Chapter 29
T he streets of Dublin have seen many horrors, but never before have they seen what’s coming for them as soon as the wheels touch the tarmac.
My father wanted to remind me who held the end of the leash in the family. That’s why he took her. My wife. That’s why he has her locked in some damp, cold basement while he has his men do whatever the fuck they want to her…
No. That part of the sick game he’s playing wouldn’t have started yet. He doesn’t have his audience. Me. They won’t touch her until I get there.
Like I said, he’s underestimating me, because I will never be chained to him again. I might be heading right into his trap, but when there’s only one way in, you take it.
I slide into the back of the waiting car, my body tight and my mind focused. I’m ready.
“Mr. O’Malley, welcome home,” the driver says.
I look up and smile at one of my oldest friends. “Patty, what the fuck?”
“I offered to pick you up. Surprisingly, your old man trusts me.” Patty smirks.
I climb my ass over the center console and park myself in the front passenger seat. “Have you seen her? How is she?”
“I’ve seen her. She’s… alive.” He looks away.
“What?” I press him. “What have they done to her?”
“Nothing she won’t survive. Come on. Let’s get this show started.” He pulls away from the plane and maneuvers through the back gate.
“How many do we have?”
“Twenty,” Patty says. He’s been here for a day already, recruiting the men who are loyal to me and not my father. Twenty isn’t many but it’s better than none, I guess.
The car turns onto the busy streets of Dublin, passing pubs I used to sneak into with friends. Patty and I have had plenty of good times in this city, and so did Kenny. I always knew I’d be back here one day. I just didn’t expect it to be so soon. I didn’t expect my father to find us so quickly.
“Tell me,” I urge Patty after a few minutes of seething silence. I need to know how bad they’ve already hurt her. I was certain they wouldn’t have touched her yet.
“You need to keep your head on straight, Connor. You need to play along until it’s time. We cannot turn up and have you firing grenades the minute you step into the house,” he says.
“Tell me,” I repeat. My voice firmer. My fists clenched at my sides.
“I don’t know. I only got here yesterday. I’ve kept them away from her as much as I could,” he says.
“Fuck!” I yell as I lash out and strike the dashboard.
“Get it out now, because once we step inside that house, you need to be calm,” Patty says.
“I know what I need to do.”
“And when the fuck were you going to tell me you married her?” He turns to look at me.
“How do you know about that?”
“She told me.” He smirks, and I smile.
She’s holding on. She is strong. I need to keep reminding myself that she’s a survivor. Whatever they do, as long as her heart is beating, she will survive it.
“Can this car go any faster? My wife is waiting for me,” I tell him. The thought of Aurora being chained up in the basement tears at my fucking heart. Even though I know she’s tough, she shouldn’t fucking have to be.
Is she scared? I know she puts out to the world that she’s not scared of anything, but that’s not the truth.
“Your father has fortified the place. I counted at least a hundred guys, and that’s just on the perimeter. God knows how many he has inside,” Patty says, ignoring my question.
“I have a plan.” I shrug.
“Yeah? Let’s hear it then.”
“I’m going to kill him.” My tone is as cold as my heart right now.
“Just like that, huh?” Patty says.
“Just like that.” I shrug again.
“You have to make it out alive,” he tells me like I don’t know.
“That’s where you and the others come in. As soon as I have his heart in my hands, everyone else will fall into line too,” I explain.
“You sure about this?” Patty asks. “You know I’ll go down with you, as long as this is what you want.”
“What I want is my wife. What I want is to burn the fucking organization down to the ground.”
“This is a suicide mission. Twenty of us, hundred or more of them.” He shakes his head from side to side.
“It’s not suicide. It’s war,” I correct him. “And I plan on being the victor.”
“Yeah, pretty sure everyone who goes to war has that plan, asshole.” He laughs.
“You can leave. You don’t have to do this.” I wouldn’t hold it against him if he did. She’s my wife. This is my fight.
“What? And miss all the fun? Fuck no. Besides, I can’t wait to see your wife out of those chains and in all her insane glory.” Patty smiles at me.
I close my eyes and take a huge breath. They have her chained up. I knew they would. But hearing him say it out loud hits different. I also know the condition I’m going to find her in, and it’s breaking my fucking heart.
The car pulls into the compound. Patty was right. My father has made this place a fucking fortress.
“There’s something else you should know,” Patty says.
“What?” I ask him.
“Your father has arranged a marriage. Your marriage. To Maeve. She’s here,” he tells me.
“What the fuck?” I hiss out. I don’t know what the old man is playing at. “Is she okay?”
“She seems fine. I don’t think she’s thrilled about the idea of becoming your wife, but can you blame her?” Patty chuckles to himself.
Meave and I had a thing, a long fucking time ago. It was never serious, just kids fooling around. Or at least that’s what I thought it was until she wanted more. Regardless, she doesn’t deserve to get caught up in my father’s games.
The moment I get out of the car, there are three guards on me. Patting me down. “Miss me, boys?” I ask with a raised brow.
When they don’t find anything, they step away with their heads bowed. They might be loyal to my father, but I am still his son. Still the heir. And that means I’m due a certain level of respect. Whether they want to give it to me or not.
“Time to party,” I tell Patty, who just shakes his head in reply.
I know he wants me to play along, to pretend to be my father’s puppet for a bit. He doesn’t get it. It’s not his wife chained up in a fucking basement.
I’m calm as I walk through the house, on the outside at least. On the inside, a storm is brewing. I clock all the guards and a smile forms on my face. My father either fears me… or her. Because I’ve never seen so many of his guys hanging around him before. He’d be right to be afraid, though.
I’m led into a dining room. Where my father sits at the head of the table, my mother at one side and an empty place setting on the other. There are four guards at the entrance, two outside the window that leads to the back courtyard.
“You summoned me?” I cock my head as I eye my father.
“Sit. Your mother would like us all to share a meal together.”
“I’d love to, but it wouldn’t be complete without the whole family, now would it?” I ask him.
“What are you talking about?”
“Family secrets run deep, Da, and you’re not the only one with the key to them,” I say, my warning silent as I take a seat.
As much as I don’t want to wait to kill him, Patty is right.
It’s not the time. I need to be able to make it from the dining room to the basement, and for that, I need him alive.
My parents share a look. I’ve never let on that I know their deepest darkest secret. The one they think they’ve kept in a closet all these years. The one thing that could be their undoing if it were to come out.
“Family secrets are just that, Connor, things that should be kept within the confines of the family,” my father replies.
“Yeah, what family would that be, Da? The one sitting around this table or the one that sat you up on that throne?” I ask him. The organization is supposed to come above all else. And for my father it always has, or so I thought before I learned what he did.
“It’s good to have you home, son. I’ve missed you. Eat before your meal gets cold. We have much to discuss.” He dismisses the question with the wave of a hand. But he’s nervous. I can tell.
“Where is she?” I ground out.
“You’ll see her in good time. Eat.” My father gestures to my plate. There’s no way I could stomach a bite of food right now. Even if I could, I wouldn’t put it past him to drug me. I’m not taking that risk.
After twenty minutes of sitting in silence, my father huffs, drops his fork with a loud clatter, and pushes to his feet. “Let’s go,” he says.
“Lead the way,” I tell him, following suit. I scan his body. He’s nothing if not predictable. I know where and what he carries. Then I begin to count down the minutes in my head. Until I can end this. End him.