Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7
K elsey
The next morning, I sent a text to my point of contact in the FBI, telling him I was ready to meet. After I hit send, my heart sank and I blinked a few times, feeling as though I was on the edge of tears.
The Murphys were a danger to the world, and they had to be eliminated. Without them, Boston would be a safer place. Right?
Even as I told myself that, over and over again, my heart still withered in my chest. I’d meant it when I’d told Liam I loved him and that I wanted to find a place with him. The conflicting emotions within me tangled like a knot, each strand pulling in a different direction and leaving me lost about what and how to feel.
As I waited for my FBI contact to respond, doubts and fears crept in. Could I really betray the man I had come to love, even if it was for the greater good?
I closed my eyes and sighed.
When the reply finally came, directing me to a discreet location for the meeting, I steeled myself for what lay ahead.
I didn’t want to do this.
I had to do this.
I didn’t have a choice.
* * *
The meeting spot was a quiet park, away from prying eyes. I sat down on a bench and my contact, Anthony Richardson, a fellow agent, arrived, sitting beside me. I glanced in his direction and greeted him with a forced smile.
“Byrne, we need the information you’ve gathered,” he said, getting straight to the point.
I hesitated for a moment, the weight of my conflicting loyalties bearing down on me. “Look, I’ve got something big. The Murphys are considering a hit on Zhong Wei Ling, the kingpin of the Chinese Triad. It could escalate the situation here in Southie.”
His eyes narrowed, a mix of interest and urgency. “That’s valuable intel. We’ll use it to our advantage, but we need more, Byrne, anything that can bring down the Murphy organization.”
I nodded, my resolve hardening even as my heart screamed in protest. Bringing down the Murphys was one thing, but taking Liam with them felt like too much for me to bear.
“Would it be possible for our agency to leave Liam Shelby off the table?” I asked, my voice soft.
My emotions must have played out over my face because he gave me a stern look. “You knew what you signed up for, Byrne. Don’t let personal feelings cloud your judgment. The mission comes first.”
“Of course, sir,” I answered.
The truth was, I already had more than I needed. I could hand over my dossier and that would be enough to get them off the streets for a little while at least, but for some reason, I didn’t offer it.
Liam’s face flashed before my eyes, and I swallowed hard.
“Contact me when you have more,” he dictated, and I nodded once. In a flash, he disappeared, and I sat back against the bench.
My heart hurt and I pressed a hand over it, sighing softly as I slowly came to terms with the fact that my job wasn’t yet over, and I needed to go back in.
I didn’t know how much more my heart could handle.
Truthfully, the more I thought about it, the more I didn’t want to complete the job. The Murphys were kind, and the men were exceedingly sweet, so much so that they welcomed me into the fold with open arms. After last night, I felt like I’d found a family in them, and that felt like too much to give up.
And then there was Liam.
There was no going back once I turned over that file.
There would be no more us.
In that moment, I chose with my heart.
I wasn’t going to turn in the dossier.
The first chance I got, I was going to come clean to Liam and confess everything. The Murphys were extremely well connected and as long as I was able to convince Liam that I’d chosen him, hopefully they could help me disappear.
Liam was a once in a lifetime kind of love, and I wasn’t going to give that up.
Pulling my shoulders back, I stood up and slowly made my way out of the park. With my decision made, my heart seemed to relax. Liam would be angry with me at first, I was sure of it, but he loved me. I knew he did, and with his love would come forgiveness.
At least I hoped it would.
The hair on the back of my neck rose and I looked behind me, unable to shake the feeling of being watched. Cautiously, I took another few steps and a chill raced down my spine.
I walked down the street and turned into the first alleyway I came to. I knew these streets like the back of my hand, and as quickly as I could, I wove through the urban maze.
I didn’t get far.
A sudden hush fell over the air as I entered another secluded alley, the atmosphere thick with tension. A dim streetlamp flickered overhead, casting elongated shadows on the worn brick walls. Before I could react, a group of dark figures emerged, their presence ominous and foreboding. The distinct sound of boots against the cobblestones reverberated, closing in on me like a tightening noose.
One of them stepped forward, his demeanor exuding malicious intent. “Eduardo Ramirez sends his regards,” he declared with a cold detachment.
I tried to discern their faces in the low light, but their features remained obscured, shrouded in the anonymity of the shadows.
A sudden panic gripped me as they surrounded me, trapping me in the narrow confines of the alley. Before I could protest or plead for mercy, a man stepped beside me and wrapped his arms around me, right before another stuffed a gag in my mouth. As I tried to scream, someone slipped a hood over my head, enveloping me in sudden darkness.
My breath quickened, my heart pounding in my chest as unseen hands lifted me off the ground. The rough jolt of being hoisted into the air sent a wave of disorientation through me, my limbs flailing as I tried to fight them off.
As the darkness swallowed my senses, I felt the cold bite of rope binding my wrists. Panic clawed at my throat, and I renewed my fight, but there were too many of them, and they carried me until I heard the distinct rumbling of a car engine.
The unmistakable creak of the trunk opening reached my ears, and then, with an almost mechanical efficiency, they shoved me into the small, cramped space.
The vibrations beneath me intensified as the car began to drive away. The muted thrum of tires against pavement and the occasional blare of a horn penetrated the confines of my makeshift prison.
Minutes stretched into eternity as I fought against my bonds, my screaming muted.
No one heard, and no one came to save me.
My last thoughts were of Liam before I fainted.