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“Yeah,” I respond, really wishing I didn’t have to admit that.
“Is he here?” the man asks, and any resemblance of being a nice guy seems to have disappeared now.
“No.”
I bite my lip. I have a habit of volunteering more information than I should, but right now, I’m not sure that is prudent.
“Do you know where he is?”
I shake my head no.
“Would you tell me if you did?” he asks, looking directly at me.
“I’m not sure.”
“You’re not sure?”
“You’re kind of scary looking right now. Plus, Dad doesn’t hang out with the best of company, so I’m really not sure.”
He studies me. I’m almost positive he doesn’t like what he sees, but his expression doesn’t give it away.
“And you’re sure you don’t know where he is right now?”
“I’m sure,” I tell him. I’m not exactly lying. I’m mostly sure that I have no idea where he is.
“When he gets home, tell him that he missed his appointment with me. I don’t like men who miss appointments. He needs to be at my office before eight tonight. Understand?”
“Not really.”
“What don’t you understand?” he asks and this time it sounds as if he’s getting exasperated with me.
“Any of this, I guess. I’ll tell him, though.”
“Good.” He walks to the door, stares at it before moving, then looks back at me. “Lock this deadbolt.”
I just look at him.
“Lock the dead bolt. Understand?”
“Sure,” I tell him. I could tell him the deadbolt doesn’t work. If you lock it, it still opens as if you never tried to lock it in the first place. I don’t, however. I don’t figure he really cares, and I’d rather he just leaves. It doesn’t really matter how hot he is, he definitely has scary vibes, and if he has dealings with my dad, that means he is bad news with a capital B.
CHAPTER 5
KILLIAN
Belle Tate is an unexpected complication.
With her dark auburn hair and her sparkling green eyes, she reminds me of my mother. There’s an innocence about her that I had long since forgotten. I remember seeing it in my mother when she was happy, though, especially at Christmas. There was a joy that she possessed that never dimmed—despite my father always chose his wife over us. I loved my mother, even if I didn’t approve of her choices. There were so many times that I wanted to scream at her to push Ryan O’Leary aside, to let him know that she wasn’t going to be his side piece anymore.
She loved him. She died loving him. There were times that I hated her for that. The hate never outweighed my love for her, but it did turn my relationship bitter with her at times. In the end, I guess I’m no better. I worked my way into the old man’s organization determined to prove that I was worthy of him to call me his son. In all this time, he never has. Now, I’m at the point I don’t want him to.
Life is what it is. People make the choices they make, and they must live by them. There are no gray areas in life—even if people wish to pretend that there is. There is only black and white. There are choices, and each choice has consequences. My relationship with Ryan O’Leary is most definitely black and white. He chose to keep me a secret, and I chose to let him. To the outside world, I am the son of his cousin Paulie’s wife, Helen. She was left a widow while pregnant. Three people know the truth and one of those is dead. The secret will die with me and Ryan O’Leary. That’s just the way it has to be.
Still, seeing that light shine in Belle Tate’s eyes is a reminder of something I loved—something forgotten. I’m at Donovan Tate’s housing complex, not knowing which shit apartment he lives in. I really wish it hadn’t been Belle’s. I’m here to let Tate know that that the organization has decided to go a different route instead of using his relative. It isn’t what I was urged to do, but it’s what feels right to me. I will take whatever consequences come my way for failing to follow orders. Still, it’s clear that Donovan Tate is counting on this deal and the extra income he would receive to move him and his daughter out of the shithole they live in. I haven’t had dealings with Donovan. He drives cars for two of the lower-level guys. These are men we call bosuns. They basically carry out my orders and make sure nothing goes wrong.
I shouldn’t give a damn. My golden rule is to never get involved in the personal lives of the men who work under me. After meeting Belle, however, I’m about to break my own golden rule.
I’m going to give this Bones and his crew—along with Donovan—the job. I’ll pay them and be done with it. There’s just one and only one reason I’m doing it, too.
