Page 22 of Endure the Pain

“I will be. As soon as I figure some things out.”

CHAPTER 7

Our shipment from Colombia was here before I knew it. Gavin had never stopped by the house to speak with me. Finn didn’t have any luck tracking him down. He eventually went by Gavin’s house. There was no answer. For whatever reason, Finn felt the need to break in. Good thing that he did because Gavin’s place was trashed, as if a fight had broken out. He said there was blood splattered on the living room floor. I called Jamie and he went over there right away. He and Finn spoke with Gavin’s neighbors and landlord. None of them had seen or heard anything.

I told Stefan. He listened quietly, sitting behind his desk, as I explained everything.

“What do you think we should do?” he asked.

I thought about it for a second. “I’d call on Vincent to work his magic and have Jamie look into any leads he comes up with.”

Stefan smirked. “Vincent is good at the finding part. Jamie is very good at either killing or capturing who we’re looking for. Good plan. It’s what I’d do.”

That was a few days ago and we still hadn’t been able to find Gavin. According to Vincent, Gavin’s last digital footprint was from two weeks ago when he had bought beer and cigarettes from a convenience store close to his house. After that, nothing.

I was currently on my way to McLoughlin’s to meet Finn. He, with the help of Louie and a few other goons, had picked up our shipment and were transporting it to the pub.

“I kind of miss my sweatpants,” I mumbled, staring out the window at the cars driving next to us. I was alone in the backseat of the Escalade. Asher was driving while Dean rode in the passenger’s seat. We were all armed, with a few spare rifles in the trunk space. Driving through the city would never be the same.

“Are you in pain?” Dean asked.

“She took her pain meds before we left. They should’ve kicked in by now,” Asher added.

“No pain. This pant suit is confining,” I said. Over the past month, Stefan had been filling my closet to the brim with more new suits. Now that I was part of the business, I needed to represent. The only upside was the suits came with new shoes. I'd chosen to wear orange satin Manolo Blahnik pumps with my black suit. I kept admiring them because, well…my name is Maura Quinn and I’m a shoe whore.

Dean turned in his seat and caught me staring. “Those ugly shoes wouldn’t look good with sweats.”

My mouth fell open in shock. “That’s the meanest thing you’ve ever said to me. Take that back!”

He gave me an incredulous look.

I glared at him. “You can kiss my pale Irish ass, Grumpy! These shoes are fucking gorgeous.”

The corner of his mouth twitched, but his signature frown stayed in place. “Out of all the shit I say, picking on your shoes is what ruffles your feathers?”

I shrugged. “We all have our triggers.” My phone beeped, notifying me of a new text, and I pulled it from my purse. “Finn made it to McLoughlin’s with the shipment,” I announced after reading the text.

“We’re pulling up,” Asher said, and I glanced out the window. He parked the car in the street, right in front of the pub’s entrance. Dean hopped out but waited by my door until Asher was standing there too before opening it and letting me out. Asher took the lead, entering McLoughlin’s first, and Dean followed behind me.

Inside, it was dim, and music played in the background. Black leather booths and wooden tables lined one side of the narrow pub and the bar took up the other side. An Irish flag was hanging on the wall behind the bar, surrounded by shelves displaying an array of Irish whiskey bottles.

Because it was the middle of the day, the pub wasn’t busy. Just a few booths and half of the bar stools were occupied. I noticed Finn sitting at the far end of the bar. Louie was with him.

“Can I help you, ma’am?” the scowling old man standing behind the bar asked, drawing everyone’s attention to me. Finn and Louie stood from the bar and I continued toward them.

“No,” Dean answered for me, glaring back at the bartender.

“What are you doing here?” I asked Louie.

He gave me a small smile, which made me sad. I missed his bright and carefree smiles. “With Gavin missing, Finn needed the extra muscle. I was able to get you two trustworthy guys. They’re watching over your shipment,” he explained, words so matter of fact.

I reached out and touched his forearm. “Can you stick around so we can talk? I’ll buy you a drink after I’m done looking over the shipment.” Louie glanced away, a clear indication he was thinking of an excuse not to. I stepped closer, for some semblance of privacy because Dean, Asher, and Finn were standing right next to us. “You can’t avoid me forever and I won’t beg. So man the fuck up before you leave me no choice but to make you talk to me.” I looked to Finn. “Where to?”

Finn tilted his head toward the far back of the pub, gesturing for us to follow before he started walking in that direction. Dean, Asher, and I trailed behind him as he led us into the pub’s kitchen and over to a stainless-steel behemoth of a refrigerator. He pushed it to the side as far as the power cord would let him, revealing the wall behind it. There were very thin lines in the wall in the shape of a door. Finn pushed on it and it swung open easily into a black abyss.

“Watch your step,” he warned before stepping inside and began moving downward into the darkness.

Asher went in first, taking a few steps down before turning back with his hand held out. “It’s dark and I don’t trust the traffic cones you call shoes.”