Chapter 2
Chapter Two
The only thought that goes through my mind as I’m tearing the heart out of my uncle’s chest is how he abused my fucking wife. He helped my father hold Aurora captive. He helped them all beat her.
Failure isn’t something I’m accustomed to feeling. I’ve always achieved everything I’ve tried my hand at. Until her. I failed to keep her safe. Aurora is the one person I would lay down my life for, and I fucking failed her.
I let them get to her. I can still see her face… her body covered in bruises… cuts everywhere. It was my fault she endured that torture. I can’t let it happen again. Which is exactly why, after tonight, we’re disappearing and no one will be able to find her.
There are just a few things I have to do first. Things like holding my uncle’s still-beating heart in my hand.
When I finally get the organ free of his body, I stand. Blood drips down my arm as Patty holds the box open to me. “Send it to my aunt,” I tell him. “Make sure everyone knows it’s done.”
“You know it’s not over yet,” he says.
“I know.” I nod my head.
This place looks like a fucking bloodbath.
I knew the Valentinos were heavy hitters.
I didn’t think they’d completely wipe out my uncle and his entourage without breaking a sweat.
As soon as I heard the first shot, I freaked out and jumped on top of Aurora.
I have no doubt I haven’t heard the last of that yet.
I don’t care, though. She’s about to get a lot fucking madder at me.
“Anyone else want to take a shot?” I ask, looking around the room filled with soldiers.
There’s one person who isn’t a member of my organization standing in the corner. Still, he stands there like he doesn’t have a care in the world. Theo Valentino. Aurora’s uncle and the current Don.
“No? This place needs to be cleaned up,” I say, spinning around and looking at the mess. “Now, has anyone seen my mother?” I eye my men for any signs of deception.
I haven’t seen or heard anything from my mother since I walked out after killing my father. I know she’s not going to just vanish. She’ll be plotting some way to get back at me for the crimes I’ve made against the family, as well as the ones I’m about to commit.
I don’t see any other way, though. I need to protect my wife at any cost.
“If you do see her, be sure to deliver her a message from me.” I wait until I have everyone’s attention. “Her sins against my wife will not go unpunished,” I say, noticing the surprise on Theo Valentino’s face. I guess that little bit of information isn’t out yet.
I turn and walk out of the room with Patty close behind me and someone else close behind him.
“Tell me you didn’t marry my niece without her mother and father to witness it,” Theo says.
I glance over a shoulder and nod towards the door. “Out there.”
I can’t talk in front of the men in my organization. I need them to believe that Aurora and I are married in every sense of the word. It’s the only way they will accept her into the family.
“It’s not legal,” I tell Theo as soon as we are out of earshot. “But they cannot find that out. It’s for her safety.”
“What’s not legal?”
“Our marriage.”
“But you think you’re married?” he asks.
“We are.” I nod. I don’t give a fuck about a piece of paper. That woman is my wife and no one is going to tell me otherwise. “Now, if you don’t have any other questions, I have something I need to do.”
I don’t wait for him to respond. I really do have something I need to do.
Patty waits for me to get into the passenger seat of his car before he walks around to the driver’s side. “That guy really wants to kill you.” He laughs.
“They love her way too fucking much to hurt her like that,” I say, because it’s the truth. Aurora’s family loves her. They would do anything for her, even if that means not killing me.
“Where to?” Patty asks.
“The post office,” I tell him. I got a tip that my father was hiding something in the vaults. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I’m going to find out. Whatever secrets he had, I want them uncovered.
“We breaking in?” Patty says.
“No need. The manager is meeting us,” I tell him. When your name is O’Malley, people don’t usually ask questions when you want something from them. Which works just fine for me.
“You got mail to send out? Why the fuck are we going to the post office?”
“How’d they find us on that island?” I voice the question that I still haven’t been able to answer, instead of telling my best friend what I’m looking for. I trust Patty. I do, and I fucking hate myself for even thinking he could be the one selling me out.
“No idea,” he says. “Your father never said.”
“When I find the fucker who ratted me out, I’m going to enjoy tearing them to pieces,” I say. And I will. Friend or foe, whoever’s responsible for my parents getting Aurora will wish they were never fucking born.
“I’ll help,” Patty says as he parks in front of the post office.
I look up at the building. There is so much history in this place. A lot of my ancestors fought for this country. Right here. You can still see where bullets hit the columns.
There’s a sense of pride that washes over me. The O’Malleys are born fighters. Those words my father drilled into me all throughout my childhood ring true. I don’t have any guilt or remorse for the man, but there are some things he taught me that I appreciate.
“Wait here,” I tell Patty, stepping out of the car. I have no idea what the fuck I’m going to find in that vault, or if maybe I’m just walking into a fucking trap. My mind goes to Aurora. I can’t let anything happen to me. She needs me.
I pull the pistol out from behind my back and grasp it firmly in my hands as I walk up to the door and tap the glass with the metal barrel. The manager eyes my gun and then me before he unlocks the door.
“Mr. O’Malley, come in,” he says, holding the door open.
“Gavin, I take it you know what I’m looking for?” I ask the old man.
“Yes, sir. Follow me,” he says, locking the door behind me as soon as I step through it. “Your father said you’d be here for this one day.”
I don’t let my surprise show. The fucker knew I’d come digging up all his skeletons. Which also tells me he wanted me to find some of them.
I follow behind Gavin as we enter a back room and he points to a door. “It goes to the basement,” he says.
“Lead the way.” I gesture my pistol towards the door.
Why do all these fuckers think I’m stupid? I’m not going down first. If he wants to lure me into a basement, he’ll be one step in front of me the whole time, and I won’t think twice about using him as a shield if there’s anyone down there waiting to spray me with fucking bullets.
“Right.” He nods and opens the door. I wait for him to get three steps down before I start following him again.
The place is eerily quiet. I have no doubt this building is haunted as shit. I just need to get what I came for and then leave.
“Here it is.” Gavin picks up a small metal box and passes it to me.
“That’s it?” I take the box with my free hand. It has a combination lock on it.
“Yep, I’ll, ah… leave you to it then?” he says.
“I’ll take it with me.” I turn and walk back up the stairs after Gavin. I thank him for his time before heading outside.
“What’s in the box?” Patty asks me when I slide back into the car a few minutes later.
“No fucking idea. Drive. We need to get to Aisling’s,” I tell him, putting in the only code I think my father would use. My mother’s birthday. The box unlocks, I open the lid, and all I find is a bunch of old documents.
I pick up the first piece of paper and unfold it. “No fucking way,” I whisper.
“What is it?” Patty asks. He eyes the box on my lap but pulls out into traffic.
I fold the little piece of paper back up and tuck it into my pocket. “The key to my fucking freedom.”