring her to me.
By the time JJ and I reach my office, my uncail is calling. I’m not ready to talk to him. I’m sure someone at the hospital called to notify him I went there. JJ sits in the chair across from my desk, and I dial Lyric.
“Hello,” she answers, her voice sounding a bit weak.
“Are you okay, cousin?”
I’ve never called her before, but I have her number.
She has mine too. I made sure of it after her sister was beaten.
I should have given it to her sooner. I should have had a family dinner before now, but I didn’t want to force her or her sister to have a relationship with us unless they wanted to.
I know Aintín already considers them hers and a part of the family.
“Paddy?”
“Yeah.”
“Does Alek know you’re calling me?” I like that she clears things with her husband. I can’t wait until Daria does that.
“Yeah, he told me I could, but under strict instructions.”
“Okay. What can I do for you?”
“Why can’t I just call to see how you’re doing?”
“My husband just texted as you said you had his permission.”
I chuckle. “I know you can access my VPN here at the club. Use only that for what I need you to do. That way no one knows who’s doing the searching.”
“Okay. Go on.”
“You’re good at finding people. We have an aunt who’s missing.
According to her husband, she’s in a local psych hospital.
But I just went there, and it’s not my aintín.
I don’t know who that woman was, but she’s not a MacEvoy.
When I questioned the staff, they said she showed up at the hospital in 2003 and has been listed as Eireen Gillingwater.
” I pause as another thought hits hard. “That’s the year my mother was killed.
The last time I saw my aunt was at my mom’s funeral.
It was only a couple of days later that my uncle claimed she’d had a mental break.
The woman in that hospital has black hair and can’t speak at all. ”
“I’ve already logged into your VPN.” I hear typing over the line. “I see that Eireen MacEvoy Gillingwater is a strawberry-blonde. I’ll keep looking. Do you think maybe someone took her to the desert?” she asks the question I’ve been dreading since I saw the imposter in the bed.
“If she was, I’ll kill him with my bare hands.”
“I’ll keep looking. Give me a bit. What was the exact date of your mom’s funeral. I have a date of death.”
“It was over a week later. Give me a second, and I’ll see if I can get the date.”
“Nope, never mind. I have it now.”
“Dang, girl, you are fast.”
“I’ll call you later with an update. Oh, wait, I can’t. I have dinner with Alek at a friend’s house.” I like how she doesn’t give away any details.
“I know. Tell my girl I’m thinking of her.”
I hang up and look at the numerous calls and text messages I received from Broderick while I spoke with Lyric.
“How are we going to keep him from this?” JJ asks.
“I’m not going to. Security says he’s here now.”
The door opens without a knock, and it grates on my nerves in a way that only he can. I stand from my seat, keeping the desk between us so I don’t kill him right here and now. JJ stands too, using his full height and mass to intimidate Broderick.
“Twice in one day. What’s the occasion, Broderick?” I don’t give him the title of respect he’s come to expect from me.
He recoils and steps backward, knowing I’m upset.
“Why didn’t you tell me you went to the hospital? I could have saved you the trip and told you Eireen isn’t seeing anyone today. It’s a rough day.”
“Is it? When was the last time you saw her?”
I want to see if he’s going to lie to me more.
“I was just there last week. They called me this morning to tell me she was feeling off.”
“Really? Because the administrator of the facility says the patient in room 314 hasn’t had a visitor since she was checked in… almost sixteen years ago.” I let that bomb drop and wait to see what other lies he’ll give me.
“The administrator wasn’t there when I came in. Also, your aintín’s room number is 315. Someone showed you the wrong room.”
He doesn’t need to know we searched the entire hospital, and she wasn’t there.
“Oh, so she’s in room 315? Are you sure? Because they insisted that’s her in 314, and we both know it isn’t. Where is she?” I pause and hold up my hand to give him the chance for the ultimate lie. “As the head of the family, I should know if she’s been moved to a different hospital or location.”
Broderick pauses for only a moment, then tips his head slightly, and for the first time in all the years I’ve known him, I see the evil lurking behind his eyes.
“I swear on my bond to this family, she is there, sir.” He drops his head more and turns to walk out of the room.
As soon as he’s gone, JJ shuts and locks the door.
“He lied to you as the head of the family.” JJ knows that disrespect shouldn’t be allowed.
“Let’s let him tie his own noose.”
I’m not afraid to cull my organization. I’ve done it before.